Exodus 12:18

Posted on March 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 12:18 Primo mense, quartadecima die mensis ad vesperam comedetis azyma usque ad diem vigesimam primam eiusdem mensis ad vesperam.

In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the same month at evening.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Primo first ABL.SG.M
2 mense month ABL.SG.M
3 quartadecima fourteenth ABL.SG.F
4 die day ABL.SG.F
5 mensis of the month GEN.SG.M
6 ad at / toward PREP+ACC
7 vesperam evening ACC.SG.F
8 comedetis you shall eat 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
9 azyma unleavened bread ACC.PL.N
10 usque until PREP+ACC
11 ad to PREP+ACC
12 diem day ACC.SG.M
13 vigesimam twentieth ACC.SG.F
14 primam first ACC.SG.F
15 eiusdem of the same GEN.SG.M/F/N.DEM
16 mensis month GEN.SG.M
17 ad at PREP+ACC
18 vesperam evening ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Temporal frame: Primo mense quartadecima die mensis ad vesperam
• Ablative absolute–style temporal construction
• Primo mense = “in the first month”
• quartadecima die = “on the fourteenth day”
• ad vesperam = “at evening”

Main command: comedetis azyma
• comedetis = main verb
• azyma = direct object

Duration clause: usque ad diem vigesimam primam eiusdem mensis ad vesperam
• usque ad = “until”
• diem vigesimam primam = “the twenty-first day”
• eiusdem mensis = “of the same month”
• ad vesperam = terminus point (“until evening”)

Morphology

  1. Primo — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies mense; Translation: “first”; Notes: ordinal month designation.
  2. mense — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: temporal ablative; Translation: “month”; Notes: time setting.
  3. quartadecima — Lemma: quartadecimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies die; Translation: “fourteenth”; Notes: compound ordinal.
  4. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “day”; Notes: denotes timing.
  5. mensis — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: “of the month”; Notes: identifies which day.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: temporal endpoint; Translation: “at / toward”; Notes: marks evening onset.
  7. vesperam — Lemma: vespera; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “evening”; Notes: liturgical timing.
  8. comedetis — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “you shall eat”; Notes: Passover command.
  9. azyma — Lemma: azymum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “unleavened bread”; Notes: ritual food.
  10. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: preposition/adverb; Form: governs ad with accusative; Function: indicates duration; Translation: “until”; Notes: sets temporal limit.
  11. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks terminus; Translation: “to”; Notes: part of usque ad phrase.
  12. diem — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “day”; Notes: duration end point.
  13. vigesimam — Lemma: vicesimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies diem; Translation: “twentieth”; Notes: ordinal.
  14. primam — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies vigesimam; Translation: “first”; Notes: “twenty-first.”
  15. eiusdem — Lemma: idem; Part of Speech: demonstrative; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies mensis; Translation: “of the same”; Notes: repeats month reference.
  16. mensis — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive dependent; Translation: “month”; Notes: clarifies temporal frame.
  17. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: temporal marker; Translation: “at”; Notes: indicates evening boundary.
  18. vesperam — Lemma: vespera; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “evening”; Notes: concluding time.

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
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