Exodus 12:22

Posted on March 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 12:22 Fasciculumque hyssopi tingite in sanguine qui est in limine, et aspergite ex eo superliminare, et utrumque postem: nullus vestrum egrediatur ostium domus suæ usque mane.

And dip a bundle of hyssop in the blood that is in the threshold, and sprinkle from it on the upper beam and on each doorpost; none of you shall go out from the door of his house until morning.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fasciculumque and a bundle ACC.SG.M + ENCLITIC
2 hyssopi of hyssop GEN.SG.M
3 tingite dip 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 sanguine blood ABL.SG.M
6 qui which NOM.SG.M.REL
7 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 limine threshold ABL.SG.N
10 et and CONJ
11 aspergite sprinkle 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
12 ex from PREP+ABL
13 eo it ABL.SG.M/N.PRON
14 superliminare upper beam ACC.SG.N
15 et and CONJ
16 utrumque each ACC.SG.M/NEUT
17 postem doorpost ACC.SG.M
18 nullus no one NOM.SG.M
19 vestrum of you GEN.PL.M
20 egrediatur shall go out 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
21 ostium door ACC.SG.N
22 domus house GEN.SG.F
23 suæ his GEN.SG.F.ADJ
24 usque until PREP/ADV
25 mane morning ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Main command sequence:
Fasciculumque hyssopi tingite in sanguine
• tingite = main imperative
• Fasciculum hyssopi = object (“a bundle of hyssop”)
• in sanguine = ablative of location

Relative clause:
qui est in limine — “which is in the threshold”
• qui = subject
• est = copula

Second imperative:
et aspergite ex eo superliminare et utrumque postem
• aspergite = imperative
• ex eo = source of sprinkling
• superliminare = direct object 1
• utrumque postem = direct object 2

Prohibitive command:
nullus vestrum egrediatur ostium domus suæ usque mane
• nullus = subject
• egrediatur = negative-subjunctive prohibition
• ostium domus suæ = object (“the door of his house”)
• usque mane = limit of action (“until morning”)

Morphology

  1. Fasciculumque — Lemma: fasciculus; Part of Speech: noun + enclitic; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of tingite; Translation: “and a bundle”; Notes: enclitic -que adds the bundle to the ritual actions.
  2. hyssopi — Lemma: hyssopus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of material; Translation: “of hyssop”; Notes: tool for ritual application.
  3. tingite — Lemma: tingo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative second plural; Function: main command; Translation: “dip”; Notes: ritual instruction.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: place of dipping.
  5. sanguine — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “blood”; Notes: Passover blood.
  6. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers to blood.
  7. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: linking verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: simple identity.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: spatial.
  9. limine — Lemma: limen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “threshold”; Notes: boundary of house.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: additive.
  11. aspergite — Lemma: aspergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative second plural; Function: main command; Translation: “sprinkle”; Notes: ritual action.
  12. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: source; Translation: “from”; Notes: indicates origin of sprinkled blood.
  13. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of ex; Translation: “it”; Notes: refers to blood.
  14. superliminare — Lemma: superliminare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “upper beam”; Notes: top doorframe.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins second object; Translation: “and”; Notes: connects.
  16. utrumque — Lemma: uterque; Part of Speech: distributive pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine/neuter; Function: modifies postem; Translation: “each”; Notes: emphasizes two doorposts.
  17. postem — Lemma: postis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object; Translation: “doorpost”; Notes: part of doorframe.
  18. nullus — Lemma: nullus; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “no one”; Notes: absolute prohibition.
  19. vestrum — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: partitive; Translation: “of you”; Notes: each individual.
  20. egrediatur — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present subjunctive third singular; Function: negative-subjunctive prohibition; Translation: “shall go out”; Notes: ritual restriction.
  21. ostium — Lemma: ostium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of motion; Translation: “door”; Notes: exit point.
  22. domus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies ostium; Translation: “of the house”; Notes: possession.
  23. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies domus; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers to each individual.
  24. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb/preposition; Form: indeclinable; Function: marks limit; Translation: “until”; Notes: temporal boundary.
  25. mane — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: noun/adverb; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of usque; Translation: “morning”; Notes: sunrise boundary.

 

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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