Exodus 13:13

Posted on March 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 13:13 Primogenitum asini mutabis ove: quod si non redemeris, interficies. Omne autem primogenitum hominis de filiis tuis, pretio redimes.

The firstborn of a donkey you shall exchange with a sheep; but if you do not redeem it, you shall kill it. But every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem with a price.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Primogenitum firstborn ADJ.NOM/ACC.SG.N
2 asini of a donkey NOUN.GEN.SG.M
3 mutabis you shall exchange 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
4 ove with a sheep NOUN.ABL.SG.F
5 quod but CONJ
6 si if CONJ
7 non not ADV
8 redemeris you shall have redeemed 2SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
9 interficies you shall kill 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 Omne every ADJ.ACC.SG.N
11 autem but CONJ
12 primogenitum firstborn ADJ.ACC.SG.N
13 hominis of man NOUN.GEN.SG.M
14 de from PREP+ABL
15 filiis sons NOUN.ABL.PL.M
16 tuis your ADJ.ABL.PL.M
17 pretio with a price NOUN.ABL.SG.N
18 redimes you shall redeem 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main clause 1: Primogenitum asini mutabis ove — Primogenitum asini is the object; mutabis is the verb; ove expresses the substitute.
Conditional clause: quod si non redemeris — redemeris is future perfect; condition introduced by si.
Resulting clause: interficies — main verb of required action if condition is unmet.
Main clause 2: Omne autem primogenitum hominis forms the object for redimes; de filiis tuis specifies domain; pretio expresses means.

Morphology

  1. Primogenitum — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of mutabis; Translation: “firstborn”; Notes: neuter used for offspring.
  2. asini — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of a donkey”; Notes: specifies type of firstborn.
  3. mutabis — Lemma: muto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “you shall exchange”; Notes: ritual substitution.
  4. ove — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of substitution; Translation: “with a sheep”; Notes: indicates permitted substitute.
  5. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces alternative statement; Translation: “but”; Notes: adversative.
  6. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: conditional marker.
  7. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: modifies redemeris.
  8. redemeris — Lemma: redimo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative second person singular; Function: protasis verb; Translation: “you shall have redeemed”; Notes: expresses completed future action.
  9. interficies — Lemma: interficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second person singular; Function: apodosis verb; Translation: “you shall kill”; Notes: required action if redemption not performed.
  10. Omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of redimes; Translation: “every”; Notes: governs primogenitum.
  11. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: mild contrastive link; Translation: “but”; Notes: marks transition.
  12. primogenitum — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of redimes; Translation: “firstborn”; Notes: refers to human offspring.
  13. hominis — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive on primogenitum; Translation: “of man”; Notes: distinguishes from animal laws.
  14. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: source; Translation: “from”; Notes: indicates familial group.
  15. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “sons”; Notes: offspring category.
  16. tuis — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: “your”; Notes: Israelite lineage.
  17. pretio — Lemma: pretium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with a price”; Notes: formal redemption payment.
  18. redimes — Lemma: redimo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “you shall redeem”; Notes: applies uniquely to humans.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.