Exodus 16:21

Posted on March 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 16:21 Colligebant autem mane singuli, quantum sufficere poterat ad vescendum: cumque incaluisset sol, liquefiebat.

And they gathered in the morning, each one as much as could suffice for eating, and when the sun grew hot, it melted.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Colligebant they were gathering 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
2 autem however CONJ
3 mane morning ACC.SG.N (INDECL)
4 singuli each NOM.PL.M (INDEF)
5 quantum as much as ACC.SG.N (REL)
6 sufficere to suffice INF.PRES.ACT
7 poterat it was able 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
8 ad for PREP+ACC
9 vescendum eating GERUND.ACC
10 cumque and when CONJ
11 incaluisset had grown hot 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
12 sol sun NOM.SG.M
13 liquefiebat it melted 3SG.IMP.PASS.IND

Syntax

Main Imperfective Clause: Colligebant autem mane singuli — ongoing habitual action; subject singuli, verb Colligebant, temporal modifier mane.
Object Clause: quantum sufficere poterat ad vescendum — “as much as could suffice for eating,” with sufficere governed by poterat.
Temporal Clause: cumque incaluisset sol — “and when the sun had grown hot.”
Result Clause: liquefiebat — the manna melted under the heat.

Morphology

  1. Colligebant — Lemma: colligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative, 3rd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they were gathering”; Notes: denotes repeated daily action.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: contrasts with previous sentence; Translation: “however”; Notes: postpositive.
  3. mane — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: noun/adverb (indeclinable); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: temporal marker; Translation: “morning”; Notes: time when manna was gathered.
  4. singuli — Lemma: singuli; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun (indefinite distributive); Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “each”; Notes: stresses individual responsibility.
  5. quantum — Lemma: quantus; Part of Speech: relative/adverbial pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: introduces measure clause; Translation: “as much as”; Notes: anticipates verb of ability.
  6. sufficere — Lemma: sufficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary to poterat; Translation: “to suffice”; Notes: expresses adequacy.
  7. poterat — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: governing verb; Translation: “it was able”; Notes: refers to quantity.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: “for”; Notes: introduces purpose gerund.
  9. vescendum — Lemma: vescor; Part of Speech: gerund; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “eating”; Notes: vescor is deponent.
  10. cumque — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: enclitic -que strengthens connection.
  11. incaluisset — Lemma: incalesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had grown hot”; Notes: describes intense heat.
  12. sol — Lemma: sol; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “sun”; Notes: natural element affecting manna.
  13. liquefiebat — Lemma: liquefio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect passive indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb of result; Translation: “it melted”; Notes: passive meaning: manna liquefies under heat.

 

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.