Exodus 18:20

Posted on March 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 18:20 ostendasque populo ceremonias et ritum colendi, viamque per quam ingredi debeant, et opus quod facere debeant.

and you shall show the people the ceremonies and the manner of worship, and the way by which they must enter, and the work which they must do.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ostendasque and you shall show 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ + ENCLITIC
2 populo to the people NOUN.DAT.SG.M
3 ceremonias ceremonies NOUN.ACC.PL.F
4 et and CONJ
5 ritum ritual NOUN.ACC.SG.M
6 colendi of worshipping GERUND.GEN.SG
7 viamque and the way NOUN.ACC.SG.F + ENCLITIC
8 per through PREP+ACC
9 quam which PRON.REL.ACC.SG.F
10 ingredi to enter INF.PRES.DEP
11 debeant they must 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
12 et and CONJ
13 opus work NOUN.ACC.SG.N
14 quod which PRON.REL.ACC.SG.N
15 facere to do INF.PRES.ACT
16 debeant they must 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Coordinated Instruction:
ostendasque populo ceremonias et ritum colendi — imperative-subjunctive sense: “you shall show the people the ceremonies and the ritual of worship.”

Second Coordinated Object:
viamque per quam ingredi debeant — relative clause (per quam) defining “the way” with a deponent infinitive.

Third Coordinated Object:
et opus quod facere debeant — “and the work which they must do,” another relative clause dependent on opus.

Morphology

  1. ostendasque — Lemma: ostendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 2nd singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb of command; Translation: and you shall show; Notes: subjunctive used in exhortation/command.
  2. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the people; Notes: recipient of instruction.
  3. ceremonias — Lemma: ceremonia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of ostendas; Translation: ceremonies; Notes: acts of religious observance.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects objects; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  5. ritum — Lemma: ritus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: rite / ritual; Notes: religious usage.
  6. colendi — Lemma: colo; Part of Speech: gerund; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies ritum; Translation: of worshipping; Notes: verbal noun with genitive.
  7. viamque — Lemma: via; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine + enclitic; Function: coordinated direct object; Translation: and the way; Notes: enclitic -que links to earlier objects.
  8. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses means or movement; Translation: through / by; Notes: introduces relative clause.
  9. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: which; Notes: refers back to viam.
  10. ingredi — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present deponent infinitive; Function: infinitive governed by debeant; Translation: to enter; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  11. debeant — Lemma: debeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: verb of obligation; Translation: they must; Notes: subjunctive in subordinate clause.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects final object phrase; Translation: and; Notes: coordination.
  13. opus — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of understood ostendas; Translation: work; Notes: moral/religious action required.
  14. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of facere; Translation: which; Notes: refers to opus.
  15. facere — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: to do; Notes: dependent on debeant.
  16. debeant — Lemma: debeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: verb of obligation; Translation: they must; Notes: repeats obligation for emphasis.

 

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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