Exodus 18:21

Posted on March 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 18:21 Provide autem de omni plebe viros potentes, et timentes Deum, in quibus sit veritas, et qui oderint avaritiam, et constitue ex eis tribunos, et centuriones, et quinquagenarios, et decanos

Moreover, provide out of all the people men who are strong and who fear God, in whom there is truth, and who hate greed, and appoint out of them rulers of thousands, and of hundreds, and of fifties, and of tens

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Provide provide 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
2 autem however / moreover CONJ
3 de from PREP+ABL
4 omni all ADJ.ABL.SG.F
5 plebe the people NOUN.ABL.SG.F
6 viros men NOUN.ACC.PL.M
7 potentes strong ADJ.ACC.PL.M
8 et and CONJ
9 timentes fearing PTCP.PRES.ACT.ACC.PL.M
10 Deum God NOUN.ACC.SG.M
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 quibus in whom PRON.REL.ABL.PL.M
13 sit there may be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
14 veritas truth NOUN.NOM.SG.F
15 et and CONJ
16 qui who PRON.REL.NOM.PL.M
17 oderint may hate 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
18 avaritiam greed NOUN.ACC.SG.F
19 et and CONJ
20 constituе appoint 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
21 ex out of PREP+ABL
22 eis them PRON.PERS.ABL.PL
23 tribunos tribunes NOUN.ACC.PL.M
24 et and CONJ
25 centuriones centurions NOUN.ACC.PL.M
26 et and CONJ
27 quinquagenarios leaders of fifty NOUN.ACC.PL.M
28 et and CONJ
29 decanos leaders of ten NOUN.ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Main Command:
Provide autem de omni plebe viros potentes — imperative of selecting qualified men.

Series of Qualifying Participles/Clauses:
timentes Deum — fearing God.
in quibus sit veritas — “in whom there is truth.”
qui oderint avaritiam — “who hate greed.”

Second Imperative Command:
et constitue ex eis tribunos… — appointing graded officers: tribunes, centurions, leaders of fifty, leaders of ten.

Morphology

  1. Provide — Lemma: provideo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: provide; Notes: initiates instruction.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: transitional; Translation: moreover; Notes: soft contrast.
  3. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: source; Translation: from; Notes: denotes origin.
  4. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies plebe; Translation: all; Notes: distributive.
  5. plebe — Lemma: plebs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: the people; Notes: civic body.
  6. viros — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of provide; Translation: men; Notes: qualified leaders.
  7. potentes — Lemma: potens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies viros; Translation: strong; Notes: capable.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects qualities; Translation: and; Notes: coordination.
  9. timentes — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies viros; Translation: fearing; Notes: characteristic.
  10. Deum — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of timentes; Translation: God; Notes: object of reverence.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: introduces relative clause.
  12. quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: in whom; Notes: refers to viros.
  13. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: may be; Notes: subjunctive in characteristic clause.
  14. veritas — Lemma: veritas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of sit; Translation: truth; Notes: moral reliability.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: and; Notes: connector.
  16. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of oderint; Translation: who; Notes: introduces next quality.
  17. oderint — Lemma: odi; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active subjunctive 3rd plural with present meaning; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: may hate; Notes: odi is defective.
  18. avaritiam — Lemma: avaritia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of oderint; Translation: greed; Notes: moral requirement.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects imperatives; Translation: and; Notes: links commands.
  20. constituе — Lemma: constituo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: appoint; Notes: selects leaders.
  21. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: source; Translation: out of; Notes: indicates selection.
  22. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: object of ex; Translation: them; Notes: refers to selected men.
  23. tribunos — Lemma: tribunus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of constitue; Translation: tribunes; Notes: high-ranking officials.
  24. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: simple link.
  25. centuriones — Lemma: centurio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of constitue; Translation: centurions; Notes: leaders of hundreds.
  26. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: serial connection; Translation: and.
  27. quinquagenarios — Lemma: quinquagenarius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object; Translation: leaders of fifty; Notes: administrative rank.
  28. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: links final rank; Translation: and.
  29. decanos — Lemma: decanus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object; Translation: leaders of ten; Notes: lowest administrative level.

 

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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