Exodus 19:12

Posted on March 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 19:12 Constituesque terminos populo per circuitum, et dices ad eos: Cavete ne ascendatis in montem, nec tangatis fines illius: omnis qui tetigerit montem, morte morietur.

And you shall set boundaries for the people round about, and you shall say to them: ‘Beware lest you go up on the mountain, nor touch its borders: everyone who touches the mountain shall surely die.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Constituesque and you shall set 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 terminos boundaries NOUN.ACC.PL.M
3 populo for the people NOUN.DAT.SG.M
4 per through / around PREP+ACC
5 circuitum circuit / surrounding area NOUN.ACC.SG.M
6 et and CONJ
7 dices you shall say 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
8 ad to PREP+ACC
9 eos them PRON.ACC.PL.M
10 Cavete beware 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
11 ne lest CONJ
12 ascendatis you go up 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
13 in on PREP+ACC
14 montem mountain NOUN.ACC.SG.M
15 nec nor CONJ
16 tangatis you touch 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
17 fines borders NOUN.ACC.PL.M
18 illius of it PRON.GEN.SG.M/F/N
19 omnis everyone ADJ.NOM.SG.M (used substantively)
20 qui who PRON.REL.NOM.SG.M
21 tetigerit shall touch 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
22 montem mountain NOUN.ACC.SG.M
23 morte with death NOUN.ABL.SG.F
24 morietur he shall die 3SG.FUT.DEP.IND

Syntax

Main Command:
Constituesque terminos populo — “you shall set boundaries for the people.”

Spatial Phrase:
per circuitum — indicates the encircling perimeter.

Second Command:
dices ad eos — introduces the warning.

Prohibitions with Subjunctive:
Cavete ne ascendatis in montem — ne + subjunctive = negative purpose/prohibition.
nec tangatis fines illius — second prohibition.

General Relative Clause:
omnis qui tetigerit montem — future perfect expressing legal certainty.

Penalty Clause:
morte morietur — ablative of means + deponent verb; “he shall die by death.”

Morphology

  1. Constituesque — Lemma: constituo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 2nd singular + enclitic -que; Function: main command; Translation: and you shall set; Notes: future used imperatively.
  2. terminos — Lemma: terminus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: boundaries; Notes: legal perimeter.
  3. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: for the people; Notes: beneficiaries of the command.
  4. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses spatial extent; Translation: through / around; Notes: encircling.
  5. circuitum — Lemma: circuitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of per; Translation: circuit; Notes: perimeter.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects commands; Translation: and; Notes: continuation.
  7. dices — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 2nd singular; Function: direct command; Translation: you shall say; Notes: shifts to speech directive.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: to; Notes: Moses → people.
  9. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: them; Notes: the Israelites.
  10. Cavete — Lemma: caveo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: prohibition; Translation: beware; Notes: serious caution.
  11. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces negative purpose/prohibition; Translation: lest; Notes: classical use.
  12. ascendatis — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 2nd plural; Function: prohibition; Translation: you go up; Notes: mountain is forbidden.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: on; Notes: ascent onto the mountain.
  14. montem — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: mountain; Notes: Mount Sinai.
  15. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: continues prohibition; Translation: nor; Notes: adds another negative action.
  16. tangatis — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 2nd plural; Function: prohibition; Translation: you touch; Notes: touching forbidden.
  17. fines — Lemma: finis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of tangatis; Translation: borders; Notes: surrounding limits.
  18. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possession; Translation: of it; Notes: refers to the mountain.
  19. omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective (used substantively); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of morietur; Translation: everyone; Notes: universal condition.
  20. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of tetigerit; Translation: who; Notes: introduces legal condition.
  21. tetigerit — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: condition; Translation: shall touch; Notes: legal formula.
  22. montem — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of tetigerit; Translation: mountain; Notes: sacred boundary.
  23. morte — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with death; Notes: formulaic legal penalty.
  24. morietur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: future deponent indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of penalty; Translation: he shall die; Notes: deponent with active sense.

 

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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