Exodus 19:21

Posted on March 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 19:21 dixit ad eum: Descende, et contestare populum: ne forte velit transcendere terminos ad videndum Dominum, et pereat ex eis plurima multitudo.

He said to him: “Go down and warn the people, lest perhaps the people should wish to cross the boundaries to see the LORD, and a very great multitude perish from them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M
4 Descende go down 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
5 et and CONJ
6 contestare warn 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
7 populum the people NOUN.ACC.SG.M
8 ne lest CONJ
9 forte perhaps ADV
10 velit may want 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
11 transcendere to cross INF.PRES.ACT
12 terminos boundaries NOUN.ACC.PL.M
13 ad to PREP+ACC
14 videndum to see SUP
15 Dominum LORD NOUN.ACC.SG.M
16 et and CONJ
17 pereat may perish 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
18 ex from PREP+ABL
19 eis them PRON.ABL.PL.M
20 plurima very many ADJ.NOM.SG.F.SUPER
21 multitudo multitude NOUN.NOM.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause:
dixit ad eum — Subject (implied: the LORD), verb dixit, indirect object eum.

Imperatives:
Descende — command to Moses.
contestare populum — second command, taking populum as object.

Prohibitive Clause:
ne forte velit transcendere terminos — “lest perhaps he/they might want to cross the boundaries.”

Purpose Construction with Supine:
ad videndum Dominum — “to see the LORD.”

Result Clause:
et pereat ex eis plurima multitudo — “and a very great multitude perish from among them.”

Morphology

  1. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: said; Notes: introduces divine speech.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: standard prepositional complement.
  3. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: him; Notes: refers to Moses.
  4. Descende — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: go down; Notes: urgent divine instruction.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links coordinated commands; Translation: and; Notes: simple connector.
  6. contestare — Lemma: contesto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: warn; Notes: admonitory force.
  7. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of contestare; Translation: the people; Notes: refers to Israel.
  8. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces negative purpose/prohibition; Translation: lest; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  9. forte — Lemma: forte; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: softens prohibition; Translation: perhaps; Notes: expresses potential circumstance.
  10. velit — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb in ne-clause; Translation: may want; Notes: volition in potential danger.
  11. transcendere — Lemma: transcendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complement of velit; Translation: to cross; Notes: refers to forbidden act.
  12. terminos — Lemma: terminus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of transcendere; Translation: boundaries; Notes: set limits around Sinai.
  13. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + accusative; Function: introduces purpose with supine; Translation: to; Notes: governs videndum.
  14. videndum — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: supine; Form: supine in -um; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: to see; Notes: supine used after motion with ad.
  15. Dominum — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of the supine; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects result clause; Translation: and; Notes: joins possible consequence.
  17. pereat — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of potential/result clause; Translation: may perish; Notes: catastrophic warning.
  18. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: from; Notes: marks loss from among the group.
  19. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of ex; Translation: them; Notes: refers to the people.
  20. plurima — Lemma: plurimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine superlative; Function: modifies multitudo; Translation: very great; Notes: superlative intensity.
  21. multitudo — Lemma: multitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of pereat; Translation: multitude; Notes: expresses potential mass casualty.

 

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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