Exodus 20:12

Posted on March 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 20:12 Honora patrem tuum et matrem tuam, ut sis longævus super terram, quam Dominus Deus tuus dabit tibi.

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may be long-lived upon the land which the LORD your God will give to you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Honora honor 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 patrem father ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL
3 tuum your ACC.SG.M ADJ.POSS
4 et and CONJ INDECL
5 matrem mother ACC.SG.F 3RD DECL
6 tuam your ACC.SG.F ADJ.POSS
7 ut so that CONJ PURP
8 sis you may be 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
9 longævus long-lived NOM.SG.M ADJ POS
10 super upon PREP+ACC
11 terram land ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL
12 quam which ACC.SG.F PRON.REL
13 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
14 Deus God NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
15 tuus your NOM.SG.M ADJ.POSS
16 dabit will give 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
17 tibi to you DAT.SG.2ND.PERS PRON

Syntax

Main command: Honora patrem tuum et matrem tuam — imperative verb with two coordinated direct objects.

Purpose clause: ut sis longævus super terram — conjunction ut + subjunctive sis expresses intended result.

Relative clause: quam Dominus Deus tuus dabit tibi — modifies terram; subject Dominus Deus tuus, verb dabit, indirect object tibi.

Morphology

  1. Honora — Lemma: honoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: main command of the verse; Translation: “honor”; Notes: Direct divine command addressed to the hearer.
  2. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: direct object of Honora; Translation: “father”; Notes: Object of the imperative.
  3. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies patrem; Translation: “your”; Notes: Marks personal filial relationship.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates the two direct objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple additive coordinator.
  5. matrem — Lemma: mater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: second direct object; Translation: “mother”; Notes: Parallel structure with patrem.
  6. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies matrem; Translation: “your”; Notes: Matches gender of mater.
  7. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Always triggers subjunctive.
  8. sis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the purpose clause; Translation: “you may be”; Notes: Subjunctive of intended result.
  9. longævus — Lemma: longæv̄us; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine positive degree; Function: predicate adjective complementing sis; Translation: “long-lived”; Notes: Indicates promised longevity.
  10. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses location “upon”; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Spatial preposition.
  11. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: object of super; Translation: “land”; Notes: Referred to later in the relative clause.
  12. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of dabit, linking terram and the relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Agrees with terram in gender and number.
  13. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: subject of dabit; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  14. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: in apposition to Dominus; Translation: “God”; Notes: Reinforces divine identity.
  15. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies Deus; Translation: “your”; Notes: Indicates covenant relationship.
  16. dabit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “will give”; Notes: Expresses promised future inheritance.
  17. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular, second person; Function: indirect object of dabit; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Directly addresses the covenant recipient.

 

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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