Exodus 21:7

Posted on March 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

7 Si quis vendiderit filiam suam in famulam, non egredietur sicut ancillæ exire consueverunt.

If anyone sells his daughter as a servant, she shall not go out as the maidservants used to go out.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ INDECL
2 quis anyone NOM.SG.M INDEF.PRON
3 vendiderit sells 3SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ VERB
4 filiam daughter ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN
5 suam his ACC.SG.F POSS.ADJ
6 in as PREP+ACC PREP
7 famulam a servant ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN
8 non not ADV INDECL
9 egredietur she shall go out 3SG.FUT.DEP.IND VERB
10 sicut as CONJ INDECL
11 ancillæ maidservants NOM.PL.F 1ST DECL NOUN
12 exire to go out PRES.ACT.INF VERB
13 consueverunt used to 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND VERB

Syntax

Conditional clause:
Si quis — subject phrase beginning a general legal condition (“if anyone”).
vendiderit — future perfect subjunctive in Latin, but expressing a general future condition; here rendered as simple English present “sells.”
filiam suam — direct object (“his daughter”), with reflexive possessive suam referring back to quis.
in famulam — predicate accusative expressing resulting status (“as a servant”).

Main clause:
non egredietur — deponent future indicative (“she shall not go out”).

Comparative clause:
sicut ancillæ — nominative plural subject (“as the maidservants”).
exire consueverunt — perfect indicative (“used to go out”), describing established customary release.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces a conditional clause; Translation: if; Notes: a standard formula in legal stipulations.
  2. quis — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: anyone; Notes: establishes a general case applying universally.
  3. vendiderit — Lemma: vendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of the protasis; Translation: sells; Notes: Latin future perfect subjunctive in legal contexts often corresponds to English simple present in conditional laws.
  4. filiam — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine 1st declension; Function: direct object; Translation: daughter; Notes: the person being sold.
  5. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies filiam; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive to quis, indicating his own daughter.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses change of status; Translation: as; Notes: predicate-accusative structure marking new role.
  7. famulam — Lemma: famula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine 1st declension; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: a servant; Notes: legal category distinct from a slave taken in war; indicates household servitude.
  8. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates verb; Translation: not; Notes: expresses legal prohibition.
  9. egredietur — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of the apodosis; Translation: she shall go out; Notes: deponent but active in meaning; indicates exit from service.
  10. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: as; Notes: marks contrast between her case and customary releases.
  11. ancillæ — Lemma: ancilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine 1st declension; Function: subject of consueverunt; Translation: maidservants; Notes: refers to ordinary female slaves who followed a historical pattern of release.
  12. exire — Lemma: exeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with consueverunt; Translation: to go out; Notes: expresses the action customary for the maidservants.
  13. consueverunt — Lemma: consuesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb of comparative clause; Translation: used to; Notes: perfect tense expressing established habitual action in past customary law.

 

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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