Exodus 21:8

Posted on March 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 21:8 Si displicuerit oculis domini sui cui tradita fuerat, dimittet eam: populo autem alieno vendendi non habebit potestatem, si spreverit eam.

If she displeases the eyes of her lord to whom she had been given, he shall release her; but he shall not have the authority to sell her to a foreign people, if he has despised her.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ INDECL
2 displicuerit displeases 3SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ VERB
3 oculis to the eyes DAT.PL.M 4TH DECL NOUN
4 domini of the lord GEN.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
5 sui his GEN.SG.M REFL.PRON
6 cui to whom DAT.SG.M REL.PRON
7 tradita given NOM.SG.F PERF.PTCP.PASS 1ST CONJ
8 fuerat had been 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND VERB
9 dimittet he shall release 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND VERB
10 eam her ACC.SG.F PERS.PRON
11 populo to a people DAT.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
12 autem however CONJ INDECL
13 alieno foreign DAT.SG.M ADJ 1ST/2ND DECL
14 vendendi of selling GEN.SG GERUNDV
15 non not ADV INDECL
16 habebit he shall have 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND VERB
17 potestatem authority ACC.SG.F 3RD DECL NOUN
18 si if CONJ INDECL
19 spreverit he has despised 3SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ VERB
20 eam her ACC.SG.F PERS.PRON

Syntax

First conditional clause:
Si displicuerit — future perfect subjunctive expressing a future condition.
oculis domini sui — dative of reference (“to the eyes of her lord”).
cui tradita fuerat — relative clause identifying the lord (“to whom she had been given”).

Main clause (legal result):
dimittet eam — “he shall release her,” the required legal action when she displeases him.

Second legal restriction:
populo autem alieno vendendi non habebit potestatem — “he shall not have the authority to sell her to a foreign people.”
Gerundive *vendendi* conveys obligation/appropriateness: he is forbidden to sell her.

Final conditional:
si spreverit eam — “if he has despised her,” explaining the basis of the prohibition.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: if; Notes: marks first legal condition.
  2. displicuerit — Lemma: displiceo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of conditional protasis; Translation: displeases; Notes: Latin future perfect subjunctive corresponds to English present in legal conditions.
  3. oculis — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine 4th declension; Function: dative of reference; Translation: to the eyes; Notes: idiom meaning “in the view/judgment of.”
  4. domini — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine 2nd declension; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: of the lord; Notes: human master here, not “LORD.”
  5. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies domini; Translation: his; Notes: refers back to the subject of the clause.
  6. cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to whom; Notes: links to domini.
  7. tradita — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine perfect passive participle; Function: part of periphrastic passive; Translation: given; Notes: agrees with implied subject “she.”
  8. fuerat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary completing passive; Translation: had been; Notes: expresses prior completed action.
  9. dimittet — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of legal consequence; Translation: he shall release; Notes: indicates obligatory legal action.
  10. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: her; Notes: the girl sold into servitude.
  11. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine 2nd declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: to a people; Notes: indicates destination of sale.
  12. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: however; Notes: marks transition to prohibition section.
  13. alieno — Lemma: alienus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies populo; Translation: foreign; Notes: refers to non-Israelite peoples.
  14. vendendi — Lemma: vendo; Part of Speech: gerundive; Form: genitive singular; Function: gerundive of obligation with potestatem; Translation: of selling; Notes: expresses legal prohibition of selling her out of the community.
  15. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: forbids the action.
  16. habebit — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of prohibition; Translation: he shall have; Notes: expresses legal authority (or lack thereof).
  17. potestatem — Lemma: potestas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine 3rd declension; Function: object of habebit; Translation: authority; Notes: refers to legal right of disposition.
  18. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces final condition; Translation: if; Notes: governs last clause.
  19. spreverit — Lemma: sperno; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: conditional verb; Translation: he has despised; Notes: gives reason for the prohibition.
  20. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of spreverit; Translation: her; Notes: refers back to the same girl.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.