Exodus 21:13

Posted on March 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 21:13 Qui autem non est insidiatus, sed Deus illum tradidit in manus eius: constituam tibi locum in quem fugere debeat.

But whoever has not lain in ambush, but God has delivered him into his hand;  I will appoint for you a place to which he must flee.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui whoever NOM.SG.M REL.PRON
2 autem however CONJ INDECL
3 non not ADV INDECL
4 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND VERB
5 insidiatus lain in wait NOM.SG.M PERF.DEP.PTCP VERB
6 sed but CONJ INDECL
7 Deus God NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
8 illum him ACC.SG.M PERS.PRON
9 tradidit delivered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND VERB
10 in into PREP+ACC PREP
11 manus hands ACC.PL.F 4TH DECL NOUN
12 eius of him / his GEN.SG.M/F PERS.PRON
13 constituam I will appoint 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND VERB
14 tibi for you DAT.SG.2ND.PERS PRON
15 locum a place ACC.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
16 in into / to PREP+ACC PREP
17 quem which ACC.SG.M REL.PRON
18 fugere to flee PRES.ACT.INF VERB
19 debeat he must 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ VERB

Syntax

Relative clause (subject of the legal rule):
Qui autem non est insidiatus — “But whoever has not lain in ambush.”
• insidiatus est = perfect deponent (“has ambushed / has lain in wait”).
• This clause identifies the *unintentional* killer.

Contrastive clause:
sed Deus illum tradidit in manus eius — “but God has delivered him into his hand.”
• Indicates divine providence behind an unintentional killing.
• illum = the person who died.
• eius = the one into whose hand the victim fell (the killer).

Main divine provision:
constituam tibi locum — “I will appoint for you a place.”
• God promises a legally designated refuge.

Final relative clause:
in quem fugere debeat — “to which he must flee.”
• debeat expresses moral/legal necessity.
• Refers to the future establishment of cities of refuge.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject introducing unintentional killer; Translation: whoever; Notes: standard legal formulation.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: however; Notes: marks shift from intentional murder to unintentional killing.
  3. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: negates est insidiatus.
  4. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary of perfect deponent; Translation: has; Notes: required with deponent participle.
  5. insidiatus — Lemma: insidior; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect deponent participle; Function: predicate with est; Translation: lain in ambush; Notes: indicates premeditated killing when affirmative.
  6. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrast; Translation: but; Notes: contrasts human intention with divine action.
  7. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: God; Notes: agent of providential action.
  8. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: him; Notes: refers to the one killed.
  9. tradidit — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of contrastive clause; Translation: delivered; Notes: signifies providential causality.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces motion into; Translation: into; Notes: paired with manus.
  11. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine 4th declension; Function: object of preposition; Translation: hands; Notes: idiom: “into his hands.”
  12. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: his; Notes: refers to the unintentional killer.
  13. constituam — Lemma: constituo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: divine promise; Translation: I will appoint; Notes: God establishes sanctuary law.
  14. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: for you; Notes: addressed to Moses.
  15. locum — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: place; Notes: refers to future cities of refuge.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: motion toward; Translation: into / to; Notes: marks destination.
  17. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: which; Notes: links place to required action.
  18. fugere — Lemma: fugio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: to flee; Notes: required action of manslayer.
  19. debeat — Lemma: debeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: moral/legal necessity; Translation: he must; Notes: expresses obligation to flee to the sanctuary.

 

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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