Exodus 21:16

Posted on March 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 21:16 Qui furatus fuerit hominem, et vendiderit eum, convictus noxæ, morte moriatur.

Whoever has stolen a man and has sold him, having been convicted of the wrongdoing, shall surely be put to death.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui whoever NOM.SG.M REL.PRON
2 furatus having stolen NOM.SG.M PERF.DEP.PTCP VERB
3 fuerit has 3SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ VERB
4 hominem a man ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL NOUN
5 et and CONJ INDECL
6 vendiderit has sold 3SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ VERB
7 eum him ACC.SG.M PERS.PRON
8 convictus having been convicted NOM.SG.M PERF.PASS.PTCP VERB
9 noxæ of the wrongdoing GEN.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN
10 morte with death ABL.SG.F 3RD DECL NOUN
11 moriatur he shall die 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP VERB

Syntax

Relative clause establishing offender:
Qui furatus fuerit hominem — “Whoever has stolen a man.”
• furatus fuerit = periphrastic perfect of a deponent, expressed legally with future perfect subjunctive.
• hominem = direct object (the kidnapped person).

Coordinated second offense:
et vendiderit eum — “and has sold him.”
• Selling a kidnapped person defines aggravated kidnapping/slavery.

Participial phrase of legal confirmation:
convictus noxæ — “having been convicted of the wrongdoing.”
• noxa = legal offense or crime.
• Indicates judicial confirmation of guilt.

Main legal sentence:
morte moriatur — “he shall surely be put to death.”
• morte = ablative of means.
• moriatur = obligatory judicial execution (deponent subjunctive).

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces general class of offenders; Translation: whoever; Notes: legal formula.
  2. furatus — Lemma: furor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect deponent participle; Function: predicate with fuerit; Translation: having stolen; Notes: expresses accomplished action.
  3. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary in legal protasis; Translation: has; Notes: standard legal tense for hypothetical future cases.
  4. hominem — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine 3rd declension; Function: direct object; Translation: a man; Notes: victim of kidnapping.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: joins related offenses.
  6. vendiderit — Lemma: vendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: second verb of the legal condition; Translation: has sold; Notes: selling the kidnapped person aggravates the crime.
  7. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of vendiderit; Translation: him; Notes: refers back to “the man.”
  8. convictus — Lemma: convinco; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: having been convicted; Notes: indicates proven guilt in court.
  9. noxæ — Lemma: noxa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine 1st declension; Function: genitive of the crime; Translation: of wrongdoing; Notes: technical legal term meaning “offense.”
  10. morte — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine 3rd declension; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with death; Notes: legal formula expressing capital punishment.
  11. moriatur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: main verb expressing legal mandate; Translation: he shall die; Notes: deontic subjunctive indicating obligatory execution.

 

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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