Exodus 21:28

Posted on March 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 21:28 Si bos cornu percusserit virum aut mulierem, et mortui fuerint, lapidibus obruetur: et non comedentur carnes eius, dominus quoque bovis innocens erit.

If an ox gores a man or a woman with the horn and they die, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, and the owner of the ox shall be innocent.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 bos ox NOUN.NOM.SG.M.3RD DECL
3 cornu with the horn NOUN.ABL.SG.N.4TH DECL
4 percusserit gores 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ
5 virum man NOUN.ACC.SG.M.2ND DECL
6 aut or CONJ
7 mulierem woman NOUN.ACC.SG.F.3RD DECL
8 et and CONJ
9 mortui having died PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.PL.M
10 fuerint they have been 3PL.FUTP.ACT.IND
11 lapidibus with stones NOUN.ABL.PL.M.2ND DECL
12 obruetur shall be stoned 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND.3RD CONJ
13 et and CONJ
14 non not ADV.INDECL
15 comedentur shall be eaten 3PL.FUT.PASS.IND.3RD CONJ
16 carnes flesh NOUN.NOM.PL.F.3RD DECL
17 eius its PRON.GEN.SG.M/F/N
18 dominus owner NOUN.NOM.SG.M.2ND DECL
19 quoque also ADV.INDECL
20 bovis of the ox NOUN.GEN.SG.M.3RD DECL
21 innocens innocent ADJ.NOM.SG.M.POS
22 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Conditional Clause: Si bos cornu percusserit virum aut mulierem — subject bos, ablative of instrument cornu, verb percusserit, objects virum / mulierem.
Consequence (1): lapidibus obruetur — passive future; lapidibus is ablative of means.
Consequence (2): carnes eius non comedentur — prohibition concerning consumption.
Consequence (3): dominus quoque bovis innocens erit — legal exoneration of the owner.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces conditional; Translation: “if”; Notes: Legal protasis.
  2. bos — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “ox”; Notes: 3rd declension irregular.
  3. cornu — Lemma: cornu; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 4th declension; Function: ablative of instrument; Translation: “with the horn”; Notes: Instrument of injury.
  4. percusserit — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: “gores”; Notes: Future perfect formula in legal settings.
  5. virum — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: direct object; Translation: “man”; Notes: First possible victim.
  6. aut — Lemma: aut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: exclusive disjunction; Translation: “or”; Notes: Marks alternatives.
  7. mulierem — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: direct object; Translation: “woman”; Notes: Alternative victim.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins conditions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Additive.
  9. mortui — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate with fuerint; Translation: “having died”; Notes: Describes victims’ outcome.
  10. fuerint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural future perfect active indicative; Function: completes periphrastic perfect; Translation: “they have been”; Notes: Legal event description.
  11. lapidibus — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, 3rd declension; Function: ablative of instrument; Translation: “with stones”; Notes: Method of execution.
  12. obruetur — Lemma: obruo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future passive indicative; Function: main consequence; Translation: “shall be stoned”; Notes: Passive of judgment.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins consequences; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential.
  14. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Prohibits action.
  15. comedentur — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural future passive indicative; Function: expresses prohibition; Translation: “shall be eaten”; Notes: Refers to flesh of ox.
  16. carnes — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine, 3rd declension; Function: subject of passive verb; Translation: “flesh”; Notes: Not to be consumed.
  17. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive; Translation: “its”; Notes: Refers to the ox.
  18. dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: subject of final clause; Translation: “owner”; Notes: Legal responsibility statement.
  19. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds emphasis; Translation: “also”; Notes: Signals addition.
  20. bovis — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the ox”; Notes: Specifies ownership.
  21. innocens — Lemma: innocens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “innocent”; Notes: Legal exoneration.
  22. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Introduces legal status.

 

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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