Exodus 21:34

Posted on March 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 21:34 reddet dominus cisternæ pretium iumentorum: quod autem mortuum est, ipsius erit.

the owner of the cistern shall repay the price of the animals; but whatever is dead shall be his.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 reddet he shall repay 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ
2 dominus the owner NOUN.NOM.SG.M.2ND DECL
3 cisternæ of the cistern NOUN.GEN.SG.F.1ST DECL
4 pretium the price NOUN.ACC.SG.N.2ND DECL
5 iumentorum of the animals NOUN.GEN.PL.N.2ND DECL
6 quod whatever PRON.NOM.SG.N.REL/INDEF
7 autem but CONJ
8 mortuum dead PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.N
9 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 ipsius his PRON.GEN.SG.M/F/N
11 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: reddet dominus cisternæ pretium iumentorum — subject = dominus cisternæ; verb = reddet; object = pretium iumentorum. The “owner of the cistern” is financially liable.
Contrastive Clause: quod autem mortuum est, ipsius erit — a neuter relative pronoun introduces the damaged property; predicate = ipsius erit, meaning the carcass belongs to him.
Genitives: cisternæ and iumentorum show possession and species of value.

Morphology

  1. reddet — Lemma: reddo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative, 3rd conjugation; Function: main verb; Translation: “he shall repay”; Notes: Legal obligation stated in future form.
  2. dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: subject; Translation: “the owner”; Notes: The liable party.
  3. cisternæ — Lemma: cisterna; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: genitive of possession modifying dominus; Translation: “of the cistern”; Notes: Identifies the owner by property.
  4. pretium — Lemma: pretium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of reddet; Translation: “the price”; Notes: Compensation owed.
  5. iumentorum — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter, 2nd declension; Function: genitive of value/material; Translation: “of the animals”; Notes: Refers to livestock that fell into the cistern.
  6. quod — Lemma: qui (neut. nom./acc. sg.); Part of Speech: relative/indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “whatever,” “that which”; Notes: Refers to the carcass.
  7. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrastive connector; Translation: “but”; Notes: Distinguishes payment from ownership of carcass.
  8. mortuum — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter perfect passive participle; Function: predicate adjective with est; Translation: “dead”; Notes: Describes the fallen animal.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Completes the stative description.
  10. ipsius — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine/feminine/neuter; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “his”; Notes: Possession shifts to the cistern’s owner.
  11. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of apodosis; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Legal future assigning ownership.

 

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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