Exodus 22:2

Posted on March 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 22:2 Si effringens fur domum sive suffodiens fuerit inventus, et accepto vulnere mortuus fuerit: percussor non erit reus sanguinis.

If a thief breaking into a house or digging through it is found, and after receiving a wound he dies, the one who struck him shall not be guilty of blood.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 effringens breaking into PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M/F
3 fur thief NOUN.NOM.SG.M.3RD DECL
4 domum house NOUN.ACC.SG.F.4TH DECL
5 sive or if CONJ
6 suffodiens digging through PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M/F
7 fuerit has been 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
8 inventus found PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
9 et and CONJ
10 accepto having received PTCP.PERF.PASS.ABL.SG.M/N
11 vulnere wound NOUN.ABL.SG.N.3RD DECL
12 mortuus dead PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
13 fuerit has been 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
14 percussor the one striking NOUN.NOM.SG.M.3RD DECL
15 non not ADV.INDECL
16 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
17 reus guilty ADJ.NOM.SG.M.POS
18 sanguinis of blood NOUN.GEN.SG.M.3RD DECL

Syntax

Conditional Protasis: Si effringens fur domum sive suffodiens fuerit inventus — subject = fur with two alternative participial descriptions (effringens, suffodiens); verb = fuerit inventus.
Secondary Circumstance: et accepto vulnere mortuus fuerit — ablative absolute accepto vulnere followed by main verbal phrase mortuus fuerit.
Main Apodosis: percussor non erit reus sanguinis — subject = percussor; predicate = non erit reus; genitive sanguinis specifies the type of guilt (“bloodguilt”).
Ablative Absolute: accepto vulnere expresses circumstance leading to death.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces legal conditional; Translation: “if”; Notes: Standard for case law.
  2. effringens — Lemma: effringo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine/feminine present active participle; Function: describes the thief’s action; Translation: “breaking into”; Notes: Used descriptively in legal definition.
  3. fur — Lemma: fur; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: subject of fuerit inventus; Translation: “thief”; Notes: Perpetrator.
  4. domum — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 4th declension; Function: object of effringens; Translation: “house”; Notes: Target of entry.
  5. sive — Lemma: sive; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces alternative case; Translation: “or if”; Notes: Expands legal context.
  6. suffodiens — Lemma: suffodio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine/feminine present active participle; Function: alternate action of thief; Translation: “digging through”; Notes: Refers to tunneling under or through walls.
  7. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future perfect active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “has been”; Notes: Future perfect expresses completed past event before judgment.
  8. inventus — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate; Translation: “found”; Notes: Marks discovery of the thief.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins secondary circumstance; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links injury/death clause.
  10. accepto — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine/neuter perfect passive participle; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “having received”; Notes: Circumstantial.
  11. vulnere — Lemma: vulnus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: ablative absolute complement; Translation: “wound”; Notes: Injury received while breaking in.
  12. mortuus — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate with fuerit; Translation: “dead”; Notes: Describes result.
  13. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future perfect active indicative; Function: completes periphrastic expression; Translation: “has been”; Notes: Death complete before judgment.
  14. percussor — Lemma: percussor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of erit reus; Translation: “the one who struck him”; Notes: Homeowner/defender.
  15. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates predicate; Translation: “not”; Notes: Legal acquittal.
  16. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: States legal verdict.
  17. reus — Lemma: reus; Part of Speech: adjective/noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate; Translation: “guilty”; Notes: Legal term.
  18. sanguinis — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: genitive of charge; Translation: “of blood”; Notes: Means “bloodguilt.”

 

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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