Exodus 22:21

Posted on March 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 22:21 Advenam non contristabis, neque affliges eum: advenæ enim et ipsi fuistis in Terra Ægypti.

You shall not mistreat a sojourner, nor shall you afflict him; for you yourselves were sojourners in the Land of Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Advenam a sojourner NOUN.ACC.SG.M.3RD DECL
2 non not ADV.INDECL
3 contristabis you shall mistreat 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND.1ST CONJ
4 neque nor CONJ.INDECL
5 affliges you shall afflict 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ
6 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M.PERS
7 advenæ sojourners NOUN.NOM.PL.M.3RD DECL
8 enim for CONJ.INDECL
9 et also CONJ.INDECL
10 ipsi you yourselves PRON.NOM.PL.M.PERS
11 fuistis you were 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 Terra the land NOUN.ABL.SG.F.1ST DECL
14 Ægypti of Egypt NOUN.GEN.SG.F.1ST DECL

Syntax

Main Prohibition 1: Advenam non contristabis — direct object + negative future indicative command.
Main Prohibition 2: neque affliges eum — coordinated negative command.
Reason Clause: advenæ enim et ipsi fuistis — emphatic ipsi adds “you yourselves.”
Prepositional Phrase: in Terra Ægypti — locative ablative “in the land of Egypt.”

Morphology

  1. Advenam — Lemma: advena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of contristabis; Translation: “a sojourner”; Notes: refers to resident alien or foreigner.
  2. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negator; Translation: “not”; Notes: negates legal obligation.
  3. contristabis — Lemma: contristo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular future active indicative; Function: main prohibition; Translation: “you shall mistreat” / “you shall wrong”; Notes: future indicative expressing command.
  4. neque — Lemma: neque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects negative commands; Translation: “nor”; Notes: negative coordinating linker.
  5. affliges — Lemma: affligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular future active indicative (3rd conjugation); Function: coordinated prohibition; Translation: “you shall afflict”; Notes: complements neque.
  6. eum — Lemma: is/ea/id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of affliges; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to advena.
  7. advenæ — Lemma: advena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of fuistis; Translation: “sojourners”; Notes: predicate nominative.
  8. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces explanation; Translation: “for”; Notes: explanatory connective.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds emphasis with ipsi; Translation: “also / even”; Notes: works with ipsi to stress identity.
  10. ipsi — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: emphatic subject modifier; Translation: “you yourselves”; Notes: adds emphasis.
  11. fuistis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of reason clause; Translation: “you were”; Notes: refers to Israel’s past condition.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: expresses location.
  13. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “the land”; Notes: geographical name in ablative.
  14. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of place; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: standard construction with terra.

 

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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