Exodus 23:15

Posted on March 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

15 Sollemnitatem azymorum custodies. Septem diebus comedes azyma, sicut præcepi tibi, tempore mensis novorum, quando egressus es de Ægypto: non apparebis in conspectu meo vacuus.

You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, just as I commanded you, at the time of the month of new things, when you came out of Egypt; you shall not appear before Me empty.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sollemnitatem feast ACC.SG.F 3RD DECL
2 azymorum of unleavened breads GEN.PL.N 2ND DECL
3 custodies you shall keep 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
4 Septem seven INDECL NUM
5 diebus days ABL.PL.M 5TH DECL
6 comedes you shall eat 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 azyma unleavened bread ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
8 sicut just as CONJ
9 præcepi I commanded 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 tibi to you DAT.SG.PRON PERS
11 tempore at the time ABL.SG.N 3RD DECL
12 mensis of the month GEN.SG.M 3RD DECL
13 novorum of new things GEN.PL.N ADJ POS 2ND DECL
14 quando when CONJ
15 egressus having gone out NOM.SG.M PTCP PERF DEP
16 es you are 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
17 de from PREP+ABL
18 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F 1ST DECL (proper)
19 non not ADV
20 apparebis you shall appear 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
21 in in PREP+ABL
22 conspectu presence ABL.SG.M 4TH DECL
23 meo My ABL.SG.M POSS
24 vacuus empty NOM.SG.M ADJ POS 1ST/2ND DECL

Syntax

Main Command:
Sollemnitatem azymorum custodies — “You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread.”

Duration Clause:
Septem diebus comedes azyma — “For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.”

Comparative Clause:
sicut præcepi tibi — “just as I commanded you.”

Temporal Phrase:
tempore mensis novorum — “at the time of the month of new things.”

Temporal Subordinate Clause:
quando egressus es de Ægypto — “when you came out of Egypt.”

Final Prohibition:
non apparebis in conspectu meo vacuus — “you shall not appear before Me empty.”

Morphology

  1. Sollemnitatem — Lemma: sollemnitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: direct object of custodies; Translation: feast; Notes: refers specifically to the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
  2. azymorum — Lemma: azyma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter, 2nd declension; Function: descriptive genitive; Translation: of unleavened breads; Notes: identifies the festival by what is eaten.
  3. custodies — Lemma: custodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 2nd singular; Function: main command; Translation: you shall keep; Notes: legal imperative via future indicative.
  4. Septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: invariable; Function: modifies diebus; Translation: seven; Notes: cardinal number.
  5. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, 5th declension; Function: ablative of time; Translation: days; Notes: indicates required duration.
  6. comedes — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: you shall eat; Notes: instruction tied to festival observance.
  7. azyma — Lemma: azymum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, 2nd declension; Function: object of comedes; Translation: unleavened bread; Notes: symbolic food of haste.
  8. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces comparative clause; Translation: just as; Notes: emphasizes obedience.
  9. præcepi — Lemma: praecipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 1st singular; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: I commanded; Notes: past divine instruction.
  10. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: to you; Notes: recipient of command.
  11. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: ablative of time; Translation: at the time; Notes: sets festival season.
  12. mensis — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the month; Notes: refers to early spring.
  13. novorum — Lemma: novus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: modifies mensis; Translation: of new things; Notes: signifying beginning of harvest year.
  14. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: recounts historical event.
  15. egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect participle (deponent); Function: with es forms perfect; Translation: having gone out; Notes: deponent form but active meaning.
  16. es — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active, 2nd singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: you are; Notes: forms perfect periphrasis.
  17. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: from; Notes: literal geographic departure.
  18. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: Egypt; Notes: place of deliverance.
  19. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: modifies apparebis.
  20. apparebis — Lemma: appareo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 2nd singular; Function: main verb of prohibition; Translation: you shall appear; Notes: cultic regulation.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: in; Notes: expresses presence before God.
  22. conspectu — Lemma: conspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 4th declension; Function: object of in; Translation: presence; Notes: literally “in My sight.”
  23. meo — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies conspectu; Translation: My; Notes: expresses divine possession.
  24. vacuus — Lemma: vacuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: empty; Notes: forbids appearing without offering.

 

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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