Exodus 23:19

Posted on March 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 23:19 Primitias frugum terræ tuæ deferes in domum Domini Dei tui. Non coques hœdum in lacte matris suæ.

You shall bring the first fruits of your land into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not cook a young goat in the milk of its mother.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Primitias first fruits ACC.PL.F 3RD DECL
2 frugum of the produce GEN.PL.F 3RD DECL
3 terræ of the land GEN.SG.F 1ST DECL
4 tuæ your GEN.SG.F POSS
5 deferes you shall bring 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
6 in into PREP+ACC
7 domum house ACC.SG.F 4TH DECL
8 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M 2ND DECL
9 Dei of God GEN.SG.M 2ND DECL
10 tui your GEN.SG.M POSS
11 Non not ADV
12 coques you shall cook 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
13 hœdum a young goat ACC.SG.M 2ND DECL
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 lacte milk ABL.SG.N 3RD DECL
16 matris of the mother GEN.SG.F 3RD DECL
17 suæ her GEN.SG.F POSS

Syntax

Main Command 1:
Primitias frugum terræ tuæ deferes — “You shall bring the first fruits of your land.”
• Primitias = direct object.
• frugum terræ tuæ = dependent genitives specifying the kind of first fruits.
• deferes = legal future imperative.

Destination Phrase:
in domum Domini Dei tui — “into the house of the LORD your God.”

Main Command 2 (Prohibition):
Non coques hœdum in lacte matris suæ — “You shall not cook a young goat in the milk of its mother.”
• hœdum = object of coques.
• in lacte matris suæ = ablative of means/location with *in*.

Morphology

  1. Primitias — Lemma: primitiae; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, 3rd declension; Function: direct object; Translation: first fruits; Notes: refers to earliest yield of the land.
  2. frugum — Lemma: frux / fruges; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine, 3rd declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the produce; Notes: defines the nature of the first fruits.
  3. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the land; Notes: territorial possession.
  4. tuæ — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies terræ; Translation: your; Notes: reinforces personal obligation.
  5. deferes — Lemma: defero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 2nd singular; Function: main command; Translation: you shall bring; Notes: future indicative used imperatively.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion into; Translation: into; Notes: spatial direction.
  7. domum — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 4th declension; Function: object of in; Translation: house; Notes: refers to sanctuary.
  8. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies domum; Translation: of the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH (translated LORD).
  9. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: in apposition to Domini; Translation: of God; Notes: clarifies divine identity.
  10. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies Dei; Translation: your; Notes: covenantal relationship.
  11. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: begins prohibition.
  12. coques — Lemma: coquo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 2nd singular; Function: main verb of prohibition; Translation: you shall cook; Notes: legal future.
  13. hœdum — Lemma: haedus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of coques; Translation: a young goat; Notes: traditional sacrificial animal.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location/medium; Translation: in; Notes: marks forbidden preparation method.
  15. lacte — Lemma: lac; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: milk; Notes: medium of cooking.
  16. matris — Lemma: mater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the mother; Notes: emphasizes ethical dimension.
  17. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies matris; Translation: her; Notes: reflexive, referring to the goat’s own mother.

 

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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