Exodus 23:29

Posted on March 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 23:29 Non eiiciam eos a facie tua anno uno: ne terra in solitudinem redigatur, et crescant contra te bestiæ.

I will not cast them out from before you in one year, lest the land be reduced to desolation, and the beasts grow against you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Non not ADV
2 eiiciam I will cast out 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 eos them ACC.PL.M PRON PERS
4 a from PREP+ABL
5 facie face / presence ABL.SG.F NOUN 5TH DECL
6 tua your ABL.SG.F ADJ POSS
7 anno year ABL.SG.M NOUN 4TH DECL
8 uno one ABL.SG.M ADJ
9 ne lest CONJ
10 terra land NOM.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
11 in into PREP+ACC
12 solitudinem desolation ACC.SG.F NOUN 3RD DECL
13 redigatur be reduced 3SG.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
14 et and CONJ
15 crescant may grow 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
16 contra against PREP+ACC
17 te you ACC.SG PRON PERS
18 bestiæ beasts NOM.PL.F NOUN 1ST DECL

Syntax

Main Future Negative Clause:
Non eiiciam eos a facie tua anno uno — “I will not cast them out from before you in one year.”
• eiiciam = future indicative, divine action.
• eos = direct object.
• a facie tua = ablative of separation, “from before you.”
• anno uno = ablative of time.

Negative Purpose Clause:
ne terra in solitudinem redigatur — “lest the land be reduced to desolation.”
• ne introduces a negative purpose.
• redigatur = present passive subjunctive.

Second Purpose Clause:
et crescant contra te bestiæ — “and the beasts may grow against you.”
• crescant = present subjunctive, continuing the purpose.
• contra te = prepositional phrase expressing hostile direction.
• bestiæ = subject.

Morphology

  1. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates eiiciam; Translation: not; Notes: introduces strong divine negation.
  2. eiiciam — Lemma: eiicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of divine promise; Translation: I will cast out; Notes: expresses deliberate divine pacing, not immediate expulsion.
  3. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: them; Notes: refers to the hostile nations.
  4. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces separation; Translation: from; Notes: common with verbs of removal.
  5. facie — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, fifth declension; Function: object of a; Translation: face / presence; Notes: idiomatically “from before you.”
  6. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies facie; Translation: your; Notes: addressed to Israel.
  7. anno — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, fourth declension; Function: ablative of time; Translation: year; Notes: denotes duration or temporal span.
  8. uno — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies anno; Translation: one; Notes: emphasizes the shortness of the period.
  9. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces negative purpose clause; Translation: lest; Notes: expresses precaution.
  10. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of redigatur; Translation: land; Notes: refers to Israel’s inheritance.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses change of state; Translation: into; Notes: used with verbs of transformation.
  12. solitudinem — Lemma: solitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, third declension; Function: complement of in; Translation: desolation; Notes: describes uninhabited waste.
  13. redigatur — Lemma: redigo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive subjunctive, third person singular; Function: verb of negative purpose clause; Translation: be reduced; Notes: potential undesirable outcome.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adds second purpose; Translation: and; Notes: connects coordinated clause.
  15. crescant — Lemma: cresco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, third person plural; Function: verb of purpose clause coordinated with redigatur; Translation: may grow; Notes: describes uncontrolled multiplication.
  16. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates hostile direction; Translation: against; Notes: expresses opposition.
  17. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of contra; Translation: you; Notes: Israel as the addressee.
  18. bestiæ — Lemma: bestia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine, first declension; Function: subject of crescant; Translation: beasts; Notes: wild animals increasing in desolated lands.

 

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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