Exodus 24:8

Posted on March 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 24:8 Ille vero sumptum sanguinem respersit in populum, et ait: Hic est sanguis fœderis quod pepigit Dominus vobiscum super cunctis sermonibus his.

But he took the blood and sprinkled it upon the people, and said: “This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you over all these words.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ille he NOM.SG.M PRON DEM
2 vero but indeed ADV
3 sumptum taken ACC.SG.M PTCP.PERF.PASS
4 sanguinem blood ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL
5 respersit he sprinkled 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 in upon PREP+ACC
7 populum the people ACC.SG.M 2ND DECL
8 et and CONJ
9 ait he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 Hic this NOM.SG.M PRON DEM
11 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 sanguis blood NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL
13 fœderis of the covenant GEN.SG.N 3RD DECL
14 quod which NOM.SG.N PRON REL
15 pepigit has made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
16 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
17 vobiscum with you ABL.PL.M PRON PERS + PREP (cum)
18 super over PREP+ACC
19 cunctis all ACC.PL.M ADJ
20 sermonibus words ACC.PL.M 3RD DECL
21 his these ABL.PL.M PRON DEM

Syntax

Main Narrative Action:
Ille vero sumptum sanguinem respersit in populum — “But he took the blood and sprinkled it upon the people.”
• Ille = subject (Moses implied).
• sumptum sanguinem = object, “the taken blood.”
• respersit = main verb of action.
• in populum = accusative after in meaning “upon/onto.”

Speech Introduction:
et ait — “and he said.”

Quoted Statement:
Hic est sanguis fœderis quod pepigit Dominus vobiscum —
“This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you.”
• Hic = demonstrative subject.
• sanguis fœderis = predicate noun.
• quod pepigit Dominus = relative clause modifying fœderis.

Final Prepositional Phrase:
super cunctis sermonibus his — “over all these words.”
• expresses the basis or content of the covenant.

Morphology

  1. Ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: he; Notes: emphatic demonstrative.
  2. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: contrasts with previous clause; Translation: but indeed; Notes: soft contrastive marker.
  3. sumptum — Lemma: sumo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle, accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies sanguinem; Translation: taken; Notes: agrees with object.
  4. sanguinem — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, third declension; Function: object of respersit; Translation: blood; Notes: covenant blood.
  5. respersit — Lemma: respergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: he sprinkled; Notes: ceremonial act of ratification.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction toward; Translation: upon; Notes: dynamic “onto.”
  7. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, second declension; Function: object of in; Translation: the people; Notes: entire assembly of Israel.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates clauses; Translation: and; Notes: joins narrative actions.
  9. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: he said; Notes: historic present.
  10. Hic — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: this; Notes: indicates immediacy.
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: linking verb; Translation: is; Notes: identifies covenant blood.
  12. sanguis — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate noun; Translation: blood; Notes: “blood of the covenant.”
  13. fœderis — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: of the covenant; Notes: covenant ratification formula.
  14. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of pepigit; Translation: which; Notes: refers to fœderis (neuter).
  15. pepigit — Lemma: pango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: has made; Notes: formal covenant-making term.
  16. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of pepigit; Translation: the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH (translated as LORD).
  17. vobiscum — Lemma: vos + cum; Part of Speech: pronoun + enclitic preposition; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: complement of pepigit; Translation: with you; Notes: covenant directed toward the people.
  18. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: basis/ground; Translation: over; Notes: expresses scope of covenant.
  19. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies sermonibus; Translation: all; Notes: indicates comprehensiveness.
  20. sermonibus — Lemma: sermo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, third declension; Function: object of super; Translation: words; Notes: refers to entire covenant legislation.
  21. his — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: demonstrative modifier; Translation: these; Notes: emphasizes immediacy of spoken words.

 

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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