Exodus 29:17

Posted on March 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 29:17 ipsum autem arietem secabis in frusta. lotaque intestina eius ac pedes pones super concisas carnes, et super caput illius.

You shall cut the ram itself into pieces. and you shall place the washed intestines of it and the feet upon the cut-up flesh, and upon its head.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ipsum the… itself PRON DEM ACC.SG.M
2 autem however / moreover ADV INDECL
3 arietem ram NOUN ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL
4 secabis you shall cut VERB 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
5 in into PREP+ACC INDECL
6 frusta. pieces NOUN ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
7 lotaque and washed PTCP PERF.PASS.NOM.PL.N + ENCLITIC -QUE
8 intestina intestines NOUN ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
9 eius his / its PRON POSS GEN.SG.M
10 ac and also CONJ INDECL
11 pedes feet NOUN ACC.PL.M 3RD DECL
12 pones you shall place VERB 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
13 super upon PREP+ACC INDECL
14 concisas cut-up PTCP PERF.PASS.ACC.PL.F
15 carnes, flesh NOUN ACC.PL.F 3RD DECL
16 et and CONJ INDECL
17 super upon PREP+ACC INDECL
18 caput head NOUN ACC.SG.N 3RD DECL
19 illius. of him / of it PRON DEM GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Sentence 1:
ipsum autem arietem secabis in frusta —
• secabis is the main verb
• ipsum arietem is the direct object
• in frusta expresses result (“into pieces”)
• autem marks continuation of ritual instructions

Sentence 2:
lotaque intestina eius ac pedes pones super concisas carnes —
• pones is the verb
• lotaque intestina eius ac pedes = compound direct object
• super concisas carnes = prepositional phrase (“upon the cut-up flesh”)

Final Phrase:
et super caput illius —
• coordinates another placement location
• understood verb = pones
• super caput illius marks position (“upon its head”)

Morphology

  1. ipsum — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: intensifies arietem; Translation: the… itself; Notes: emphasizes the specific ram being cut.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective marker; Translation: however / moreover; Notes: transitions between instructions.
  3. arietem — Lemma: aries; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: direct object; Translation: ram; Notes: sacrificial animal used for consecration.
  4. secabis — Lemma: seco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second person singular, 1st conjugation; Function: main command; Translation: you shall cut; Notes: describes ritual butchering.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses transformation; Translation: into; Notes: signals resulting state.
  6. frusta. — Lemma: frustum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, 2nd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: pieces; Notes: ends first sentence.
  7. lotaque — Lemma: loto + -que; Part of Speech: participle + enclitic; Form: nominative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: part of subject of pones; Translation: and washed; Notes: describes intestines before placement.
  8. intestina — Lemma: intestinum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of pones; Translation: intestines; Notes: ceremonially washed organs.
  9. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies intestina; Translation: his / its; Notes: refers to the ram.
  10. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links pedes with intestina; Translation: and also; Notes: stronger than et.
  11. pedes — Lemma: pes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, 3rd declension; Function: direct object with intestina; Translation: feet; Notes: placed upon the cut flesh.
  12. pones — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second person singular, 3rd conjugation; Function: main verb of second sentence; Translation: you shall place; Notes: describes ritual assembly.
  13. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces location; Translation: upon; Notes: important for ritual arrangement.
  14. concisas — Lemma: concīdo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative plural feminine perfect passive participle; Function: modifies carnes; Translation: cut-up; Notes: describes the prepared meat.
  15. carnes, — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of super; Translation: flesh; Notes: comma preserved.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds parallel prepositional phrase; Translation: and; Notes: joins second location phrase.
  17. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces additional placement; Translation: upon; Notes: identical use to earlier super.
  18. caput — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: object of super; Translation: head; Notes: refers to the ram.
  19. illius. — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies caput; Translation: of it; Notes: ends the verse.

 

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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