Exodus 30:38

Posted on March 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 30:38 Homo quicumque fecerit simile, ut odore illius perfruatur, peribit de populis suis.

Any man whoever shall make something similar, so that he may enjoy its scent, shall perish from his people.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Homo man NOM.SG.M NOUN 3RD DECL
2 quicumque whoever NOM.SG.M PRON INDEF
3 fecerit shall make 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
4 simile something similar ACC.SG.N ADJ POS
5 ut so that CONJ SUBJ
6 odore with the scent ABL.SG.M NOUN 3RD DECL
7 illius of it GEN.SG.M PRON DEM
8 perfruatur he may enjoy 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP 3RD CONJ
9 peribit shall perish 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND IRREG
10 de from PREP+ABL INDECL
11 populis peoples ABL.PL.M NOUN 3RD DECL
12 suis his own ABL.PL.M ADJ POSS

Syntax

Main Subject: Homo quicumque — “any man whoever,” an indefinite universal expression.
Main Verb: fecerit — future perfect: completed action before judgment.
Result Clause: ut … perfruatur — purpose of making the imitation mixture.
Deponent Verb: perfruatur — governs ablative (odore illius).
Final Judgment: peribit de populis suis — exclusion from the covenant community.

Morphology

  1. Homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: man; Notes: generic reference to any individual.
  2. quicumque — Lemma: quicumque; Part of Speech: indefinite relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies Homo; Translation: whoever; Notes: expresses universality of prohibition.
  3. fecerit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb of condition; Translation: shall make; Notes: action completed before judgment.
  4. simile — Lemma: similis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: something similar; Notes: refers to imitation of sacred incense.
  5. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces subjunctive clause; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: so that; Notes: marks intention for prohibited act.
  6. odore — Lemma: odor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative with perfruatur; Translation: with the scent; Notes: deponent verb requires ablative.
  7. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies odore; Translation: of it; Notes: refers to the sacred incense.
  8. perfruatur — Lemma: perfruor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: present subjunctive third singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: he may enjoy; Notes: deponent governing ablative.
  9. peribit — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative third singular; Function: main verb of penalty; Translation: shall perish; Notes: idiomatically “cut off” from the people.
  10. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: separation; Translation: from; Notes: expresses removal.
  11. populis — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: peoples; Notes: collective covenant community.
  12. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies populis; Translation: his own; Notes: reflexive to the subject Homo.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.