Exodus 31:16

Posted on March 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 31:16 Custodiant filii Israel Sabbatum, et celebrent illud in generationibus suis. Pactum est sempiternum

Let the sons of Israel keep the Sabbath, and let them celebrate it in their generations. It is a perpetual covenant

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Custodiant let them keep 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ 4TH CONJ
2 filii sons NOM.PL.M NOUN 2ND DECL
3 Israel of Israel GEN.SG.M NOUN INDECL
4 Sabbatum the sabbath ACC.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
5 et and CONJ INDECL
6 celebrent let them celebrate 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ 1ST CONJ
7 illud it ACC.SG.N PRON DEM
8 in in PREP+ABL INDECL
9 generationibus generations ABL.PL.F NOUN 3RD DECL
10 suis their ABL.PL.F PRON POSS REFL
11 Pactum covenant NOM.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
12 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
13 sempiternum everlasting NOM.SG.N ADJ POS

Syntax

Main Jussive Clause: Custodiant filii Israel Sabbatum — subject filii Israel, verb Custodiant, object Sabbatum.
Coordinated Jussive: et celebrent illud — repeats obligation with pronoun illud referring to the sabbath.
Prepositional Phrase: in generationibus suis — indicates continuity “throughout their generations”.
Nominal Sentence: Pactum est sempiternum — subject Pactum with predicate adjective sempiternum, defining the sabbath as an everlasting covenant.

Morphology

  1. Custodiant — Lemma: custodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third person plural; Function: jussive main verb; Translation: let them keep; Notes: subjunctive expresses divine command to the community.
  2. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: sons; Notes: collective designation for the people of Israel.
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular (indeclinable proper name); Function: dependent genitive of filii; Translation: of Israel; Notes: Biblical proper name treated as genitive by position.
  4. Sabbatum — Lemma: sabbatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of Custodiant; Translation: the sabbath; Notes: refers to the sacred seventh day.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates two jussive verbs; Translation: and; Notes: links keeping and celebrating as parallel duties.
  6. celebrent — Lemma: celebro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third person plural; Function: coordinated jussive verb; Translation: let them celebrate; Notes: emphasizes active liturgical observance of the sabbath.
  7. illud — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of celebrent; Translation: it; Notes: refers back to Sabbatum as the thing celebrated.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces phrase of sphere/time; Translation: in; Notes: here marks temporal extension across generations.
  9. generationibus — Lemma: generatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: generations; Notes: indicates successive periods of Israel’s history.
  10. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: possessive modifier of generationibus; Translation: their; Notes: reflexive, referring back to the sons of Israel.
  11. Pactum — Lemma: pactum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of est; Translation: covenant; Notes: identifies the sabbath observance itself as covenantal.
  12. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: links Pactum with predicate adjective sempiternum.
  13. sempiternum — Lemma: sempiternus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: everlasting; Notes: stresses the perpetual, unending nature of the sabbath covenant.

 

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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