Exodus 34:18

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 34:18 Sollemnitatem azymorum custodies. Septem diebus vesceris azymis, sicut præcepi tibi, in tempore mensis novorum: mense enim verni temporis egressus es de Ægypto.

You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, just as I commanded you, in the time of the month of new grain; for in the month of the spring season you went out from Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sollemnitatem feast ACC.SG.F 3RD DECL
2 azymorum of unleavened bread GEN.PL.N 2ND DECL
3 custodies you shall keep 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
4 Septem seven INDECL.NUM
5 diebus days ABL.PL.M 5TH DECL
6 vesceris you shall eat 2SG.FUT.DEP.IND DEP VERB
7 azymis unleavened bread ABL.PL.N 2ND DECL
8 sicut just as CONJ
9 præcepi I commanded 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
10 tibi to you DAT.SG 2ND.PERS.PRON
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 tempore time ABL.SG.N 3RD DECL
13 mensis of the month GEN.SG.M 3RD DECL
14 novorum of new grain GEN.PL.N ADJ 2ND DECL
15 mense in the month ABL.SG.M 3RD DECL
16 enim for ADV
17 verni of spring GEN.SG.M ADJ 2ND DECL
18 temporis of the season GEN.SG.N 3RD DECL
19 egressus having gone out NOM.SG.M PERF.PASS.PTCP DEP (ACTIVE MEANING)
20 es you are / you have 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
21 de from PREP+ABL
22 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F INDECL

Syntax

Main Command:
Sollemnitatem azymorum custodies — “You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread.”
• Sollemnitatem = object.
• custodies = legal future with imperative force.

Temporal Instruction:
Septem diebus vesceris azymis
— “For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.”
• vesceris = deponent future indicative.

Comparative Clause:
sicut præcepi tibi — “just as I commanded you.”

Time Phrase:
in tempore mensis novorum
— “in the time of the month of new grain.”

Explanatory Clause:
mense enim verni temporis egressus es de Ægypto
— “for in the month of the spring season you went out from Egypt.”

Morphology

  1. Sollemnitatem — Lemma: sollemnitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, third declension; Function: direct object of custodies; Translation: feast; Notes: refers to the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
  2. azymorum — Lemma: azyma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter, second declension; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: of unleavened bread; Notes: denotes the kind of feast.
  3. custodies — Lemma: custodiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular future active indicative; Function: main legal command; Translation: you shall keep; Notes: future used imperatively in laws.
  4. Septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies diebus; Translation: seven; Notes: cardinal number.
  5. diebus — Lemma: diēs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of time within which; Translation: days; Notes: one of the few masculine 5th-decl nouns.
  6. vesceris — Lemma: vescor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 2nd person singular future indicative (passive form, active meaning); Function: main verb of second command; Translation: you shall eat; Notes: governs ablative azymis.
  7. azymis — Lemma: azyma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of deponent vesceris; Translation: unleavened bread; Notes: liturgical term.
  8. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces comparative clause; Translation: just as; Notes: common biblical comparison marker.
  9. præcepi — Lemma: praecipiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: I commanded; Notes: summarizes earlier divine instruction.
  10. tibi — Lemma: tū; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of præcepi; Translation: to you; Notes: addressed to Moses.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces time phrase; Translation: in; Notes: expresses temporal location.
  12. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: time; Notes: used temporally.
  13. mensis — Lemma: mēnsis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies tempore; Translation: of the month; Notes: refers to liturgical calendar.
  14. novorum — Lemma: novus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: genitive of description; Translation: of new grain; Notes: agricultural marker of early spring.
  15. mense — Lemma: mēnsis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: in the month; Notes: repeated for emphasis.
  16. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: adverb/postpositive particle; Form: invariable; Function: explanation; Translation: for; Notes: gives reason for observance.
  17. verni — Lemma: vernus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies temporis; Translation: of spring; Notes: lit. “of the spring season.”
  18. temporis — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: object of verni; Translation: of the season; Notes: seasonal indicator.
  19. egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle (passive form, active meaning); Function: part of periphrastic perfect; Translation: having gone out; Notes: refers to the Exodus event.
  20. es — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: you are / you have; Notes: supplies tense to participle.
  21. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: from; Notes: marks departure.
  22. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of de; Translation: Egypt; Notes: indeclinable in Clementine usage; refers to place of bondage.

 

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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