Exodus 12:20

Posted on March 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 12’20 Omne fermentatum non comedetis: in cunctis habitaculis vestris edetis azyma.

You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Omne every / all ACC.SG.N
2 fermentatum leavened thing ACC.SG.N
3 non not ADV
4 comedetis you shall eat 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 cunctis all ABL.PL.N.ADJ
7 habitaculis dwellings ABL.PL.N
8 vestris your ABL.PL.N.ADJ
9 edetis you shall eat 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
10 azyma unleavened bread ACC.PL.N

Syntax

Prohibition clause:
Omne fermentatum non comedetis — “You shall not eat anything leavened.”
• Omne fermentatum = object (“all that is leavened”)
• non = negation
• comedetis = future command

Positive command:
in cunctis habitaculis vestris edetis azyma — “in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.”
• in cunctis habitaculis vestris = locative phrase
• edetis = verb
• azyma = direct object

The two clauses contrast unlawful vs. required food during the festival.

Morphology

  1. Omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies fermentatum; Translation: “every / all”; Notes: used substantively with neuter object.
  2. fermentatum — Lemma: fermentatus; Part of Speech: participial adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object; Translation: “leavened thing”; Notes: substantive participle.
  3. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: standard negation.
  4. comedetis — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second plural; Function: main verb of prohibition; Translation: “you shall eat”; Notes: legal command form.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: specifies locations.
  6. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies habitaculis; Translation: “all”; Notes: intensive form meaning “the whole of.”
  7. habitaculis — Lemma: habitaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “dwellings”; Notes: domestic spaces.
  8. vestris — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies habitaculis; Translation: “your”; Notes: communal instruction.
  9. edetis — Lemma: edo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second plural; Function: main verb of positive command; Translation: “you shall eat”; Notes: future command parallel to comedetis.
  10. azyma — Lemma: azymum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of edetis; Translation: “unleavened bread”; Notes: Passover requirement.

 

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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