Exodus 13:2

Posted on March 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 13:2 Sanctifica mihi omne primogenitum quod aperit vulvam in filiis Israel, tam de hominibus quam de iumentis: mea sunt enim omnia.

“Sanctify to me every firstborn that opens the womb among the sons of Israel, both of men and of beasts; for all things are mine.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sanctifica sanctify 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 mihi to me PRON.DAT.SG.1ST
3 omne every ADJ.ACC.SG.N
4 primogenitum firstborn NOUN.ACC.SG.N
5 quod which PRON.NOM.SG.N
6 aperit opens 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 vulvam womb NOUN.ACC.SG.F
8 in among PREP+ABL
9 filiis sons NOUN.ABL.PL.M
10 Israel Israel NOUN.GEN.SG.M/INVAR
11 tam both ADV
12 de from PREP+ABL
13 hominibus men NOUN.ABL.PL.M
14 quam as also CONJ
15 de from PREP+ABL
16 iumentis beasts NOUN.ABL.PL.N
17 mea mine ADJ.NOM.PL.N
18 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
19 enim for CONJ
20 omnia all things PRON.NOM.PL.N

Syntax

Main command: Sanctifica mihi omne primogenitum — imperative verb + dative of advantage + direct object.
Relative clause: quod aperit vulvam modifies primogenitum, identifying the firstborn as the one “which opens the womb.”
Locative phrase: in filiis Israel marks the group from which the sanctified firstborn originates.
Correlative pair: tam … quam … balances de hominibus with de iumentis (“both from men and from beasts”).
Reason clause: mea sunt enim omnia asserts divine ownership as the theological basis for the command.

Morphology

  1. Sanctifica — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative second person singular; Function: direct command; Translation: “sanctify”; Notes: addressed to Moses as mediator.
  2. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: “to me”; Notes: ownership implied.
  3. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies primogenitum; Translation: “every”; Notes: stresses universality.
  4. primogenitum — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: noun/adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “firstborn”; Notes: refers to the first male offspring.
  5. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: agrees with primogenitum.
  6. aperit — Lemma: aperio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “opens”; Notes: idiomatically refers to firstborn birth.
  7. vulvam — Lemma: vulva; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of aperit; Translation: “womb”; Notes: literal anatomical term.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in/among”; Notes: marks group context.
  9. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “sons”; Notes: collective Israelite community.
  10. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular (indeclinable); Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: Hebrew proper name.
  11. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: correlative marker; Translation: “both”; Notes: used with quam.
  12. de (first) — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks source; Translation: “from”; Notes: used partitive.
  13. hominibus — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “men”; Notes: refers to human firstborn.
  14. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: completes correlative pair; Translation: “as also”; Notes: balances tam.
  15. de (second) — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks parallel source; Translation: “from”; Notes: repeats structure for emphasis.
  16. iumentis — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: “beasts”; Notes: refers to livestock.
  17. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “mine”; Notes: refers to divine ownership.
  18. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person plural; Function: copula; Translation: “are”; Notes: links mea to omnia.
  19. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: provides explanation; Translation: “for”; Notes: introduces theological rationale.
  20. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject complement; Translation: “all things”; Notes: emphatic universal claim.

 

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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