Exodus 16:16

Posted on March 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 16:16 Hic est sermo, quem præcepit Dominus: Colligat unusquisque ex eo quantum sufficit ad vescendum: gomor per singula capita, iuxta numerum animarum vestrarum quæ habitant in tabernaculo sic tolletis.

This is the word which the LORD has commanded: ‘Let each one gather from it as much as is sufficient for eating; one gomor for each head, according to the number of your souls who live in the tent, so shall you take it.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Hic this NOM.SG.M (DEM)
2 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 sermo word NOM.SG.M
4 quem which ACC.SG.M (REL)
5 præcepit has commanded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
7 Colligat let gather 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
8 unusquisque each one NOM.SG.M (INDECL)
9 ex from PREP+ABL
10 eo it ABL.SG.N (DEM)
11 quantum as much as ACC.SG.N (REL/INDEF)
12 sufficit is sufficient 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
13 ad for PREP+ACC
14 vescendum eating GERUNDV.ACC
15 gomor gomor NOM.SG.N (INDECL)
16 per for each PREP+ACC
17 singula each ACC.PL.N
18 capita heads ACC.PL.N
19 iuxta according to PREP+ACC
20 numerum number ACC.SG.M
21 animarum of souls GEN.PL.F
22 vestrarum of your GEN.PL.F (POSS)
23 quæ who NOM.PL.F (REL)
24 habitant live 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
25 in in PREP+ABL
26 tabernaculo tent ABL.SG.N
27 sic thus ADV
28 tolletis you shall take 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Hic est sermo — demonstrative Hic identifies the divine instruction.
Relative Clause: quem præcepit Dominus — modifies sermo; Dominus is subject, præcepit main verb.
Command Clause: Colligat unusquisque ex eo — subjunctive of command; subject is unusquisque.
Result/Purpose Phrase: quantum sufficit ad vescendum — amount gathered must equal what suffices for eating.
Quantitative Specification: gomor per singula capita — measurement per individual.
Measure Determination: iuxta numerum animarum vestrarum — amount based on number of persons.
Relative Clause: quæ habitant in tabernaculo — specifies which persons.
Final Instruction: sic tolletis — “thus you shall take,” concluding the directive.

Morphology

  1. Hic — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: pronoun (demonstrative); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: demonstrative subject; Translation: “this”; Notes: points to the divine instruction.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: links Hic + sermo.
  3. sermo — Lemma: sermo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “word”; Notes: divine command.
  4. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun (relative); Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of præcepit; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers to sermo.
  5. præcepit — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: action of LORD; Translation: “has commanded”; Notes: strong divine directive.
  6. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  7. Colligat — Lemma: colligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, 3rd singular; Function: jussive command; Translation: “let gather”; Notes: divine instruction.
  8. unusquisque — Lemma: unusquisque; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “each one”; Notes: distributive.
  9. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source; Translation: “from”; Notes: standard ablative usage.
  10. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun (demonstrative); Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of ex; Translation: “it”; Notes: refers to manna.
  11. quantum — Lemma: quantum; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of sufficit; Translation: “as much as”; Notes: amount needed.
  12. sufficit — Lemma: sufficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb; Translation: “is sufficient”; Notes: capacity/adequacy.
  13. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: “for”; Notes: used with gerundive.
  14. vescendum — Lemma: vescor; Part of Speech: verb (gerundive/gerund); Form: gerundive, accusative singular; Function: purpose; Translation: “eating”; Notes: ad + gerundive.
  15. gomor — Lemma: gomor; Part of Speech: noun (measure word); Form: nominative singular neuter (INDECL); Function: subject/measure; Translation: “gomor”; Notes: Hebrew loan.
  16. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: distributive measure; Translation: “for each”; Notes: per capita.
  17. singula — Lemma: singulus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies capita; Translation: “each”; Notes: distributive numeral.
  18. capita — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of per; Translation: “heads”; Notes: individuals.
  19. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses conformity; Translation: “according to”; Notes: measure based on number.
  20. numerum — Lemma: numerus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: “number”; Notes: count of persons.
  21. animarum — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: modifies numerum; Translation: “of souls”; Notes: persons.
  22. vestrarum — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: pronoun (possessive); Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: modifies animarum; Translation: “your”; Notes: plural possessive.
  23. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun (relative); Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of habitant; Translation: “who”; Notes: agrees with animarum (people).
  24. habitant — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd plural; Function: describes residence; Translation: “live”; Notes: relative clause verb.
  25. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: place where.
  26. tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “tent”; Notes: dwelling. Here tabernaculum refers to the household tent of each family in the wilderness, not the sacred sanctuary. Jerome uses the same Latin word tabernaculum for both Hebrew mishkan (tabernacle) and ohel (tent), so context determines whether it means “dwelling tent” or “holy tabernacle.” The phrase in tabernaculo is simply “inside the tent.”
  27. sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: manner; Translation: “thus”; Notes: introduces final directive.
  28. tolletis — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 2nd plural; Function: command/prediction; Translation: “you shall take”; Notes: final instruction.

 

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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