Exodus 16:18

Posted on March 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 16:18 Et mensi sunt ad mensuram gomor: nec qui plus collegerat, habuit amplius: nec qui minus paraverat, reperit minus: sed singuli iuxta id quod edere poterant, congregaverunt.

And they measured with the measure of a gomor: and he who had gathered more did not have more, and he who had prepared less did not find less, but each one gathered according to what they were able to eat.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 mensi they measured PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.PL.M
3 sunt they have 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 mensuram measure ACC.SG.F
6 gomor omer ACC.SG.N (INDECL)
7 nec nor CONJ
8 qui he who NOM.SG.M (REL)
9 plus more ACC.SG.N (CMPR)
10 collegerat had gathered 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
11 habuit had 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 amplius more ACC.SG.N (CMPR)
13 nec nor CONJ
14 qui he who NOM.SG.M (REL)
15 minus less ACC.SG.N (CMPR)
16 paraverat had prepared 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
17 reperit found 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 minus less ACC.SG.N (CMPR)
19 sed but CONJ
20 singuli each NOM.PL.M (INDEF)
21 iuxta according to PREP+ACC
22 id that which ACC.SG.N (DEM)
23 quod which ACC.SG.N (REL)
24 edere to eat INF.PRES.ACT
25 poterant they were able 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
26 congregaverunt they gathered 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Coordinating Clause: Et mensi sunt ad mensuram gomor — periphrastic perfect (mēnsi sunt) meaning “they measured.”
Negative Balanced Clauses:
• nec qui plus collegerat, habuit amplius — the one who gathered more had no excess.
• nec qui minus paraverat, reperit minus — the one who prepared less did not lack.
Adversative Clause: sed singuli iuxta id quod edere poterant, congregaverunt — each gathered exactly according to individual need.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connective.
  2. mensi — Lemma: metior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect participle passive in form, active in meaning; nominative plural masculine; Function: forms periphrastic perfect with sunt; Translation: “measured”; Notes: deponent verb.
  3. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd plural; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “they have”; Notes: completes periphrastic perfect.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses relation to measure; Translation: “to”; Notes: introduces standard measure phrase.
  5. mensuram — Lemma: mensura; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “measure”; Notes: measurement standard.
  6. gomor — Lemma: gomor; Part of Speech: noun (measure word); Form: accusative singular neuter, indeclinable; Function: specification of measure; Translation: “omer”; Notes: Hebrew loanword עמר.
  7. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating negative; Function: begins negative balanced clause; Translation: “nor”; Notes: used twice.
  8. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun (relative); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “he who”; Notes: generic subject.
  9. plus — Lemma: plus; Part of Speech: adjective/adverb (comparative); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of collegerat; Translation: “more”; Notes: quantitative comparison.
  10. collegerat — Lemma: colligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “had gathered”; Notes: prior completed action.
  11. habuit — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “had”; Notes: expresses result.
  12. amplius — Lemma: amplius; Part of Speech: adjective/adverb (comparative); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object; Translation: “more”; Notes: expresses lack of excess.
  13. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating negative; Function: introduces second negative clause; Translation: “nor”; Notes: balancing first nec.
  14. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun (relative); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “he who”; Notes: second distributive subject.
  15. minus — Lemma: minus; Part of Speech: adjective/adverb (comparative); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object; Translation: “less”; Notes: paralleled with plus.
  16. paraverat — Lemma: paro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “had prepared”; Notes: preparatory action.
  17. reperit — Lemma: reperio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “found”; Notes: expresses divine equalization.
  18. minus — Lemma: minus; Part of Speech: adjective/adverb (comparative); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object; Translation: “less”; Notes: parallel use.
  19. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: adversative; Function: introduces positive contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: contrasts with nec… nec.
  20. singuli — Lemma: singuli; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “each”; Notes: distributive numeral.
  21. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses accordance; Translation: “according to”; Notes: measures conformity.
  22. id — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun (demonstrative); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: “that which”; Notes: anticipates quod clause.
  23. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun (relative); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of edere; Translation: “which”; Notes: neuter object clause.
  24. edere — Lemma: edo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to eat”; Notes: content of ability.
  25. poterant — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative, 3rd plural; Function: verb of ability; Translation: “they were able”; Notes: expresses capacity.
  26. congregaverunt — Lemma: congrego; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd plural; Function: main concluding verb; Translation: “they gathered”; Notes: summarizes action.

 

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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