Ex 16:30 Et sabbatizavit populus die septimo.
And the people kept sabbath on the seventh day.
| # |
Latin |
Gloss |
Grammar Tag |
| 1 |
Et |
and |
CONJ |
| 2 |
sabbatizavit |
kept sabbath |
3SG.PERF.ACT.IND |
| 3 |
populus |
people |
NOM.SG.M |
| 4 |
die |
day |
ABL.SG.M |
| 5 |
septimo |
seventh |
ABL.SG.M (ADJ.ORD) |
Syntax
Main Clause: Et sabbatizavit populus — perfect tense describing completed observance; subject is populus, verb sabbatizavit.
Temporal Phrase: die septimo — ablative of time when: “on the seventh day.”
Morphology
- Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects with preceding narrative; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connective.
- sabbatizavit — Lemma: sabbatizo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “kept sabbath”; Notes: denominative verb from sabbatum.
- populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “people”; Notes: collective singular.
- die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “on the day”; Notes: time when.
- septimo — Lemma: septimus; Part of Speech: adjective (ordinal); Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies die; Translation: “seventh”; Notes: refers to the sabbath day.
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.