Exodus 16:31

Posted on March 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 16:31 Appellavitque domus Israel nomen eius Man: quod erat quasi semen coriandri album, gustusque eius quasi similæ cum melle.

And the house of Israel called its name Man; and it was like white coriander seed, and its taste was like flour with honey.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Appellavitque and called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 domus house NOM.SG.F
3 Israel Israel NOM.SG.M (INVAR)
4 nomen name ACC.SG.N
5 eius its GEN.SG.M/N (POSS)
6 Man Manna ACC.SG.N (INVAR)
7 quod which NOM.SG.N (REL)
8 erat was 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
9 quasi as if / like ADV
10 semen seed NOM.SG.N
11 coriandri of coriander GEN.SG.N
12 album white NOM.SG.N (ADJ)
13 gustusque and taste NOM.SG.M
14 eius its GEN.SG.M/N (POSS)
15 quasi as if / like ADV
16 similæ meal / flour GEN.SG.F
17 cum with PREP+ABL
18 melle honey ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Appellavitque domus Israel nomen eius Man — “the house of Israel called its name Man”; subject = domus Israel, verb = Appellavitque.
Descriptive Clause: quod erat quasi semen coriandri album — “which was like white coriander seed”; relative pronoun quod refers to Man.
Additional Description: gustusque eius quasi similæ cum melle — “and its taste was like flour with honey.”

Morphology

  1. Appellavitque — Lemma: appello; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular, with enclitic -que; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “and called”; Notes: connects with previous actions.
  2. domus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “house”; Notes: collective term meaning “household / community.”
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: invariable; Function: genitive dependent on domus; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: Hebrew name retained in Latin.
  4. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object; Translation: “name”; Notes: direct object of appellavit.
  5. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun (possessive); Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies nomen; Translation: “its”; Notes: refers to manna.
  6. Man — Lemma: Man; Part of Speech: noun (indeclinable); Form: invariable; Function: predicate object; Translation: “Man”; Notes: transliteration of Hebrew man, from “What is it?” (מָן הוּא).
  7. quod — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: pronoun (relative); Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: refers to Man; Translation: “which”; Notes: introduces descriptive clause.
  8. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: linking verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: imperfect descriptive.
  9. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “as if / like”; Notes: soft comparison.
  10. semen — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “seed”; Notes: comparison object.
  11. coriandri — Lemma: coriandrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: “of coriander”; Notes: culinary detail.
  12. album — Lemma: albus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: describes semen; Translation: “white”; Notes: color description.
  13. gustusque — Lemma: gustus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, with enclitic -que; Function: subject of implied erat; Translation: “and its taste”; Notes: second descriptive clause.
  14. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun (possessive); Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies gustus; Translation: “its”; Notes: refers to manna.
  15. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “like”; Notes: parallel to earlier quasi.
  16. similæ — Lemma: simila; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive dependent on quasi; Translation: “of fine flour”; Notes: high-quality wheat flour.
  17. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: expresses mixture.
  18. melle — Lemma: mel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of cum; Translation: “honey”; Notes: describes sweetness of manna.

 

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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