Exodus 18:22

Posted on March 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 18:22 qui iudicent populum omni tempore: quidquid autem maius fuerit, referant ad te, et ipsi minora tantummodo iudicent: leviusque sit tibi, partito in alios onere.

who may judge the people at all times: but whatever shall be greater, let them refer to you, and let them themselves judge only the lesser matters: and it will be lighter for you, the burden having been shared among others.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 qui who PRON.REL.NOM.PL.M
2 iudicent may judge 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
3 populum people NOUN.ACC.SG.M
4 omni every ADJ.ABL.SG.N
5 tempore time NOUN.ABL.SG.N
6 quidquid whatever PRON.INDEF.NOM/ACC.SG.N
7 autem however / but CONJ
8 maius greater ADJ.CMPR.NOM/ACC.SG.N
9 fuerit shall be 3SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ
10 referant let them refer 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
11 ad to PREP+ACC
12 te you PRON.PERS.ACC.SG
13 et and CONJ
14 ipsi they themselves PRON.PERS.NOM.PL.M
15 minora the lesser things ADJ.ACC.PL.N
16 tantummodo only ADV
17 iudicent may judge 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
18 leviusque and lighter ADJ.CMPR.NOM.SG.N + ENCLITIC
19 sit may be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
20 tibi for you PRON.PERS.DAT.SG
21 partito having been shared PTCP.PERF.PASS.ABL.SG.N
22 in among PREP+ACC
23 alios others NOUN.ACC.PL.M
24 onere burden NOUN.ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Relative Clause of Purpose / Characteristic:
qui iudicent populum omni tempore — leaders selected to judge the people continually.

Conditional / Concessive Construction:
quidquid autem maius fuerit — future-perfect subjunctive indicating any case of greater difficulty.

Main Subjunctive of Instruction:
referant ad te — “let them refer it to you” (Moses handles major cases).

Restrictive Clause:
et ipsi minora tantummodo iudicent — “and let them themselves judge only the lesser matters.”

Result Clause:
leviusque sit tibi, partito in alios onere — “and it will be lighter for you, the burden shared among others.”

Morphology

  1. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of iudicent; Translation: who; Notes: refers to appointed judges.
  2. iudicent — Lemma: iudico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: purpose/characteristic clause; Translation: may judge; Notes: instruction via subjunctive.
  3. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of iudicent; Translation: the people; Notes: entire nation.
  4. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies tempore; Translation: every; Notes: expresses continuity.
  5. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time; Translation: time; Notes: indicates temporal span.
  6. quidquid — Lemma: quidquid; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: subject of fuerit; Translation: whatever; Notes: introduces condition.
  7. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: transitional; Translation: however; Notes: soft contrast.
  8. maius — Lemma: magnus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter (comparative); Function: predicate with fuerit; Translation: greater; Notes: comparison of case difficulty.
  9. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: shall be; Notes: future contingency.
  10. referant — Lemma: refero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: main instruction; Translation: let them refer; Notes: expresses command within an instruction.
  11. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: to; Notes: with te.
  12. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: you; Notes: Moses.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: links next clause.
  14. ipsi — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: they themselves; Notes: emphasizes decentralization.
  15. minora — Lemma: parvus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter (comparative); Function: object of iudicent; Translation: the lesser things; Notes: contrast with maius.
  16. tantummodo — Lemma: tantummodo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: restriction; Translation: only; Notes: narrows duty.
  17. iudicent — Lemma: iudico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: coordinated with earlier iudicent; Translation: may judge; Notes: repeated for emphasis.
  18. leviusque — Lemma: levis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter comparative + enclitic -que; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: and lighter; Notes: describes effect on Moses.
  19. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of result clause; Translation: may be; Notes: expresses desired outcome.
  20. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: for you; Notes: benefit to Moses.
  21. partito — Lemma: partior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular neuter perfect passive participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: having been shared; Notes: describes circumstance.
  22. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses distribution; Translation: among; Notes: distributive use.
  23. alios — Lemma: alius; Part of Speech: adjective/noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: others; Notes: other judges.
  24. onere — Lemma: onus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of means within abl. abs.; Translation: burden; Notes: shared responsibility.

 

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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