Exodus 19:13

Posted on March 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 19:13 Manus non tanget eum, sed lapidibus opprimetur, aut confodietur iaculis: sive iumentum fuerit, sive homo, non vivet. cum cœperit clangere buccina, tunc ascendant in montem.

No hand shall touch him, but he shall be overwhelmed with stones, or he shall be pierced with javelins: whether it is livestock or a man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet begins to sound, then let them go up on the mountain.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Manus hand NOUN.NOM.SG.F
2 non not ADV
3 tanget shall touch 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
4 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M
5 sed but CONJ
6 lapidibus with stones NOUN.ABL.PL.M
7 opprimetur he shall be overwhelmed 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
8 aut or CONJ
9 confodietur he shall be pierced 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
10 iaculis with javelins NOUN.ABL.PL.N
11 sive whether CONJ
12 iumentum livestock NOUN.NOM.SG.N
13 fuerit should be 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
14 sive whether CONJ
15 homo man NOUN.NOM.SG.M
16 non not ADV
17 vivet shall live 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
18 cum when CONJ
19 cœperit begins 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
20 clangere to sound INF.PRES.ACT
21 buccina trumpet NOUN.NOM.SG.F
22 tunc then ADV
23 ascendant let them ascend 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
24 in on PREP+ACC
25 montem mountain NOUN.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Negative Legal Statement:
Manus non tanget eum — “No hand shall touch him,” expresses prohibition.

Penalties:
sed lapidibus opprimetur — passive future: execution by stoning.
aut confodietur iaculis — alternative penalty by spears.

Conditional Pair:
sive iumentum fuerit, sive homo — future perfect fuerit marks condition.

Absolute Outcome:
non vivet — legal inevitability.

Temporal Clause:
cum cœperit clangere buccina — “when the trumpet begins to sound.”

Jussive Subjunctive:
tunc ascendant in montem — divine instruction for ascent at the signal.

Morphology

  1. Manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: hand; Notes: classical form of fourth declension.
  2. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: modifies tanget.
  3. tanget — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of prohibition; Translation: shall touch; Notes: expresses legal outcome.
  4. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of tanget; Translation: him; Notes: refers to transgressor.
  5. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: contrast; Translation: but; Notes: marks alternative penalty.
  6. lapidibus — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with stones; Notes: means of execution.
  7. opprimetur — Lemma: opprimo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future passive indicative 3rd singular; Function: passive legal penalty; Translation: he shall be overwhelmed; Notes: refers to stoning.
  8. aut — Lemma: aut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: alternative; Translation: or; Notes: introduces second penalty.
  9. confodietur — Lemma: confodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future passive indicative 3rd singular; Function: alternative legal penalty; Translation: shall be pierced; Notes: execution by weapons.
  10. iaculis — Lemma: iaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: means; Translation: with javelins; Notes: instrument of execution.
  11. sive — Lemma: sive; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: conditional disjunction; Translation: whether; Notes: introduces condition.
  12. iumentum — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of fuerit; Translation: livestock; Notes: includes animals.
  13. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: conditional verb; Translation: should be; Notes: legal futurity.
  14. sive — Lemma: sive; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: second part of disjunction; Translation: whether; Notes: parallels iumentum.
  15. homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: man; Notes: human offender.
  16. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: modifies vivet.
  17. vivet — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: penalty outcome; Translation: shall live; Notes: universal application.
  18. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: marks the signal.
  19. cœperit — Lemma: coepio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: begins; Notes: anticipatory future.
  20. clangere — Lemma: clango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: to sound; Notes: sound of trumpet.
  21. buccina — Lemma: buccina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of cœperit; Translation: trumpet; Notes: ritual instrument.
  22. tunc — Lemma: tunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: indicates sequence; Translation: then; Notes: marks transition to allowed ascent.
  23. ascendant — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: jussive command; Translation: let them ascend; Notes: ascent permitted only then.
  24. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: on; Notes: physical ascent.
  25. montem — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: mountain; Notes: Mount Sinai.

 

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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