Exodus 19:22

Posted on March 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 19:22 Sacerdotes quoque qui accedunt ad Dominum, sanctificentur, ne percutiat eos.

The priests also, who approach the LORD, must be sanctified, lest He strike them.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sacerdotes priests NOUN.NOM.PL.M
2 quoque also ADV
3 qui who PRON.NOM.PL.M.REL
4 accedunt approach 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 Dominum LORD NOUN.ACC.SG.M
7 sanctificentur must be sanctified 3PL.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
8 ne lest CONJ
9 percutiat strike 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
10 eos them PRON.ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause:
Sacerdotes quoque … sanctificentur — subject Sacerdotes, verb sanctificentur (subjunctive of obligation).

Relative Clause:
qui accedunt ad Dominum — “who approach the LORD”; relative pronoun qui with verb accedunt.

Negative Purpose Clause:
ne percutiat eos — “lest He strike them”; subjunctive percutiat with object eos.

Morphology

  1. Sacerdotes — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of sanctificentur; Translation: priests; Notes: refers to those serving in sacred office.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adds emphasis “also”; Translation: also; Notes: expands obligation beyond the people.
  3. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: introduces relative clause modifying sacerdotes; Translation: who; Notes: agrees in gender and number with antecedent.
  4. accedunt — Lemma: accedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: approach; Notes: indicates active movement toward the LORD.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: directional complement; Translation: to; Notes: standard motion preposition.
  6. Dominum — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  7. sanctificentur — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: expresses required state (“must be sanctified”); Translation: must be sanctified; Notes: divine requirement of holiness.
  8. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces negative purpose; Translation: lest; Notes: regularly followed by subjunctive.
  9. percutiat — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb in negative purpose clause; Translation: strike; Notes: divine judgment threatened.
  10. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of percutiat; Translation: them; Notes: refers back to the priests.

 

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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