Exodus 19:6

Posted on March 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 19:6 Et vos eritis mihi in regnum sacerdotale, et gens sancta. hæc sunt verba quæ loqueris ad filios Israel.

And you shall be to Me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.’”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 vos you PRON.PERS.NOM.PL
3 eritis you shall be 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
4 mihi to me PRON.PERS.DAT.SG.1
5 in in / as PREP+ACC
6 regnum kingdom NOUN.ACC.SG.N
7 sacerdotale priestly ADJ.ACC.SG.N
8 et and CONJ
9 gens nation NOUN.NOM.SG.F
10 sancta holy ADJ.NOM.SG.F
11 hæc these PRON.DEM.NOM.PL.N
12 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
13 verba words NOUN.NOM.PL.N
14 quæ which PRON.REL.ACC.PL.N
15 loqueris you shall speak 2SG.FUT.DEP.IND
16 ad to PREP+ACC
17 filios sons NOUN.ACC.PL.M
18 Israel Israel NOUN.GEN.SG.M (INDECL)

Syntax

Main Divine Declaration:
vos eritis mihi in regnum sacerdotale — future indicative expressing covenant identity; mihi is dative of advantage; in regnum sacerdotale is predicate accusative.

Coordinated Predicate:
et gens sancta — nominative predicate, parallel to regnum sacerdotale.

Demonstrative Summary Clause:
hæc sunt verba — “these are the words.”

Relative Clause of Content:
quæ loqueris ad filios Israel — deponent verb loqueris in future indicative, governing the indirect command.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links with previous declaration; Translation: and; Notes: continuation of divine speech.
  2. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative plural; Function: subject; Translation: you; Notes: emphatic plural addressed to Israel.
  3. eritis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 2nd plural; Function: main verb of covenant identity; Translation: you shall be; Notes: future promise.
  4. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: to me; Notes: expresses belonging to God.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces predicate accusative; Translation: in / as; Notes: covenant role.
  6. regnum — Lemma: regnum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: kingdom; Notes: metaphorical identity.
  7. sacerdotale — Lemma: sacerdotalis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies regnum; Translation: priestly; Notes: priesthood as national vocation.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links second predicate; Translation: and; Notes: joins covenant roles.
  9. gens — Lemma: gens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: nation; Notes: collective identity.
  10. sancta — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies gens; Translation: holy; Notes: set apart for divine service.
  11. hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject; Translation: these; Notes: summarizes commands.
  12. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd plural; Function: copulative verb; Translation: are; Notes: declarative.
  13. verba — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: words; Notes: content of divine message.
  14. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: refers to verba.
  15. loqueris — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative 2nd singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: you shall speak; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  16. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction toward audience; Translation: to; Notes: indicates recipients.
  17. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: sons; Notes: tribal designation.
  18. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun (indeclinable); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of Israel; Notes: people of the covenant.

 

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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