Exodus 20:10

Posted on March 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 20:10 Septimo autem die sabbatum Domini Dei tui est: non facies omne opus in eo, tu, et filius tuus et filia tua, servus tuus et ancilla tua, iumentum tuum, et advena qui est intra portas tuas.

But on the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD your God; you shall not do any work in it, you, and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, your livestock, and the sojourner who is within your gates.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Septimo on the seventh ABL.SG.M ADJ POS
2 autem but CONJ INDECL
3 die day ABL.SG.M 5TH DECL
4 sabbatum sabbath NOM.SG.N 2ND DECL
5 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M 2ND DECL
6 Dei of God GEN.SG.M 2ND DECL
7 tui your GEN.SG.M POSS
8 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 non not ADV INDECL
10 facies you shall do 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
11 omne any ACC.SG.N ADJ POS
12 opus work ACC.SG.N 3RD DECL
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 eo in it ABL.SG.M/N PRON.DEM
15 tu you NOM.SG.PERS
16 et and CONJ INDECL
17 filius son NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
18 tuus your NOM.SG.M POSS
19 et and CONJ INDECL
20 filia daughter NOM.SG.F 1ST DECL
21 tua your NOM.SG.F POSS
22 servus servant NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
23 tuus your NOM.SG.M POSS
24 et and CONJ INDECL
25 ancilla maidservant NOM.SG.F 1ST DECL
26 tua your NOM.SG.F POSS
27 iumentum livestock NOM.SG.N 2ND DECL
28 tuum your NOM.SG.N POSS
29 et and CONJ INDECL
30 advena sojourner NOM.SG.M 1ST DECL
31 qui who NOM.SG.M PRON.REL
32 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
33 intra within PREP+ACC
34 portas gates ACC.PL.F 1ST DECL
35 tuas your ACC.PL.F POSS

Syntax

Temporal Frame: Septimo autem die — ablative of time “on the seventh day,” with autem marking contrast with the previous six days.

Main Equative Clause: sabbatum Domini Dei tui est — subject sabbatum + genitive chain Domini Dei tui (“of the LORD your God”) + verb est, defining the seventh day as belonging to the LORD.

Main Prohibition: non facies omne opus in eo — negator non + future indicative verb facies + direct object omne opus + locative phrase in eo (“in it”).

Enumerated Subjects of Rest: A coordinated nominative series (tu, et filius tuus et filia tua, servus tuus et ancilla tua, iumentum tuum, et advena) all understood with the same prohibition “shall not do any work.”

Relative Clause: qui est intra portas tuas — qui (subject) + est (verb) + prepositional phrase intra portas tuas, specifying that even the resident alien within Israel’s gates shares in sabbath rest.

Morphology

  1. Septimo — Lemma: septimus; Part of Speech: adjective (ordinal); Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies die in an ablative of time; Translation: “on the seventh”; Notes: Ordinal adjective used adverbially with the ablative to mark the specific day.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects this sentence to the previous one with mild contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Postpositive particle, usually second in the clause.
  3. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 5th declension; Function: ablative of time within which; Translation: “day”; Notes: Together with Septimo forms the phrase “on the seventh day.”
  4. sabbatum — Lemma: sabbatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: subject of est; Translation: “sabbath”; Notes: Borrowed from Hebrew; designates the day of rest.
  5. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: possessive genitive depending on sabbatum; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, hence translated as “LORD.”
  6. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 2nd declension (irregular paradigm); Function: genitive in apposition to Domini; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Clarifies that the LORD is God, forming the fixed phrase “LORD your God.”
  7. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies Dei; Translation: “your”; Notes: Marks the covenant relationship: the LORD is “your God.”
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active third person singular; Function: copula linking subject and predicative genitive phrase; Translation: “is”; Notes: Simple equative verb establishing identity of the day.
  9. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates the following verb facies; Translation: “not”; Notes: Normal marker of negation in Latin prose.
  10. facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active second person singular; Function: main verb of prohibition; Translation: “you shall do”; Notes: Future indicative used in legal style as a strong command or prohibition.
  11. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter, positive degree; Function: modifies opus; Translation: “any, every”; Notes: Neuter with a singular abstract noun to express “any kind of work at all.”
  12. opus — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: direct object of facies; Translation: “work”; Notes: Refers to labor or activity forbidden on the sabbath.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Here indicates location “in/on” the day, referring back to the sabbath.
  14. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine/neuter; Function: object of preposition in; Translation: “in it”; Notes: Refers to the sabbath day just defined.
  15. tu — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: first element in the subject list that is bound by the prohibition; Translation: “you”; Notes: Explicit subject for emphasis.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates the items in the subject list; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple additive connector.
  17. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: coordinated subject sharing the verb “shall not do (work)”; Translation: “son”; Notes: Included to show the command extends to descendants.
  18. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies filius; Translation: “your”; Notes: Agrees with filius in case, number, and gender.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects filius tuus with filia tua; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the coordinated list.
  20. filia — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: Parallel to filius, marking both male and female children.
  21. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies filia; Translation: “your”; Notes: Agreement in gender with filia.
  22. servus — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “male servant”; Notes: Includes household servants among those who must rest.
  23. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies servus; Translation: “your”; Notes: Marks ownership or responsibility.
  24. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links servus tuus with ancilla tua; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues list of obligated persons.
  25. ancilla — Lemma: ancilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “maidservant”; Notes: Female household servant.
  26. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies ancilla; Translation: “your”; Notes: Again signals responsibility for their rest.
  27. iumentum — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “beast of burden, livestock”; Notes: Extends sabbath rest even to working animals.
  28. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies iumentum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Agrees in gender and number with the neuter iumentum.
  29. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adds the final class of person, the advena; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues coordination.
  30. advena — Lemma: advena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (common gender), 1st declension; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “sojourner, resident alien”; Notes: A non-native living among the people of YHWH.
  31. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause referring back to advena; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces a defining relative clause.
  32. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active third person singular; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links qui with its location.
  33. intra — Lemma: intra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces the spatial limit of the sojourner’s presence; Translation: “within”; Notes: Stronger than simple in, emphasizing inside the boundary.
  34. portas — Lemma: porta; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, 1st declension; Function: object of intra; Translation: “gates”; Notes: City or household gates symbolizing jurisdiction.
  35. tuas — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies portas; Translation: “your”; Notes: Confirms that any sojourner under one’s authority shares sabbath rest.

 

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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