Exodus 20:11

Posted on March 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 20:11 Sex enim diebus fecit Dominus cælum et terram, et mare, et omnia quæ in eis sunt, et requievit in die septimo, idcirco benedixit Dominus diei sabbati, et sanctificavit eum.

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that are in them, and He rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the day of the sabbath and sanctified it.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sex six ADJ INDECL
2 enim for CONJ INDECL
3 diebus days ABL.PL.M 5TH DECL
4 fecit made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
6 cælum heaven ACC.SG.N 2ND DECL
7 et and CONJ INDECL
8 terram earth ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL
9 et and CONJ INDECL
10 mare sea ACC.SG.N 3RD DECL
11 et and CONJ INDECL
12 omnia all things ACC.PL.N ADJ POS
13 quæ which NOM.PL.N PRON.REL
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 eis them ABL.PL.M/N PRON.DEM
16 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
17 et and CONJ INDECL
18 requievit rested 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
19 in on PREP+ABL
20 die day ABL.SG.M 5TH DECL
21 septimo seventh ABL.SG.M ADJ POS
22 idcirco therefore ADV INDECL
23 benedixit blessed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
24 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
25 diei of the day GEN.SG.M 5TH DECL
26 sabbati of the sabbath GEN.SG.N 2ND DECL
27 et and CONJ INDECL
28 sanctificavit sanctified 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
29 eum it ACC.SG.M PRON.DEM

Syntax

Causal clause: Sex enim diebus fecit Dominus cælum et terram, et mare, et omnia quæ in eis sunt — explains why the sabbath command is grounded in creation: in six days the LORD made everything.

Relative clause: quæ in eis sunt — subject quæ + verb sunt + prepositional phrase in eis, modifying omnia (“all things which are in them”).

Second main action: et requievit in die septimo — perfect verb requievit with locative phrase in die septimo describes divine rest on the seventh day.

Result / inference: idcirco benedixit Dominus diei sabbati, et sanctificavit eum — adverb idcirco (“therefore”) introduces the consequence: the LORD blessed the day of the sabbath and sanctified it.

Morphology

  1. Sex — Lemma: sex; Part of Speech: adjective (cardinal numeral); Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral functioning adjectivally; Function: modifies diebus to indicate the quantity of days; Translation: “six”; Notes: Latin cardinals are generally indeclinable and here specify the span of the creative work.
  2. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable postpositive conjunction; Function: introduces an explanatory causal clause; Translation: “for”; Notes: Normally placed in second position in the clause, connecting back to the sabbath command.
  3. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, 5th declension; Function: ablative of time within which, indicating the period in which the creative acts occurred; Translation: “days”; Notes: The phrase Sex diebus expresses the full time frame of creation.
  4. fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main finite verb of the creation clause; Translation: “made”; Notes: The perfect tense presents divine creation as a completed historical act.
  5. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: subject of fecit; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, therefore rendered “LORD” in small caps sense.
  6. cælum — Lemma: cælum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of fecit; Translation: “heaven”; Notes: First item in the list of created realms.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: joins cælum with terram; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple additive connector in the creation list.
  8. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: direct object of fecit; Translation: “earth”; Notes: Paired with cælum as the fundamental biblical merism “heaven and earth.”
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates terram and mare; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the series of created domains.
  10. mare — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: direct object of fecit; Translation: “sea”; Notes: Adds the maritime realm to the list of created spaces.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links the three main objects to the summarizing omnia; Translation: “and”; Notes: Signals a transition from specific items to a comprehensive total.
  12. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter, positive degree; Function: used substantivally as a direct object (“all things”); Translation: “all things”; Notes: Neuter plural captures the entirety of what is contained in the created realms.
  13. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of the relative clause modifying omnia; Translation: “which”; Notes: Links the totality of created things with their location “in them.”
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: introduces the locative phrase of the relative clause; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates position within the previously mentioned realms.
  15. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine/neuter; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers collectively to heaven, earth, and sea.
  16. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active third person plural; Function: copular verb of the relative clause; Translation: “are”; Notes: States the present existence of created things within these realms.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates a second main action with the creation statement; Translation: “and”; Notes: Moves from creation to divine rest.
  18. requievit — Lemma: requiesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb describing the LORD’s rest; Translation: “rested”; Notes: Perfect tense again presents a completed act: divine cessation from creative work.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “on”; Notes: Here best rendered “on” in English (“on the seventh day”).
  20. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 5th declension; Function: object of in in an ablative of time; Translation: “day”; Notes: Used again for precise temporal marking.
  21. septimo — Lemma: septimus; Part of Speech: adjective (ordinal); Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies die; Translation: “seventh”; Notes: Makes explicit which day is distinguished as the day of rest.
  22. idcirco — Lemma: idcirco; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: introduces the logical consequence of the preceding facts; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Strong inferential adverb linking divine rest to divine blessing.
  23. benedixit — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb of the result clause; Translation: “blessed”; Notes: Describes a once-for-all declaration of favor upon the day.
  24. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of benedixit and, by coordination, sanctificavit; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Again refers to YHWH, the one who both blesses and sanctifies.
  25. diei — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 5th declension; Function: dependent genitive with benedixit, specifying the object of blessing; Translation: “of the day”; Notes: Together with sabbati identifies which day is blessed.
  26. sabbati — Lemma: sabbatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: genitive in apposition to diei, specifying which day; Translation: “of the sabbath”; Notes: Marks that the sabbath day itself bears the blessing.
  27. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates the second divine action with benedixit; Translation: “and”; Notes: Signals an additional, closely related act.
  28. sanctificavit — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: second main verb in the result clause; Translation: “sanctified”; Notes: To sanctify is to set apart as holy, distinguishing this day from all others.
  29. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of sanctificavit; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers back to the sabbath day (dies sabbati) as the specific object made holy.

 

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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