Exodus 20:25

Posted on March 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 20:25 Quod si altare lapideum feceris mihi, non ædificabis illud de sectis lapidibus: si enim levaveris cultrum super eo, polluetur.

But if you shall have made for Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it from hewn stones; for if you shall lift a blade over it, it will be defiled.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quod but if CONJ INDECL
2 si if CONJ INDECL
3 altare altar ACC.SG.N NOUN 3RD DECL
4 lapideum stone ACC.SG.N ADJ.POS
5 feceris you shall have made 2SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
6 mihi for Me DAT.SG.PERS PRON
7 non not ADV INDECL
8 ædificabis you shall build 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 illud it ACC.SG.N PRON.DEM
10 de from PREP +ABL
11 sectis cut ABL.PL.M/F/N PTCP.PERF.PASS
12 lapidibus stones ABL.PL.M NOUN 3RD DECL
13 si if CONJ INDECL
14 enim for CONJ INDECL
15 levaveris you shall lift 2SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
16 cultrum blade ACC.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
17 super over PREP +ABL
18 eo it ABL.SG.M/N PRON.DEM
19 polluetur it will be defiled 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND

Syntax

Conditional clause #1: Quod si altare lapideum feceris mihi — compound conditional particle Quod si (“but if”); verb feceris (future perfect); object altare lapideum; indirect object mihi.

Main apodosis: non ædificabis illud de sectis lapidibus — prohibition expressed with future indicative; illud refers back to the altar; ablative phrase de sectis lapidibus specifies the forbidden material.

Conditional clause #2: si enim levaveris cultrum super eo — causal/explanatory enim; verb levaveris (future perfect); object cultrum; prepositional phrase super eo.

Result: polluetur — passive future indicative; the altar becomes ritually defiled.

Morphology

  1. Quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces emphatic conditional (“but if”); Translation: “but”; Notes: Classical Latin uses quod si to strengthen a condition.
  2. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Standard conditional particle.
  3. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: direct object of feceris; Translation: “altar”; Notes: Ritual object for offerings.
  4. lapideum — Lemma: lapideus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies altare; Translation: “stone,” “made of stone”; Notes: Material adjective.
  5. feceris — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of protasis; Translation: “you shall have made”; Notes: Future perfect expresses completed action prior to the apodosis.
  6. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular first person; Function: indirect object of feceris; Translation: “for Me”; Notes: Indicates divine beneficiary.
  7. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates ædificabis; Translation: “not”; Notes: Standard legal negator.
  8. ædificabis — Lemma: ædifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of prohibition; Translation: “you shall build”; Notes: Prohibitory future indicative.
  9. illud — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of ædificabis; Translation: “it”; Notes: Identifies the same altar previously mentioned.
  10. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses material; Translation: “from,” “of”; Notes: Specifies substance.
  11. sectis — Lemma: seco; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural masculine/feminine/neuter perfect passive participle; Function: modifies lapidibus; Translation: “cut,” “hewn”; Notes: Ritual law forbids worked stones.
  12. lapidibus — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, 3rd declension; Function: object of de; Translation: “stones”; Notes: Ablative of material.
  13. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces second conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Marks rationale.
  14. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: postpositive; Function: explanatory; Translation: “for”; Notes: Gives the reason for the prohibition.
  15. levaveris — Lemma: levo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the second protasis; Translation: “you shall lift”; Notes: Use of tools on the altar defiles it.
  16. cultrum — Lemma: culter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of levaveris; Translation: “blade,” “knife”; Notes: Any cutting instrument.
  17. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative here; Function: expresses location “over”; Translation: “over”; Notes: Indicates an action done upon the altar.
  18. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine/neuter; Function: object of super; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the stone altar.
  19. polluetur — Lemma: polluo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future passive indicative; Function: result/apodosis; Translation: “it will be defiled”; Notes: Ritual defilement results from applying metal tools to the altar.

 

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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