Exodus 20:8

Posted on March 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 20:8 Memento ut diem sabbati sanctifices.

Remember to sanctify the sabbath day.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Memento remember 2SG.FUT.IMP.ACT (FUTURISTIC IMPERATIVE)
2 ut that / to CONJ INDECL
3 diem day ACC.SG.M 5TH DECL
4 sabbati of the sabbath GEN.SG.N INDECL
5 sanctifices you may sanctify 2SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT

Syntax

Main Clause: Memento — command using the future imperative (“Remember!”).

Subordinate Clause: ut sanctifices — final clause expressing purpose: “that you may sanctify.”

Object Phrase: diem sabbati — the day to be remembered and sanctified.

Morphology

  1. Memento — Lemma: memini; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future imperative active second person singular; Function: main command; Translation: “remember”; Notes: memini is a perfect-defective verb; its “future imperative” functions as a firm command.
  2. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that, to”; Notes: Governs the subjunctive verb.
  3. diem — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine (5th declension); Function: direct object of sanctifices; Translation: “day”; Notes: Though normally masculine, dies sometimes appears feminine in specific contexts.
  4. sabbati — Lemma: sabbatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: possessive genitive modifying diem; Translation: “of the sabbath”; Notes: Loanword from Hebrew שבת.
  5. sanctifices — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive second person singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “you may sanctify”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses intended outcome of remembering.

 

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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