Exodus 21:12

Posted on March 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

12 Qui percusserit hominem volens occidere, morte moriatur.

Whoever strikes a man with intent to kill shall surely be put to death.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui whoever NOM.SG.M REL.PRON
2 percusserit strikes 3SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ VERB
3 hominem a man ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL NOUN
4 volens willing / intending NOM.SG.M PRES.ACT.PTCP 2ND CONJ
5 occidere to kill PRES.ACT.INF VERB
6 morte with death ABL.SG.F 3RD DECL NOUN
7 moriatur let him die / he shall die 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP VERB

Syntax

Relative clause (legal subject):
Qui percusserit hominem — “Whoever strikes a man.”
• Qui is the subject introducing a general legal category.
• percusserit (future perfect subjunctive) expresses a general future legal condition.
• hominem is the direct object.

Intent clause:
volens occidere — “intending to kill.”
• volens modifies the subject (“doing so intentionally”).
• occidere expresses the intended action.

Main legal penalty:
morte moriatur — “he shall die with death.”
• morte = ablative of means.
• moriatur = deponent subjunctive expressing mandatory legal penalty.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces general legal subject; Translation: whoever; Notes: standard formula in legal texts for defining offenders.
  2. percusserit — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of legal condition; Translation: strikes; Notes: expresses a general future case in law.
  3. hominem — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine 3rd declension; Function: direct object; Translation: a man; Notes: victim of intentional assault.
  4. volens — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: describes the subject’s intention; Translation: intending; Notes: indicates premeditation.
  5. occidere — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with volens; Translation: to kill; Notes: expresses intended outcome of the assault.
  6. morte — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine 3rd declension; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with death; Notes: idiomatic legal formula for capital punishment.
  7. moriatur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: main verb expressing legal penalty; Translation: he shall die; Notes: deontic subjunctive expressing binding legal consequence.

 

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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