Exodus 21:17

Posted on March 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 21:17 Qui maledixerit patri suo, vel matri, morte moriatur.

Whoever curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui whoever NOM.SG.M REL.PRON
2 maledixerit curses 3SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ VERB
3 patri father DAT.SG.M 3RD DECL NOUN
4 suo his DAT.SG.M POSS.ADJ
5 vel or CONJ INDECL
6 matri mother DAT.SG.F 3RD DECL NOUN
7 morte with death ABL.SG.F 3RD DECL NOUN
8 moriatur he shall die 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP VERB

Syntax

Relative clause (offender identified):
Qui maledixerit patri suo vel matri — “Whoever curses his father or his mother.”
• maledixerit = future perfect subjunctive expressing a legal hypothetical.
• patri suo … matri = indirect objects of cursing (dative case).
• suo = reflexive, referring back to the subject “whoever.”

Main legal sentence:
morte moriatur — “he shall surely die.”
• morte = ablative of means.
• moriatur = deontic subjunctive expressing mandated execution.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces legal subject; Translation: whoever; Notes: standard legal formula opening.
  2. maledixerit — Lemma: maledico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of legal protasis; Translation: curses; Notes: expresses hypothetical future offense under law.
  3. patri — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine 3rd declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: father; Notes: dative required with verbs of “speaking toward.”
  4. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies patri; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive to the subject.
  5. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: alternatives; Translation: or; Notes: introduces second possible victim.
  6. matri — Lemma: mater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine 3rd declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: mother; Notes: parallels patri exactly.
  7. morte — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine 3rd declension; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with death; Notes: legal formula for capital punishment.
  8. moriatur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: legal mandate; Translation: he shall die; Notes: deontic subjunctive expressing required execution.

 

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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