Exodus 21:23

Posted on March 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 21:23 Sin autem mors eius fuerit subsecuta, reddet animam pro anima,

But if his death has followed, he shall give life for life,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sin but if CONJ INDECL
2 autem however ADV INDECL
3 mors death NOM.SG.F 3RD DECL NOUN
4 eius his GEN.SG.M/F PRON
5 fuerit has been 3SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ VERB
6 subsecuta having followed NOM.SG.F PERF.DEP.PTCP VERB
7 reddet he shall give 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND VERB
8 animam life ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN
9 pro for PREP+ABL
10 anima life ABL.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN

Syntax

Conditional protasis:
Sin autem mors eius fuerit subsecuta — “But if his death has followed.”
• Sin autem = strengthened legal conditional (“but if however”).
• mors = subject.
• eius = possessive genitive (“his”).
• fuerit subsecuta = perfective deponent construction meaning “has followed,” typical in causation clauses of legal texts.

Main apodosis:
reddet animam pro anima — “he shall give life for life.”
• reddet = future legal obligation.
• animam = direct object.
• pro anima = ablative after preposition indicating substitution or equivalence (“in exchange for”).
• Formulaic justice term indicating strict retributive compensation.

Morphology

  1. Sin — Lemma: sin; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces an alternative legal condition (“but if”); Translation: but if; Notes: intensifies and contrasts with previous case.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb/postpositive; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds nuance (“however”); Translation: however; Notes: always postpositive in Latin syntax.
  3. mors — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine 3rd declension; Function: subject of fuerit subsecuta; Translation: death; Notes: refers specifically to the pregnant woman in context.
  4. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine/feminine; Function: possessive genitive modifying mors; Translation: his; Notes: refers to the injured party from the preceding verse.
  5. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary verb of the conditional perfect; Translation: has been; Notes: used in legal hypotheticals.
  6. subsecuta — Lemma: subsequor; Part of Speech: deponent verb participle; Form: nominative singular feminine perfect deponent participle; Function: completes verbal idea with fuerit; Translation: having followed; Notes: deponent in form but active in meaning.
  7. reddet — Lemma: reddo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of the legal sentence; Translation: he shall give; Notes: expresses obligatory judicial compensation.
  8. animam — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine 1st declension; Function: direct object of reddet; Translation: life; Notes: object of substitution in the lex talionis clause.
  9. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses equivalence/exchange; Translation: for; Notes: classical usage in compensation formulas.
  10. anima — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine 1st declension; Function: object of the preposition pro; Translation: life; Notes: forms legal equivalence: “life for life.”

 

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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