Exodus 21:26

Posted on March 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 21:26 Si percusserit quispiam oculum servi sui aut ancillæ, et luscos eos fecerit, dimittet eos liberos pro oculo quem eruit.

If anyone strikes the eye of his male servant or of his female servant and makes them one-eyed, he shall release them free for the eye which he removed.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 percusserit strikes 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ
3 quispiam someone PRON.NOM.SG.M.INDEF
4 oculum eye NOUN.ACC.SG.M.2ND DECL
5 servi of the servant NOUN.GEN.SG.M.2ND DECL
6 sui his PRON.GEN.SG.M.REFL
7 aut or CONJ
8 ancillæ of the female servant NOUN.GEN.SG.F.1ST DECL
9 et and CONJ
10 luscos one-eyed ADJ.ACC.PL.M.POS
11 eos them PRON.ACC.PL.M.PERS
12 fecerit makes 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ
13 dimittet he will release 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ
14 eos them PRON.ACC.PL.M.PERS
15 liberos free ADJ.ACC.PL.M.POS
16 pro for PREP+ABL
17 oculo eye NOUN.ABL.SG.M.2ND DECL
18 quem which REL.ACC.SG.M
19 eruit he removed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ

Syntax

Conditional Clause: Si + percusserit quispiam forms the protasis.
Direct Object Cluster: oculum servi sui aut ancillæ — the injured eye belonging to the servant or female servant.
Result Clause: et luscos eos fecerit adds a second condition.
Main Clause: dimittet eos liberos — required legal consequence.
Prepositional Phrase: pro oculo explains basis for compensation.
Relative Clause: quem eruit modifies *oculo* and explains cause.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces protasis; Translation: “if”; Notes: Conditional marker.
  2. percusserit — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: “he strikes”; Notes: Future perfect in legal formula.
  3. quispiam — Lemma: quispiam; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “someone”; Notes: Generic legal subject.
  4. oculum — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: direct object; Translation: “eye”; Notes: Object struck.
  5. servi — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the servant”; Notes: Specifies owner of eye.
  6. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies *servi*; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to subject *quispiam*.
  7. aut — Lemma: aut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: alternative choice; Translation: “or”; Notes: Exclusive disjunction.
  8. ancillæ — Lemma: ancilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the female servant”; Notes: Alternative victim.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins second condition; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds second requirement.
  10. luscos — Lemma: luscus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object complement; Translation: “one-eyed”; Notes: Indicates injury result.
  11. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of *fecerit*; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to servants involved.
  12. fecerit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb describing result of injury; Translation: “he makes”; Notes: Coordinated with *percusserit*.
  13. dimittet — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “he will release”; Notes: Legal requirement.
  14. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of *dimittet*; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to injured servants.
  15. liberos — Lemma: liber; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: “free”; Notes: Describes outcome.
  16. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses compensation/exchange; Translation: “for”; Notes: Legal valuation term.
  17. oculo — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of *pro*; Translation: “eye”; Notes: Basis of release.
  18. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of *eruit*; Translation: “which”; Notes: Links injury to consequence.
  19. eruit — Lemma: eruō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “he removed”; Notes: Refers to damaging act.

 

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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