Exodus 22:13

Posted on March 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 22:13 Si comestum a bestia, deferat ad eum quod occisum est, et non restituet.

If it has been eaten by a beast, he shall bring to him what has been torn, and he shall not restore.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 comestum eaten PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM/ACC.SG.N
3 a by PREP+ABL
4 bestia beast NOUN.ABL.SG.F.1ST DECL
5 deferat he shall bring 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ.3RD CONJ
6 ad to PREP+ACC
7 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M.PERS
8 quod what PRON.ACC.SG.N.REL
9 occisum torn/slain PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM/ACC.SG.N
10 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 et and CONJ
12 non not ADV.INDECL
13 restituet he shall restore 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ

Syntax

Conditional Protasis: Si comestum a bestia — passive perfect participle with ablative of agent indicates the entrusted animal was eaten by a beast.
Main Subjunctive Clause: deferat ad eum quod occisum est — the guardian must “bring to him what has been torn/slain,” i.e., proof of the attack.
Final Legal Outcome: et non restituet — no restitution is required once evidence of the attack is provided.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: standard legal protasis marker.
  2. comestum — Lemma: comedo → comestus; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate of the subject; Translation: “eaten”; Notes: describes the fate of the entrusted animal.
  3. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks agent of passive verb; Translation: “by”; Notes: shortened form before consonants.
  4. bestia — Lemma: bestia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of agent; Translation: “beast”; Notes: wild predator responsible for the damage.
  5. deferat — Lemma: defero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present active subjunctive; Function: main verb expressing legal obligation; Translation: “he shall bring”; Notes: jussive subjunctive common in legal prescriptions.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: marks the recipient of the evidence.
  7. eum — Lemma: is/ea/id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to the owner.
  8. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “what”; Notes: refers to the remains of the animal.
  9. occisum — Lemma: occido → occisus; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate in relative clause; Translation: “slain / torn”; Notes: legal term for an animal killed by predators.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “is”; Notes: completes perfect passive periphrastic.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: coordinates final legal result.
  12. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negator; Translation: “not”; Notes: negates obligation to repay.
  13. restituet — Lemma: restituo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future active indicative, 3rd conjugation; Function: main verb; Translation: “he shall restore”; Notes: legal formula for restitution (here negated).

 

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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