Exodus 22:16

Posted on March 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 22:16 Si seduxerit quis virginem necdum desponsatam, dormieritque cum ea: dotabit eam, et habebit eam uxorem.

if someone has seduced a virgin not yet betrothed, and has slept with her, he shall endow her and shall have her as his wife.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 seduxerit has seduced 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ
3 quis someone PRON.NOM.SG.M.INDEF
4 virginem a virgin NOUN.ACC.SG.F.3RD DECL
5 necdum not yet ADV.INDECL
6 desponsatam betrothed PTCP.PERF.PASS.ACC.SG.F
7 dormierit has slept 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND.4TH CONJ
8 cum with PREP+ABL
9 ea her PRON.ABL.SG.F.PERS
10 dotabit he shall endow 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND.1ST CONJ
11 eam her PRON.ACC.SG.F.PERS
12 et and CONJ
13 habebit he shall have 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND.2ND CONJ
14 eam her PRON.ACC.SG.F.PERS
15 uxorem as wife NOUN.ACC.SG.F.3RD DECL

Syntax

Conditional Protasis: Si seduxerit quis virginem necdum desponsatam — defines the offender and the condition (seducing an unbetrothed virgin).
Coordinated Action: dormierit cum ea — second completed act (sexual intercourse).
Main Legal Apodosis: dotabit eam — obligation to pay the marriage-dowry.
Second Legal Consequence: et habebit eam uxorem — obligation to marry her.
Case Roles:
• quis — subject
• virginem … desponsatam — object of seduction
• cum ea — ablative of accompaniment
• eam — direct object of both dotabit and habebit

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces legal protasis; Translation: “if”; Notes: standard conditional marker.
  2. seduxerit — Lemma: seduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of first condition; Translation: “has seduced / shall have seduced”; Notes: legal-event perfect common in statute language.
  3. quis — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “someone”; Notes: general, unspecified offender.
  4. virginem — Lemma: virgo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “a virgin”; Notes: victim of seduction.
  5. necdum — Lemma: necdum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modal negation; Translation: “not yet”; Notes: adds legal qualification.
  6. desponsatam — Lemma: desponsatus; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive accusative singular feminine; Function: modifier of virginem; Translation: “betrothed”; Notes: indicates legal status.
  7. dormierit — Lemma: dormio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future perfect active indicative; Function: second conditional act; Translation: “has slept”; Notes: euphemism for intercourse.
  8. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: standard construction for sexual relations.
  9. ea — Lemma: is/ea/id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of cum; Translation: “her”; Notes: refers to the virgin.
  10. dotabit — Lemma: doto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future active indicative; Function: main legal obligation; Translation: “he shall endow”; Notes: technical marriage-law verb.
  11. eam — Lemma: is/ea/id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “her”; Notes: object of both dotabit and habebit.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links main legal results; Translation: “and”; Notes: coordinate connection.
  13. habebit — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future active indicative; Function: second legal obligation; Translation: “he shall have”; Notes: expresses required marriage.
  14. eam — Lemma: is/ea/id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of habebit; Translation: “her”; Notes: repeated for clarity.
  15. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: “as (his) wife”; Notes: expresses role resulting from marriage.

 

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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