Exodus 22:25

Posted on March 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 22:25 Si pecuniam mutuam dederis populo meo pauperi qui habitat tecum, non urgebis eum quasi exactor, nec usuris opprimes.

If you lend money to my people, to the poor man who dwells with you, you shall not press him as an exactor, nor shall you crush him with interest.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ.INDECL
2 pecuniam money NOUN.ACC.SG.F.1ST DECL
3 mutuam as a loan ADJ.ACC.SG.F.POS
4 dederis you lend 2SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
5 populo to the people NOUN.DAT.SG.M.2ND DECL
6 meo my PRON.DAT.SG.M.POSS
7 pauperi to the poor man ADJ.DAT.SG.M.POS
8 qui who PRON.NOM.SG.M.REL
9 habitat dwells 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND.1ST CONJ
10 tecum with you ADV.INDECL
11 non not ADV.INDECL
12 urgebis you shall press 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ
13 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M.PERS
14 quasi as if CONJ.INDECL
15 exactor an exactor NOUN.NOM.SG.M.3RD DECL
16 nec nor CONJ.INDECL
17 usuris with interest NOUN.ABL.PL.F.3RD DECL
18 opprimes you shall crush 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ

Syntax

Conditional Protasis: Si pecuniam mutuam dederis populo meo pauperi — future perfect expresses the legally completed act of lending.
Relative Clause: qui habitat tecum — identifies the poor man as a resident dependent.
Main Prohibitions:
• non urgebis eum quasi exactor — forbids harsh collection.
• nec usuris opprimes — forbids taking interest from the poor.
Instrumental Ablative: usuris — means of oppression.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces legal condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: standard protasis marker.
  2. pecuniam — Lemma: pecunia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “money”; Notes: core object of the lending action.
  3. mutuam — Lemma: mutuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies pecuniam; Translation: “as a loan”; Notes: specifies type of money transfer.
  4. dederis — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of protasis; Translation: “you lend / you will have lent”; Notes: future perfect signals a completed act under legal review.
  5. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the people”; Notes: refers to YHWH’s covenant community.
  6. meo — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies populo; Translation: “my”; Notes: emphasizes divine ownership.
  7. pauperi — Lemma: pauper; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the poor man”; Notes: recipient of the loan.
  8. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: connects to pauperi.
  9. habitat — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “dwells”; Notes: indicates local residency.
  10. tecum — Lemma: te + cum; Part of Speech: adverbial phrase; Form: indeclinable; Function: expresses association; Translation: “with you”; Notes: enclitic -cum construction.
  11. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates urgebis; Translation: “not”; Notes: legal prohibition marker.
  12. urgebis — Lemma: urgeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular future active indicative; Function: main prohibition; Translation: “you shall press”; Notes: refers to harsh collection behavior.
  13. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to the poor man.
  14. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “as if”; Notes: softens an implied comparison.
  15. exactor — Lemma: exactor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate with quasi; Translation: “an exactor”; Notes: refers to an oppressive collector.
  16. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins a second prohibition; Translation: “nor”; Notes: negative coordination.
  17. usuris — Lemma: usura; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with interest”; Notes: interest-taking forbidden toward the poor.
  18. opprimes — Lemma: opprimo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of final prohibition; Translation: “you shall crush”; Notes: denotes financial exploitation.

 

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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