Exodus 22:4

Posted on March 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 22:4 si inventum fuerit apud eum quod furatus est, vivens, sive bos, sive asinus, sive ovis: duplum restituet.

if what he has stolen is found with him alive, whether an ox, or a donkey, or a sheep, he shall restore double.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 si if CONJ
2 inventum found PTCP.PERF.PASS.ACC.SG.N
3 fuerit has been 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
4 apud with PREP+ACC
5 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M.PERS
6 quod what PRON.NOM/ACC.SG.N.REL
7 furatus having stolen PTCP.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
8 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 vivens alive PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM/ACC.SG.M/F/N
10 sive whether CONJ
11 bos ox NOUN.NOM.SG.M.3RD DECL
12 sive or whether CONJ
13 asinus donkey NOUN.NOM.SG.M.2ND DECL
14 sive or whether CONJ
15 ovis sheep NOUN.NOM.SG.F.3RD DECL
16 duplum double ADJ.ACC.SG.N.POS
17 restituet he shall restore 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ

Syntax

Protasis: si inventum fuerit apud eum quod furatus est vivens —
• verb phrase = inventum fuerit,
• adverbial phrase = apud eum (“with him”),
• object = quod furatus est,
• participle vivens marks condition: the stolen item is still alive.

Series of Alternatives: sive bos, sive asinus, sive ovis — three nominative possibilities of livestock.

Main Apodosis: duplum restituet — penalty clause: double restitution.

Morphology

  1. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces protasis; Translation: “if”; Notes: Standard case-law conditional.
  2. inventum — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative singular neuter perfect passive participle; Function: predicate in passive construction; Translation: “found”; Notes: Agrees with implied neuter object.
  3. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future perfect active indicative; Function: auxiliary in perfect passive; Translation: “has been”; Notes: Completed state prior to judgment.
  4. apud — Lemma: apud; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses possession or location; Translation: “with”; Notes: Legal phrasing for “in someone’s possession.”
  5. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of apud; Translation: “him”; Notes: Possessor of stolen goods.
  6. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative/nominative singular neuter; Function: introduces clause defining stolen object; Translation: “what”; Notes: Refers to the stolen item.
  7. furatus — Lemma: furor (deponent); Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect deponent participle; Function: part of periphrastic perfect; Translation: “having stolen”; Notes: Deponent meaning is active though form is passive.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present active indicative; Function: completes periphrastic deponent perfect; Translation: “is”; Notes: Indicates completed theft.
  9. vivens — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative/accusative singular present active participle; Function: describes condition of stolen item; Translation: “alive”; Notes: Penalty differs if animal is still living.
  10. sive — Lemma: sive; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces alternatives; Translation: “whether”; Notes: Tripartite list.
  11. bos — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: nominative of potential recovered item; Translation: “ox”; Notes: High-value livestock.
  12. sive — Lemma: sive; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: second alternative; Translation: “or whether”; Notes: Continues list.
  13. asinus — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: nominative alternate; Translation: “donkey”; Notes: Common pack animal.
  14. sive — Lemma: sive; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: third alternative; Translation: “or whether”; Notes: Concludes series.
  15. ovis — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: nominative alternate; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: Lower-value livestock.
  16. duplum — Lemma: duplus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of restituet; Translation: “double”; Notes: Legal penalty rate.
  17. restituet — Lemma: restituo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future active indicative; Function: apodosis verb; Translation: “he shall restore”; Notes: Double restitution when animal is found alive.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.