Exodus 23:12

Posted on March 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 23:12 Sex diebus operaberis: septimo die cessabis, ut requiescat bos et asinus tuus: et refrigeretur filius ancillæ tuæ, et advena.

For six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your maidservant and the sojourner may be refreshed.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sex six INDECL NUM
2 diebus days ABL.PL.M 5TH DECL
3 operaberis you will work 2SG.FUT.DEP.IND
4 septimo seventh ABL.SG.M ADJ ORD 1ST/2ND DECL
5 die day ABL.SG.M 5TH DECL
6 cessabis you will cease 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 ut so that CONJ
8 requiescat may rest 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
9 bos ox NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL
10 et and CONJ
11 asinus donkey NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
12 tuus your NOM.SG.M POSS
13 et and CONJ
14 refrigeretur may be refreshed 3SG.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
15 filius son NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
16 ancillæ of the maidservant GEN.SG.F 1ST DECL
17 tuæ your GEN.SG.F POSS
18 et and CONJ
19 advena sojourner NOM.SG.M 1ST DECL

Syntax

Temporal Phrase: Sex diebus — ablative of time: “for six days.”
Main Clause 1: operaberis — deponent future indicative meaning “you shall work.”
Main Clause 2: septimo die cessabis — “on the seventh day you shall cease.”

Purpose Clause 1: ut requiescat bos et asinus tuus — “so that your ox and your donkey may rest.”
Purpose Clause 2: et refrigeretur filius ancillæ tuæ et advena — “and the son of your maidservant and the sojourner may be refreshed.”

Morphology

  1. Sex — Lemma: sex; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: invariable; Function: modifies diebus; Translation: six; Notes: indeclinable cardinal number.
  2. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, 5th declension; Function: ablative of time; Translation: days; Notes: duration of permitted work.
  3. operaberis — Lemma: operor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future deponent indicative, 2nd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: you shall work; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  4. septimo — Lemma: septimus; Part of Speech: adjective (ordinal); Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies die; Translation: seventh; Notes: refers to sabbath day.
  5. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 5th declension; Function: ablative of time; Translation: day; Notes: standard temporal construction.
  6. cessabis — Lemma: cesso; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 2nd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: you shall cease; Notes: legal sabbath command.
  7. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: so that; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  8. requiescat — Lemma: quiesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, 3rd singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: may rest; Notes: expresses desired outcome of sabbath rest.
  9. bos — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of requiescat; Translation: ox; Notes: domestic work animal.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links coordinated subjects; Translation: and; Notes: standard coordination.
  11. asinus — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: subject of requiescat; Translation: donkey; Notes: second work animal.
  12. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies asinus; Translation: your; Notes: possession of domestic animals.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates second purpose clause; Translation: and; Notes: structural marker.
  14. refrigeretur — Lemma: refrigeror; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive subjunctive, 3rd singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: may be refreshed; Notes: deponent in some forms; expresses restoration.
  15. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: subject of refrigeretur; Translation: son; Notes: member of household labor class.
  16. ancillæ — Lemma: ancilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: modifies filius; Translation: of the maidservant; Notes: indicates maternal class.
  17. tuæ — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies ancillæ; Translation: your; Notes: identifies relation to household.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates final subject; Translation: and; Notes: links dependent groups.
  19. advena — Lemma: advena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 1st declension; Function: coordinated subject of refrigeretur; Translation: sojourner; Notes: foreign resident benefiting from sabbath rest.

 

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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