Exodus 23:16

Posted on March 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

16 Et sollemnitatem messis primitivorum operis tui, quæcumque seminaveris in agro. sollemnitatem quoque in exitu anni, quando congregaveris omnes fruges tuas de agro.

And the feast of the harvest of the first fruits of your work, whatever you shall have sown in the field. And the feast also at the end of the year, when you shall have gathered all your produce from the field.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 sollemnitatem feast ACC.SG.F 3RD DECL
3 messis of the harvest GEN.SG.F 3RD DECL
4 primitivorum of the first fruits GEN.PL.N ADJ POS 2ND DECL
5 operis of your work GEN.SG.N 3RD DECL
6 tui your GEN.SG.N POSS
7 quæcumque whatever NOM.PL.N PRON INDEF
8 seminaveris you shall have sown 2SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 agro the field ABL.SG.M 2ND DECL
11 sollemnitatem feast ACC.SG.F 3RD DECL
12 quoque also ADV
13 in at PREP+ABL
14 exitu the end ABL.SG.M 4TH DECL
15 anni of the year GEN.SG.M 2ND DECL
16 quando when CONJ
17 congregaveris you shall have gathered 2SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
18 omnes all ACC.PL.F ADJ POS 3RD DECL
19 fruges produce ACC.PL.F 3RD DECL
20 tuas your ACC.PL.F POSS
21 de from PREP+ABL
22 agro the field ABL.SG.M 2ND DECL

Syntax

First Clause:
Et sollemnitatem messis primitivorum operis tui — direct object governed by the implied command “you shall keep.”
• messis and primitivorum operis tui modify the nature of the feast.
• quæcumque seminaveris in agro — relative clause specifying the produce that makes up the offering.

Second Clause:
sollemnitatem quoque in exitu anni — another feast likewise required.
• quando congregaveris omnes fruges tuas de agro — temporal clause specifying timing: end of agricultural cycle.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins coordinated commands; Translation: and; Notes: connects two festival descriptions.
  2. sollemnitatem — Lemma: sollemnitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of implied verb “you shall keep”; Translation: feast; Notes: festival designation.
  3. messis — Lemma: messis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the harvest; Notes: specifies which feast.
  4. primitivorum — Lemma: primitivus; Part of Speech: adjective functioning substantively; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: modifies operis; Translation: of the first fruits; Notes: cultic terminology for earliest produce.
  5. operis — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the work; Notes: agricultural labor.
  6. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies operis; Translation: your; Notes: denotes ownership of the harvest.
  7. quæcumque — Lemma: quicumque; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of seminaveris; Translation: whatever; Notes: broadens scope to any crop.
  8. seminaveris — Lemma: semino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, 2nd singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: you shall have sown; Notes: agricultural legality.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: physical location.
  10. agro — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: field; Notes: location of sowing.
  11. sollemnitatem — Lemma: sollemnitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of implied verb; Translation: feast; Notes: parallel to first feast.
  12. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adds second feast; Translation: also; Notes: emphatic addition.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: temporal; Translation: at; Notes: marks seasonal boundary.
  14. exitu — Lemma: exitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 4th declension; Function: object of in; Translation: end; Notes: end of agricultural cycle.
  15. anni — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the year; Notes: harvest-cycle context.
  16. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: marks time of celebration.
  17. congregaveris — Lemma: congrego; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, 2nd singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: you shall have gathered; Notes: agricultural harvest.
  18. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies fruges; Translation: all; Notes: totality of produce.
  19. fruges — Lemma: frux / fruges; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of congregaveris; Translation: produce; Notes: harvested goods.
  20. tuas — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies fruges; Translation: your; Notes: ownership of produce.
  21. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: from; Notes: origin of harvest.
  22. agro — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: field; Notes: location of harvest.

 

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.