Exodus 23:26

Posted on March 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 23:26 Non erit infœcunda, nec sterilis in terra tua: numerum dierum tuorum implebo.

There shall not be unfruitful nor barren in your land; I will fill up the number of your days.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Non not ADV
2 erit will be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 infœcunda unfruitful NOM.SG.F ADJ
4 nec nor CONJ
5 sterilis barren NOM.SG.F ADJ
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 terra land ABL.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
8 tua your ABL.SG.F ADJ POSS
9 numerum number ACC.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
10 dierum of days GEN.PL.M NOUN 3RD DECL
11 tuorum of your GEN.PL.M ADJ POSS
12 implebo I will fill up 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Negative Existential Clause:
Non erit infœcunda, nec sterilis in terra tua — “There shall not be unfruitful nor barren in your land.”
• Non erit = future existential construction.
• infœcunda, nec sterilis = coordinated predicate nominatives describing the absent condition.
• in terra tua = prepositional phrase of location, “in your land.”

Second Clause of Promise:
numerum dierum tuorum implebo — “I will fill up the number of your days.”
• numerum = direct object.
• dierum tuorum = dependent genitive phrase specifying what number.
• implebo = future indicative of divine promise, expressing fullness and completion of lifespan.

Morphology

  1. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates the finite verb erit; Translation: not; Notes: introduces a strong negative statement about what shall not occur in the land.
  2. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb of the first clause in an existential sense; Translation: will be; Notes: expresses a future state that is negated by non.
  3. infœcunda — Lemma: infecundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative with erit; Translation: unfruitful; Notes: describes the absence of barrenness among living creatures or people in the land.
  4. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates a second negative element with the first; Translation: nor; Notes: continues the negative scope from non to the next predicate.
  5. sterilis — Lemma: sterilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: second predicate nominative with erit (understood); Translation: barren; Notes: parallels infœcunda and strengthens the promise of fertility.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces a locative phrase; Translation: in; Notes: marks the location where this promise holds.
  7. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, first declension; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: land; Notes: denotes the covenant land given to the people.
  8. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: your; Notes: indicates that the land belongs to the addressed community.
  9. numerum — Lemma: numerus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, second declension; Function: direct object of implebo; Translation: number; Notes: here used of the measured span of life or days.
  10. dierum — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, fifth declension used with plural form; Function: dependent genitive modifying numerum; Translation: of days; Notes: specifies what number is being filled up.
  11. tuorum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies dierum; Translation: of your; Notes: refers to the days belonging to the addressed people, emphasizing personal and communal lifespan.
  12. implebo — Lemma: impleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of the second clause; Translation: I will fill up; Notes: expresses a positive divine promise to complete and bring to fullness the allotted days.

 

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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