Exodus 23:4

Posted on March 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

4 Si occurreris bovi inimici tui, aut asino erranti, reduc ad eum.

If you meet the ox of your enemy or his wandering donkey, lead it back to him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 occurreris you meet 2SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
3 bovi to the ox DAT.SG.M 2ND DECL
4 inimici of your enemy GEN.SG.M 2ND DECL
5 tui your GEN.SG.M POSS
6 aut or CONJ
7 asino to the donkey DAT.SG.M 2ND DECL
8 erranti wandering DAT.SG.M PTCP.PRES.ACT
9 reduc lead back 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
10 ad to PREP+ACC
11 eum him ACC.SG.M PRON

Syntax

Conditional Clause: Si occurreris — future-perfect condition (“If you meet…”).
Objects in the conditional clause:
• bovi inimici tui — “the ox of your enemy.”
• aut asino erranti — “or the wandering donkey.”

Main Clause: reduc — imperative command.
Destination phrase: ad eum — “to him,” referring to the owner.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: if; Notes: sets up protasis of condition.
  2. occurreris — Lemma: occurro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, 2nd person singular; Function: verb of condition; Translation: you meet; Notes: protasis describing a future encounter.
  3. bovi — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine, irregular declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the ox; Notes: recipient of encountering.
  4. inimici — Lemma: inimicus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: possessor; Translation: of the enemy; Notes: modifies bovi.
  5. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies inimici; Translation: your; Notes: agrees with the noun it qualifies.
  6. aut — Lemma: aut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: or; Notes: joins alternative objects.
  7. asino — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the donkey; Notes: second object of encounter.
  8. erranti — Lemma: erro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle, dative singular masculine; Function: adjective modifying asino; Translation: wandering; Notes: describes the donkey’s state.
  9. reduc — Lemma: reduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, 2nd person singular; Function: main verb (command); Translation: lead back; Notes: apodosis of the conditional clause.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative;
    Function: directional marker; Translation: to; Notes: shows movement toward the owner.
  11. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: him; Notes: refers to the animal’s owner.

 

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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