Exodus 30:15

Posted on March 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 30:15 Dives non addet ad medium sicli, et pauper nihil minuet.

The rich shall not add to the half-shekel, and the poor shall not subtract anything.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dives the rich man NOM.SG.M/F NOUN 3RD DECL
2 non not ADV INDECL
3 addet shall add 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
4 ad to PREP+ACC INDECL
5 medium the half ACC.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
6 sicli of the shekel GEN.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
7 et and CONJ INDECL
8 pauper the poor man NOM.SG.M/F NOUN 3RD DECL
9 nihil nothing ACC.SG.N PRON INDEF
10 minuet shall subtract 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Dives non addet ad medium sicli — the rich man may not exceed the half-shekel.
Prepositional Phrase: ad medium sicli — defines the fixed amount required.
Main Clause 2: pauper nihil minuet — the poor may not give less.
Coordinating Conjunction: et — joins the two parallel prohibitions.

Morphology

  1. Dives — Lemma: dives; Part of Speech: noun/adjective (substantive); Form: nominative singular masculine/feminine; Function: subject of addet; Translation: the rich man; Notes: functions substantively in legal instructions.
  2. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: negates the future obligation.
  3. addet — Lemma: addo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative third singular; Function: main verb of prohibition; Translation: shall add; Notes: expresses legal restriction.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces measure phrase; Translation: to; Notes: marks limit of required offering.
  5. medium — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun (substantive use of adjective); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: the half; Notes: refers to the exact “half-shekel.”
  6. sicli — Lemma: siclus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: partitive modifier; Translation: of the shekel; Notes: indicates the monetary unit.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins coordinated prohibitions; Translation: and; Notes: parallels “rich” and “poor.”
  8. pauper — Lemma: pauper; Part of Speech: noun/adjective (substantive); Form: nominative singular masculine/feminine; Function: subject of minuet; Translation: the poor man; Notes: substantive use again.
  9. nihil — Lemma: nihil; Part of Speech: indeclinable pronoun; Form: invariable neuter; Function: direct object of minuet; Translation: nothing; Notes: absolute negation of reduction.
  10. minuet — Lemma: minuo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: shall subtract; Notes: mirrors addet to express equality of obligation.

 

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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