Exodus 31:14

Posted on March 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 31:14 Custodite sabbatum meum. sanctum est enim vobis: qui polluerit illud, morte morietur: qui fecerit in eo opus, peribit anima illius de medio populi sui.

Keep My sabbath. For it is holy to you: whoever shall profane it shall die by death; whoever shall do work on it, his soul shall perish from the midst of his people.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Custodite Keep 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD 4TH CONJ
2 sabbatum sabbath ACC.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
3 meum my ACC.SG.N PRON POSS
4 sanctum holy NOM.SG.N ADJ POS
5 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
6 enim for CONJ INDECL
7 vobis to you DAT.PL.2ND.PERS PRON
8 qui who NOM.SG.M PRON REL
9 polluerit shall profane 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND 4TH CONJ
10 illud it ACC.SG.N PRON DEM
11 morte with death ABL.SG.F NOUN 3RD DECL
12 morietur shall die 3SG.FUT.DEP.IND 3RD CONJ
13 qui who NOM.SG.M PRON REL
14 fecerit shall do 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
15 in in PREP+ABL INDECL
16 eo it ABL.SG.N PRON DEM
17 opus work ACC.SG.N NOUN 3RD DECL
18 peribit shall perish 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
19 anima the soul NOM.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
20 illius of him GEN.SG.M PRON DEM
21 de from PREP+ABL INDECL
22 medio midst ABL.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
23 populi of the people GEN.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
24 sui his GEN.SG.M PRON REFL

Syntax

Primary Command: Custodite sabbatum meum — imperative addressed to Israel.
Explanatory Clause: sanctum est enim vobis — theological justification.
Relative Clause of Condition: qui polluerit illud — offender of sabbath.
Judicial Result: morte morietur — death penalty formula.
Second Relative Clause: qui fecerit in eo opus — defines violation.
Legal Consequence: peribit anima illius — exclusion from community.
Locative Separation: de medio populi sui — removal from covenant people.

Morphology

  1. Custodite — Lemma: custodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative second plural; Function: direct divine command; Translation: Keep; Notes: addresses entire Israel collectively.
  2. sabbatum — Lemma: sabbatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: sabbath; Notes: Hebrew loanword.
  3. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies sabbatum; Translation: my; Notes: marks divine ownership.
  4. sanctum — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: holy; Notes: refers to the sabbath’s inherent consecration.
  5. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: links sabbath with quality “holy.”
  6. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: explanatory; Translation: for; Notes: marks causal justification.
  7. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: to you; Notes: refers to Israel receiving the sabbath’s holiness.
  8. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: whoever; Notes: introduces legal condition.
  9. polluerit — Lemma: polluo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative third singular; Function: conditional act; Translation: shall profane; Notes: expresses completed violation before judgment.
  10. illud — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of polluerit; Translation: it; Notes: refers to sabbath.
  11. morte — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of instrument; Translation: with death; Notes: idiom for capital penalty.
  12. morietur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: future indicative third singular; Function: main verb of penalty; Translation: shall die; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  13. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of second relative clause; Translation: whoever; Notes: introduces new legal condition.
  14. fecerit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative third singular; Function: verb of condition; Translation: shall do; Notes: again uses future perfect for juridical precision.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: refers to the sabbath day.
  16. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: it; Notes: again refers to sabbath.
  17. opus — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: work; Notes: encompasses forbidden labor.
  18. peribit — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative third singular; Function: expresses legal consequence; Translation: shall perish; Notes: covenantal penalty formula.
  19. anima — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: the soul; Notes: Hebrew idiom for person.
  20. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: of him; Notes: refers to violator of sabbath.
  21. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: from; Notes: marks exclusion.
  22. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: midst; Notes: communal center.
  23. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the people; Notes: refers to Israel.
  24. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies populi; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive, refers back to violator.

 

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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