Exodus 31:15

Posted on March 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 31:15 Sex diebus facietis opus: in die septimo sabbatum est, requies sancta Domino. omnis qui fecerit opus in hac die, morietur.

You shall do work for six days; on the seventh day is a sabbath, a holy rest to the LORD. Whoever shall do work on this day shall die.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sex six INDECL NUM
2 diebus days ABL.PL.M NOUN 5TH DECL
3 facietis you shall do 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
4 opus work ACC.SG.N NOUN 3RD DECL
5 in in PREP+ABL INDECL
6 die day ABL.SG.M NOUN 5TH DECL
7 septimo seventh ABL.SG.M ADJ POS
8 sabbatum sabbath NOM.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
9 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
10 requies rest NOM.SG.F NOUN 5TH DECL
11 sancta holy NOM.SG.F ADJ POS
12 Domino to the LORD DAT.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
13 omnis whoever NOM.SG.C ADJ POS
14 qui who NOM.SG.M PRON REL
15 fecerit shall do 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
16 opus work ACC.SG.N NOUN 3RD DECL
17 in in PREP+ABL INDECL
18 hac this ABL.SG.F PRON DEM
19 die day ABL.SG.M NOUN 5TH DECL
20 morietur shall die 3SG.FUT.DEP.IND 3RD CONJ

Syntax

Temporal Frame: Sex diebus facietis opus — defines permitted work period.
Contrasting Temporal Marker: in die septimo — establishes seventh day exception.
Main Nominal Predicate: sabbatum est — seventh day = sabbath.
Appositional Predicate: requies sancta Domino — holy rest belonging to the LORD.
Conditional Relative Clause: omnis qui fecerit opus in hac die — violator defined.
Judicial Result: morietur — future legal penalty.

Morphology

  1. Sex — Lemma: sex; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: invariable; Function: modifies diebus; Translation: six; Notes: cardinal numeral, indeclinable.
  2. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: days; Notes: one of few 5th declension masculine nouns.
  3. facietis — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second plural; Function: main verb of instruction; Translation: you shall do; Notes: expresses habitual action before sabbath.
  4. opus — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: work; Notes: technical term for labor.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: temporal marker; Translation: in; Notes: indicates the seventh day.
  6. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: day; Notes: ablative of time.
  7. septimo — Lemma: septimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies die; Translation: seventh; Notes: ordinal adjective.
  8. sabbatum — Lemma: sabbatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: sabbath; Notes: loanword from Hebrew šabbāt.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: introduces predicate nominative.
  10. requies — Lemma: requies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: rest; Notes: sabbath defined as rest.
  11. sancta — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies requies; Translation: holy; Notes: expresses consecration.
  12. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: dative of possession; Translation: to the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  13. omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/pronominal; Form: nominative singular common gender; Function: general subject; Translation: whoever; Notes: distributive sense.
  14. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of clause; Translation: who; Notes: introduces legal condition.
  15. fecerit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative third singular; Function: conditional action; Translation: shall do; Notes: expresses prior completed act before penalty.
  16. opus — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of fecerit; Translation: work; Notes: prohibited activity.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: temporal; Translation: in; Notes: refers to sabbath day.
  18. hac — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies die; Translation: this; Notes: emphasis on specific day.
  19. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: day; Notes: sabbath day.
  20. morietur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: future indicative third singular; Function: judicial result; Translation: shall die; Notes: legal formula for capital judgment.

 

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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