Exodus 34:15

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 34:15 Ne ineas pactum cum hominibus illarum regionum: ne, cum fornicati fuerint cum diis suis, et adoraverint simulcra eorum, vocet te quispiam ut comedas de immolatis.

Do not enter a covenant with the men of those regions, lest, when they have prostituted themselves with their gods and have worshipped their images, someone may call you and you eat from what has been sacrificed.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ne do not CONJ
2 ineas you enter into 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ 3RD CONJ
3 pactum covenant ACC.SG.N 2ND DECL
4 cum with PREP+ABL
5 hominibus men ABL.PL.M 3RD DECL
6 illarum of those GEN.PL.F DEM.PRON
7 regionum regions GEN.PL.F 3RD DECL
8 ne lest CONJ
9 cum when CONJ (TEMPORAL)
10 fornicati having prostituted themselves NOM.PL.M PERF.PASS.PTCP DEP
11 fuerint they shall have been 3PL.FUTP.ACT.IND IRREG
12 cum with PREP+ABL
13 diis gods ABL.PL.M 2ND DECL
14 suis their ABL.PL.M POSS.PRON
15 et and CONJ
16 adoraverint they shall have worshipped 3PL.FUTP.ACT.IND 1ST CONJ
17 simulcra images ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
18 eorum their GEN.PL.M PERS.PRON
19 vocet may call 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ 1ST CONJ
20 te you ACC.SG 2ND.PERS.PRON
21 quispiam someone NOM.SG.C INDEF.PRON
22 ut so that CONJ
23 comedas you may eat 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ 3RD CONJ
24 de from PREP+ABL
25 immolatis things sacrificed ABL.PL.N PERF.PASS.PTCP 1ST CONJ

Syntax

Main Prohibition:
Ne ineas pactum cum hominibus illarum regionum
— “Do not enter a covenant with the men of those regions.”
• ineas is subjunctive of prohibition after ne.
• pactum = direct object.
• cum hominibus… = ablative of association.

Negative Purpose Clause:
ne … vocet te quispiam
— “lest someone may call you.”

Temporal Clause:
cum fornicati fuerint cum diis suis
— “when they have prostituted themselves with their gods.”
• fornicati fuerint = perfect periphrastic future, indicating completed apostasy.

Second Temporal Clause:
et adoraverint simulcra eorum
— “and have worshipped their images.”

Final Clause:
ut comedas de immolatis
— “so that you may eat from the sacrificed things.”
• Undesired result if Israel forms forbidden covenants.

Morphology

  1. Ne — Lemma: nē; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces prohibition; Translation: do not; Notes: standard negative command marker with subjunctive.
  2. ineas — Lemma: ineō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: main verb of prohibition; Translation: you enter into; Notes: subjunctive used after ne for negative imperative.
  3. pactum — Lemma: pactum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: direct object of ineas; Translation: covenant; Notes: legal/covenantal term.
  4. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces those with whom covenant is forbidden; Translation: with; Notes: indicates association.
  5. hominibus — Lemma: homō; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, third declension; Function: object of cum; Translation: men; Notes: refers to pagan inhabitants.
  6. illarum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: modifies regionum; Translation: of those; Notes: deictic reference.
  7. regionum — Lemma: regiō; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine, third declension; Function: specifies location; Translation: regions; Notes: denotes territorial domains.
  8. ne — Lemma: nē; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces negative purpose clause; Translation: lest; Notes: signals feared consequence.
  9. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction (temporal); Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: not prepositional here.
  10. fornicati — Lemma: fornicor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle (active meaning); Function: part of periphrastic future construction; Translation: having prostituted themselves; Notes: metaphor for idolatry.
  11. fuerint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural future perfect active indicative; Function: completes periphrastic; Translation: they shall have been; Notes: indicates prior completed apostasy.
  12. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces association with false gods; Translation: with; Notes: prepositional use here.
  13. diis — Lemma: deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: gods; Notes: refers to idols.
  14. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies diis; Translation: their; Notes: reflexive to the subject “they.”
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates second temporal clause; Translation: and; Notes: links actions.
  16. adoraverint — Lemma: adorō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural future perfect active indicative; Function: second temporal action; Translation: they shall have worshipped; Notes: worship as covenantal infidelity.
  17. simulcra — Lemma: simulacrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, second declension; Function: direct object of adoraverint; Translation: images; Notes: refers to idols.
  18. eorum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: possessive of simulcra; Translation: their; Notes: refers to idolaters.
  19. vocet — Lemma: vocō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of negative purpose clause; Translation: may call; Notes: potential or feared event.
  20. te — Lemma: tū; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of vocet; Translation: you; Notes: personal involvement in idolatrous feast.
  21. quispiam — Lemma: quispiam; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative singular common gender; Function: subject of vocet; Translation: someone; Notes: vague agent emphasizing risk.
  22. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces final clause; Translation: so that; Notes: purpose clause subordinate to vocet.
  23. comedas — Lemma: comedō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of final clause; Translation: you may eat; Notes: feared compromise.
  24. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: from; Notes: introduces sacrificial food.
  25. immolatis — Lemma: immolō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: object of de; Translation: sacrificed things; Notes: refers to pagan offerings.

 

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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