Exodus 34:19

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 34:19 Omne, quod aperit vulvam generis maculini, meum erit. De cunctis animantibus tam de bobus, quam de ovibus, meum erit.

Everything that opens the womb of the male kind shall be Mine. Of all living creatures, both of cattle and of sheep, it shall be Mine.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Omne every / all NOM.SG.N ADJ 3RD DECL
2 quod which NOM.SG.N REL.PRON
3 aperit opens 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
4 vulvam womb ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL
5 generis of the kind GEN.SG.N 3RD DECL
6 maculini of male GEN.SG.N ADJ 2ND DECL
7 meum mine NOM.SG.N POSS.ADJ
8 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND IRREG
9 De of PREP+ABL
10 cunctis all ABL.PL.N ADJ 3RD DECL
11 animantibus living creatures ABL.PL.N 3RD DECL
12 tam as much ADV
13 de of PREP+ABL
14 bobus cattle ABL.PL.M 2ND DECL (IRREG)
15 quam as CONJ
16 de of PREP+ABL
17 ovibus sheep ABL.PL.F 3RD DECL
18 meum mine NOM.SG.N POSS.ADJ
19 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND IRREG

Syntax

Main Clause 1:
Omne quod aperit vulvam generis maculini meum erit
• Omne = head noun (“everything”).
• quod aperit vulvam = relative clause identifying what belongs to YHWH.
• meum erit = legal declaration of divine ownership.

Main Clause 2:
De cunctis animantibus … meum erit
• De cunctis animantibus = partitive phrase.
• tam de bobus quam de ovibus = correlative construction (“as much of cattle as of sheep”).
• meum erit repeats the ownership statement.

Morphology

  1. Omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/substantive; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: everything; Notes: used substantively to denote “every firstborn thing.”
  2. quod — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: introduces defining clause; Translation: which; Notes: agrees with omne.
  3. aperit — Lemma: aperiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: predicate of relative clause; Translation: opens; Notes: describes the firstborn condition.
  4. vulvam — Lemma: vulva; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of aperit; Translation: womb; Notes: expresses first issue of the womb.
  5. generis — Lemma: genus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive modifying maculini; Translation: of the kind; Notes: specifies biological classification.
  6. maculini — Lemma: maculinus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies generis; Translation: of male; Notes: distinguishes male firstborn.
  7. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: mine; Notes: emphatic divine ownership.
  8. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: shall be; Notes: legal declaration of permanent right.
  9. De — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces partitive phrase; Translation: of; Notes: indicates subset of a larger group.
  10. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies animantibus; Translation: all; Notes: totality of living creatures.
  11. animantibus — Lemma: animāns; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: living creatures; Notes: applies broadly to domesticated animals.
  12. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: first half of correlatives; Translation: as much; Notes: sets up “both … and …”.
  13. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: repeated for parallelism; Translation: of; Notes: emphasizes two classes of animals.
  14. bobus — Lemma: bōs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: cattle; Notes: irregular declension.
  15. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links correlative pair; Translation: as; Notes: balances tam.
  16. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces second comparison group; Translation: of; Notes: repeated structurally.
  17. ovibus — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: sheep; Notes: sacrificially significant livestock.
  18. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: mine; Notes: repeats ownership emphatically.
  19. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: shall be; Notes: echoes first clause and reinforces covenant law.

 

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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