Exodus 34:21

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 34:21 Sex diebus operaberis, die septimo cessabis arare, et metere.

Six days you shall work; on the seventh day you shall cease, both from plowing and from harvesting.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sex six INDECL.NUM
2 diebus days ABL.PL.M 5TH DECL
3 operaberis you shall work 2SG.FUT.DEP.IND 1ST CONJ
4 die on the day ABL.SG.M 5TH DECL
5 septimo seventh ABL.SG.M ADJ 1ST/2ND DECL
6 cessabis you shall cease 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
7 arare to plow PRES.ACT.INF 1ST CONJ
8 et and CONJ
9 metere to harvest PRES.ACT.INF 2ND CONJ

Syntax

Main Command 1:
Sex diebus operaberis
• Sex diebus = ablative of time within which (“in six days”).
• operaberis = deponent future, legal-imperative force (“you shall work”).

Main Command 2:
die septimo cessabis
• die septimo = ablative of time (“on the seventh day”).
• cessabis = future indicative expressing covenantal Sabbath rest.

Complement Infinitives:
arare, et metere
• Infinitives explain the types of labor prohibited on the seventh day: plowing and harvesting.

Morphology

  1. Sex — Lemma: sex; Part of Speech: indeclinable numeral; Form: invariable; Function: modifies diebus; Translation: six; Notes: expresses duration of permitted labor.
  2. diebus — Lemma: diēs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine (5th declension); Function: ablative of time; Translation: days; Notes: masculine in plural, following classical usage.
  3. operaberis — Lemma: operor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 2nd person singular future indicative; Function: main verb giving legal instruction; Translation: you shall work; Notes: deponent: passive in form, active in meaning.
  4. die — Lemma: diēs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: on the day; Notes: used temporally.
  5. septimo — Lemma: septimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: agrees with die; Translation: seventh; Notes: expresses Sabbath timing.
  6. cessabis — Lemma: cessō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of Sabbath prohibition; Translation: you shall cease; Notes: legal register of the covenant code.
  7. arare — Lemma: arō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complements cessabis; Translation: to plow; Notes: plowing prohibited even in harvest season.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links the two infinitives; Translation: and; Notes: joins types of agricultural labor.
  9. metere — Lemma: metō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complements cessabis; Translation: to harvest; Notes: harvesting likewise prohibited.

 

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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