Latin quote · Faith

Ecce Agnus Dei, qui tollit peccatum mundi

“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

Adapted from Vulgate, John 1:29

Translation

What does “Ecce Agnus Dei, qui tollit peccatum mundi” mean?

Ecce Agnus Dei, qui tollit peccatum mundi translates as “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

John the Baptist’s words pointing to Jesus as the one who brings forgiveness. In the Mass they are spoken before Communion.

Word by word

“Ecce Agnus Dei, qui tollit peccatum mundi” word by word

Latin	English	Grammar
Ecce	behold	an interjection used to point something out, “look, here is”
Agnus	lamb	nominative singular masculine of agnus, “lamb”; the subject of the phrase
Dei	of God	genitive singular (possession) of Deus, “God”
qui	who	nominative singular masculine relative pronoun, referring back to Agnus
tollit	takes away	3rd person singular present indicative active of tollo, “to lift, take away”
peccatum	sin	accusative singular neuter (direct object) of peccatum, “sin, wrong”
mundi	of the world	genitive singular of mundus, “world”

Pronunciation

How to pronounce “Ecce Agnus Dei, qui tollit peccatum mundi”

Classical LatinEK-keh AG-noos DEH-ee kwee TOL-lit pek-KAH-toom MOON-dee

Church LatinET-cheh AH-nyoos DEH-ee kwee TOL-lit pek-KAH-toom MOON-dee

Ecce is EK-keh in Classical Latin and ET-cheh in Church Latin, and Church Latin says the gn of agnus as ny. Ecce, agnus, Dei and tollit are stressed on the first syllable, peccatum on its long a.

Origin & context

The story behind it

Word for word the line reads “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”. It is adapted from John 1:29 in the Vulgate, the Latin Bible translated largely by Jerome in the late fourth century. The Vulgate repeats the pointing word: “Ecce agnus Dei, ecce qui tollit peccatum mundi”.

In the Gospel, John the Baptist says these words when he sees Jesus coming toward him. They present Jesus as the sacrificial lamb whose death brings forgiveness, an image drawn from the lamb offerings of the Old Testament.

The line passed into the Catholic Mass, where the priest speaks it while showing the host before Communion. In that form it reads “Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui tollit peccata mundi”, with the plural peccata, the sins of the world, where the Vulgate verse has the singular peccatum.

When to use it

How to use “Ecce Agnus Dei, qui tollit peccatum mundi”

Fits a First Communion card, a church banner, a devotional print or a religious tattoo. It also works in an essay on the Gospel of John, the Mass or Christian symbolism.

Latin: Ecce Agnus Dei, qui tollit peccatum mundi
English: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
Source: Adapted from Vulgate, John 1:29
Era: Church Latin
Theme: Faith

Good to know

Common mistakes

The Vulgate verse has the singular peccatum (sin), while the Mass uses the plural peccata (sins). Pick the one that matches your purpose and keep it consistent with the English.
Tollit means “takes away” or “lifts away”. It comes from tollo, “to raise, to remove”.
Do not confuse this line with the Agnus Dei prayer of the Mass, which runs “Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis”. There the verb is tollis, because God is addressed directly.
The full Vulgate verse and the Mass both repeat ecce before qui. The shorter form is a common quotation, not the exact biblical wording.

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