Exodus 25:7

Posted on March 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 25:7 lapides onychinos, et gemmas ad ornandum ephod, ac rationale.

onyx stones, and gems for adorning the ephod and the breastpiece.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 lapides stones ACC.PL.M.NOUN.3RD DECL
2 onychinos onyx ACC.PL.M.ADJ
3 et and CONJ
4 gemmas gems ACC.PL.F.NOUN.1ST DECL
5 ad for PREP+ACC
6 ornandum for adorning ACC.SG.N.GERUNDV
7 ephod ephod ACC.SG.N.INVAR
8 ac and CONJ
9 rationale breastpiece ACC.SG.N.NOUN.3RD DECL

Syntax

Coordinated objects: lapides onychinos and gemmas form two main items in the offering list.
Purpose phrase: ad ornandum expresses the purpose of the stones and gems (“for adorning”).
Prepositional complement: ephod is the first object of the adornment.
Additional coordinated object: ac rationale adds the breastpiece as a second object of the adorning.
Overall structure: the line continues a catalogue of precious materials to be used in priestly vestments.

Morphology

  1. lapides — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, third declension; Function: direct object in the list; Translation: stones; Notes: refers to worked precious stones intended for setting.
  2. onychinos — Lemma: onychinus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: attributive modifier of lapides; Translation: onyx; Notes: specifies the kind of stones (onyx stones).
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates lapides onychinos with gemmas; Translation: and; Notes: simple additive conjunction.
  4. gemmas — Lemma: gemma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: additional direct object; Translation: gems; Notes: precious stones distinct from the onyx stones already mentioned.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces a purpose construction with the gerundive; Translation: for; Notes: here marks intended use (“for adorning”).
  6. ornandum — Lemma: orno; Part of Speech: gerundive; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad in a purpose construction; Translation: for adorning; Notes: gerundive expresses intended action associated with the stones and gems.
  7. ephod — Lemma: ephod; Part of Speech: noun (indeclinable loanword); Form: accusative singular neuter, invariable; Function: first object of the adorning; Translation: ephod; Notes: Hebrew cultic term left untranslated in Latin, designating the priestly garment.
  8. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates ephod with rationale; Translation: and; Notes: slightly more formal connective than et, used here to add a closely related second object.
  9. rationale — Lemma: rationale; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, third declension; Function: second object of the adorning; Translation: breastpiece; Notes: technical term for the high priest’s breastpiece set with stones, matching the ephod.

 

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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