Exodus 26:34

Posted on March 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 26:34 Pones et propitiatorium super arcam testimonii in Sancto sanctorum:

And you shall also place the propitiatory upon the ark of the testimony in the Holy of Holies;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Pones you shall place 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND, 3RD CONJ
2 et also/and CONJ, INDECL
3 propitiatorium propitiatory ACC.SG.N, NOUN, 2ND DECL
4 super upon PREP+ACC
5 arcam ark ACC.SG.F, NOUN, 1ST DECL
6 testimonii of the testimony GEN.SG.N, NOUN, 2ND DECL
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 Sancto the Holy ABL.SG.N, ADJ/NOUN, 2ND DECL
9 sanctorum of Holies GEN.PL.N, NOUN, 2ND DECL

Syntax

Main clause:
• Pones et propitiatorium — “And you shall also place the propitiatory”
— pones = future indicative command
— propitiatorium = direct object.

Prepositional phrase:
• super arcam testimonii — “upon the ark of the testimony”
— arcam = object of super
— testimonii = genitive of description, specifying which ark.

Locative phrase:
• in Sancto sanctorum — “in the Holy of Holies”
— idiomatic Latin rendering of the Hebrew superlative construction
— denotes the inner sanctuary.

Morphology

  1. Pones — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of command; Translation: you shall place; Notes: continuation of divine instructions.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: additive coordination; Translation: and/also; Notes: expands prior instructions.
  3. propitiatorium — Lemma: propitiatorium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: propitiatory; Notes: often rendered “mercy seat.”
  4. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses placement; Translation: upon; Notes: vertical spatial relation.
  5. arcam — Lemma: arca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of super; Translation: ark; Notes: refers to the Ark of the Covenant.
  6. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: descriptive genitive; Translation: of the testimony; Notes: refers to the covenant tablets.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: in; Notes: static spatial sense.
  8. Sancto — Lemma: sanctus (as substantive); Part of Speech: adjective/noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: part of locative phrase; Translation: the Holy; Notes: forms an idiom with sanctorum.
  9. sanctorum — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: noun (substantive plural); Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: completes the idiom; Translation: of Holies; Notes: literal “Holy of Holies,” superlative by Hebrew construction.

 

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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