Exodus 27:1

Posted on March 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 27:1 Facies et altare de lignis setim, quod habebit quinque cubitus in longitudine, et totidem in latitudine, idest quadrum, et tres cubitos in altitudine.

You shall make also an altar from setim wood, which shall have five cubits in length and just as many in width, that is a square, and three cubits in height.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Facies you shall make 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 et and CONJ
3 altare altar NOM.SG.N 3RD DECL
4 de from PREP+ABL
5 lignis woods ABL.PL.N 2ND DECL
6 setim setim/acacia INDECL
7 quod which NOM.SG.N PRON.REL
8 habebit will have 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 quinque five INVAR.NUM
10 cubitus cubits ACC.PL.M 4TH DECL
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 longitudine length ABL.SG.F 3RD DECL
13 et and CONJ
14 totidem just as many INVAR.ADJ
15 in in PREP+ABL
16 latitudine width ABL.SG.F 3RD DECL
17 idest that is ADV
18 quadrum a square ACC.SG.N 2ND DECL
19 et and CONJ
20 tres three INVAR.NUM
21 cubitos cubits ACC.PL.M 4TH DECL
22 in in PREP+ABL
23 altitudine height ABL.SG.F 3RD DECL

Syntax

Main clause: Facies (main verb, future indicative) governs the direct object altare (subject of the relative clause).
The prepositional phrase de lignis setim expresses material composition.
The relative clause begins with quod (referring to altare) and contains the verb habebit with measurements as objects (quinque cubitus, totidem).
Prepositional phrases in longitudine, in latitudine, and in altitudine mark spatial dimensions.

Morphology

  1. Facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active second person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “you shall make”; Notes: governs the object altare.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: additive connector.
  3. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: object of facies; Translation: “altar”; Notes: antecedent of relative pronoun quod.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks material; Translation: “from”; Notes: forms a material phrase.
  5. lignis — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter, 2nd declension; Function: object of de; Translation: “woods”; Notes: material specification.
  6. setim — Lemma: setim; Part of Speech: indeclinable noun; Form: invariable; Function: modifier of lignis; Translation: “setim/acacia”; Notes: Hebrew loanword.
  7. quod — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers to altare.
  8. habebit — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active third person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “will have”; Notes: takes objects expressing measurements.
  9. quinque — Lemma: quinque; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: invariable; Function: modifies cubitus; Translation: “five”; Notes: cardinal numeral.
  10. cubitus — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, 4th declension; Function: object of habebit; Translation: “cubits”; Notes: measurement term.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces spatial phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: used for dimensions.
  12. longitudine — Lemma: longitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “length”; Notes: dimension marker.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: connects measurement phrases.
  14. totidem — Lemma: totidem; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: invariable; Function: modifies implied cubitos; Translation: “the same number”; Notes: expresses equivalence.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces dimension phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: spatial marker.
  16. latitudine — Lemma: latitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “width”; Notes: dimension marker.
  17. idest — Lemma: id est; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: fixed phrase; Function: clarification marker; Translation: “that is”; Notes: explanatory.
  18. quadrum — Lemma: quadrus; Part of Speech: noun/adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: “a square”; Notes: indicates shape.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: connective.
  20. tres — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: invariable; Function: modifies cubitos; Translation: “three”; Notes: cardinal number.
  21. cubitos — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, 4th declension; Function: object of habebit (implied); Translation: “cubits”; Notes: measurement.
  22. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces dimension; Translation: “in”; Notes: spatial phrase.
  23. altitudine — Lemma: altitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “height”; Notes: completes dimensions.

 

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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