Exodus 27:20

Posted on March 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 27:20 Præcipe filiis Israel ut afferant tibi oleum de arboribus olivarum purissimum, piloque contusum: ut ardeat lucerna semper

Command the sons of Israel to bring to you oil from olive trees, the purest, crushed with the pestle, so that the lamp may burn continually

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Præcipe command 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
2 filiis to the sons DAT.PL.M 2ND DECL
3 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M indecl. proper noun
4 ut that CONJ
5 aferant may bring 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
6 tibi to you DAT.SG.2ND.PERS
7 oleum oil ACC.SG.N 2ND DECL
8 de from PREP+ABL
9 arboribus trees ABL.PL.F 3RD DECL
10 olivarum of olives GEN.PL.F 1ST DECL
11 purissimum the purest ACC.SG.N ADJ SUPER
12 piloque and with the pestle ABL.SG.M 2ND DECL + ENCLITIC
13 contusum crushed ACC.SG.N PTCP.PERF.PASS
14 ut so that CONJ
15 ardeat may burn 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
16 lucerna lamp NOM.SG.F 1ST DECL
17 semper always ADV

Syntax

Main clause:
Præcipe filiis Israel — Imperative command addressed to Moses.
Subject is implied “you”; indirect object filiis Israel.

Purpose/Content Clause (ut + subj.):
ut afferant tibi oleum… — “that they may bring you oil.”
The verb aferant is subjunctive because ut expresses commanded content.

Material description:
oleum de arboribus olivarum purissimum — highly specified oil:
“oil from olive trees, the purest.”

Instrumental ablative:
piloque contusum — “crushed with the pestle,” describing how the oil is prepared.

Second purpose clause:
ut ardeat lucerna semper — “so that the lamp may burn continually.”
The subjunctive ardeat marks intended result/purpose.

Morphology

  1. Præcipe — Lemma: praecipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active, 2nd singular; Function: main command addressed to Moses; Translation: “command”; Notes: introduces a divine directive.
  2. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the sons”; Notes: refers to the children of Yisraʾel.
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable (here functioning as genitive singular); Function: modifies filiis; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: standard Latin rendering of the tribal name.
  4. ut — conjunction; Form: introduces a subjunctive clause; Function: expresses command content; Translation: “that”; Notes: classical usage with verbs of commanding.
  5. aferant — Lemma: affero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active, 3rd plural; Function: verb of the ut-clause; Translation: “may bring”; Notes: expresses required action by the people.
  6. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular, 2nd person; Function: indirect object of aferant; Translation: “to you”; Notes: addressed to Moses.
  7. oleum — Lemma: oleum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of aferant; Translation: “oil”; Notes: oil for the golden lampstand.
  8. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source; Translation: “from”; Notes: used for origin.
  9. arboribus — Lemma: arbor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of de; Translation: “trees”; Notes: indicates natural origin of the oil.
  10. olivarum — Lemma: oliva; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine, 1st declension; Function: specifies type of trees; Translation: “of olives”; Notes: denotes cultivated olive groves.
  11. purissimum — Lemma: purus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter, superlative; Function: modifies oleum; Translation: “the purest”; Notes: specifies highest-quality oil suitable for sacred illumination.
  12. piloque — Lemma: pilum; Part of Speech: noun + enclitic; Form: ablative singular neuter, 2nd declension + enclitic -que; Function: instrumental ablative; Translation: “and with the pestle”; Notes: describes preparation method.
  13. contusum — Lemma: contundo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative singular neuter, perfect passive; Function: agrees with oleum; Translation: “crushed”; Notes: indicates pressing by pounding rather than by pressing mill.
  14. ut — conjunction; Form: introduces a purpose clause; Function: expresses sacred purpose; Translation: “so that”; Notes: standard for intended result.
  15. ardeat — Lemma: ardeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active, 3rd singular; Function: verb of the purpose clause; Translation: “may burn”; Notes: denotes continuous burning.
  16. lucerna — Lemma: lucerna; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: subject of ardeat; Translation: “lamp”; Notes: refers to the menorah’s central lamp.
  17. semper — Lemma: semper; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies ardeat; Translation: “always”; Notes: expresses perpetual illumination.

 

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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