Exodus 27:21

Posted on March 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 27:21 in tabernaculo testimonii, extra velum quod oppansum est testimonio. Et collocabunt eam Aaron et filii eius, ut usque mane luceat coram Domino. Perpetuus erit cultus per successiones eorum a filiis Israel.

in the tabernacle of the testimony, outside the veil which is spread before the testimony. And Aaron and his sons shall set it in place, so that it may shine before the LORD until morning. It shall be a perpetual service through their generations, from the sons of Israel.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 in in PREP+ABL
2 tabernaculo tabernacle ABL.SG.N 2ND DECL
3 testimonii of the testimony GEN.SG.N 2ND DECL
4 extra outside PREP+ACC
5 velum veil ACC.SG.N 2ND DECL
6 quod which NOM.SG.N PRON.REL
7 oppansum spread NOM.SG.N PTCP.PERF.PASS
8 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 testimonio before the testimony DAT.SG.N 2ND DECL
10 Et and CONJ
11 collocabunt they shall set in place 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
12 eam it ACC.SG.F PRON.PERS
13 Aaron Aaron NOM.SG.M INDECL
14 et and CONJ
15 filii sons NOM.PL.M 2ND DECL
16 eius his GEN.SG.M PRON.PERS
17 ut so that CONJ
18 usque until PREP+ACC
19 mane morning ACC.SG.N INDECL
20 luceat may shine 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
21 coram before PREP+ABL
22 Domino the LORD ABL.SG.M 2ND DECL
23 Perpetuus perpetual NOM.SG.M ADJ
24 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
25 cultus service NOM.SG.M 4TH DECL
26 per through PREP+ACC
27 successiones generations ACC.PL.F 5TH DECL
28 eorum of them GEN.PL.M PRON.PERS
29 a from PREP+ABL
30 filiis sons ABL.PL.M 2ND DECL
31 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M INDECL

Syntax

Locative clause:
in tabernaculo testimonii — prepositional phrase giving location of the lamp.

Relative-clause structure:
extra velum quod oppansum est testimonio — “outside the veil which is spread before the testimony.”

Main verbal clause:
Et collocabunt eam Aaron et filii eius — compound subject with a future active verb.

Purpose clause:
ut usque mane luceat coram Domino — expresses intended continual burning before the LORD.

Final declaration:
Perpetuus erit cultus per successiones eorum a filiis Israel.

Morphology

  1. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: standard locative construction.
  2. tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 2nd decl.; Function: object of in; Translation: “tabernacle”; Notes: refers to the sanctuary structure.
  3. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, 2nd decl.; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the testimony”; Notes: indicates association with the covenant tablets.
  4. extra — Lemma: extra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses placement outside; Translation: “outside”; Notes: contrasts inside/outside sacred space.
  5. velum — Lemma: velum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 2nd decl.; Function: object of extra; Translation: “veil”; Notes: interior separation curtain.
  6. quod — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: relative pronoun; Translation: “which”; Notes: agrees with velum.
  7. oppansum — Lemma: oppando; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter, perfect passive; Function: predicate in relative clause; Translation: “spread”; Notes: describes veil’s orientation.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active, 3rd singular; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: “is”; Notes: simple equative verb.
  9. testimonio — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular neuter, 2nd decl.; Function: dative of reference; Translation: “before the testimony”; Notes: orientation marker.
  10. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins independent clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: never shortened.
  11. collocabunt — Lemma: colloco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active, 3rd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they shall set in place”; Notes: expresses priestly duty.
  12. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “it”; Notes: refers to lamp.
  13. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Aaron”; Notes: high priest.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: additive particle.
  15. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine, 2nd decl.; Function: subject; Translation: “sons”; Notes: co-subjects with Aaron.
  16. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies filii; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers to Aaron.
  17. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces subjunctive clause; Function: purpose clause marker; Translation: “so that”; Notes: classical usage.
  18. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks temporal endpoint; Translation: “until”; Notes: emphasizes duration.
  19. mane — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, indeclinable; Function: object of usque; Translation: “morning”; Notes: liturgical time boundary.
  20. luceat — Lemma: luceo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active, 3rd singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “may shine”; Notes: expresses intended continual light.
  21. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses presence before; Translation: “before”; Notes: liturgical spatial marker.
  22. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 2nd decl.; Function: object of coram; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  23. Perpetuus — Lemma: perpetuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies cultus; Translation: “perpetual”; Notes: emphasizes duration.
  24. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active, 3rd singular; Function: copular verb; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: declarative future.
  25. cultus — Lemma: cultus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 4th decl.; Function: subject; Translation: “service”; Notes: ritual ordinance.
  26. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses duration; Translation: “through”; Notes: used for ongoing lineage.
  27. successiones — Lemma: successio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, 5th decl.; Function: object of per; Translation: “generations”; Notes: priestly generations.
  28. eorum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of them”; Notes: refers to Aaron’s descendants.
  29. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: “from”; Notes: indicates responsibility.
  30. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, 2nd decl.; Function: object of a; Translation: “sons”; Notes: refers to Yisraʾel.
  31. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable, genitive by position; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: national name.

 

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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