Exodus 28:12

Posted on March 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 28:12 et pones in utroque latere superhumeralis, memoriale filiis Israel. Portabitque Aaron nomina eorum coram Domino super utrumque humerum, ob recordationem.

and you shall place them on each side of the ephod, a memorial for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall carry their names before the LORD upon each shoulder, for remembrance.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 pones you shall place 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND, 3RD CONJ
3 in on PREP+ABL
4 utroque each (of the) two ABL.SG.M, PRON.INDEF
5 latere side ABL.SG.N, 3RD DECL, NOUN
6 superhumeralis of the ephod GEN.SG.N, 3RD DECL, NOUN
7 memoriale a memorial ACC.SG.N, 3RD DECL, NOUN
8 filiis for the sons DAT.PL.M, 2ND DECL, NOUN
9 Israel Israel DAT.SG.M, NOUN.INDECL
10 Portabitque and he shall carry 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE, 1ST CONJ
11 Aaron Aaron NOM.SG.M, NOUN.INDECL
12 nomina names ACC.PL.N, 3RD DECL, NOUN
13 eorum of them GEN.PL.M, PRON.PERS
14 coram before PREP+ABL
15 Domino the LORD ABL.SG.M, 2ND DECL, NOUN
16 super upon PREP+ACC
17 utrumque each (of the) two ACC.SG.M, PRON.INDEF
18 humerum shoulder ACC.SG.M, 2ND DECL, NOUN
19 ob for PREP+ACC
20 recordationem remembrance ACC.SG.F, 3RD DECL, NOUN

Syntax

First clause:
pones — future directive addressed to Moses.
Object understood: the stones previously described.
in utroque latere superhumeralis — ablative phrase giving placement: “on each side of the ephod.”
memoriale filiis Israel — apposition expressing purpose: “a memorial for the sons of Israel.”

Second clause:
Portabitque Aaron — main clause; future directive.
nomina eorum — direct object: “their names,” referring to the tribes.
coram Domino — ablative of place: “before the LORD.”
super utrumque humerum — prepositional phrase: “upon each shoulder.”
ob recordationem — prepositional phrase expressing purpose: “for remembrance.”

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins this directive to the previous one; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordinator continuing the instruction.
  2. pones — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of first clause; Translation: you shall place; Notes: addressed to Moses as the one supervising construction.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: on; Notes: locative meaning here.
  4. utroque — Lemma: uterque; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies latere; Translation: each (of the) two; Notes: distributive pronoun.
  5. latere — Lemma: latus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: object of preposition in; Translation: side; Notes: refers to the sides of the ephod.
  6. superhumeralis — Lemma: superhumerale; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying latere; Translation: of the ephod; Notes: identifies the garment to which the stones are attached.
  7. memoriale — Lemma: memoriale; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: predicate accusative describing purpose; Translation: a memorial; Notes: expresses the commemorative function of the stones.
  8. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: for the sons; Notes: indicates intended beneficiaries.
  9. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: modifies filiis; Translation: Israel; Notes: case understood from syntactic relationship.
  10. Portabitque — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative + enclitic -que; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: and he shall carry; Notes: enclitic -que joins with prior actions.
  11. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: subject of Portabitque; Translation: Aaron; Notes: high priest bearing tribal names.
  12. nomina — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, 3rd declension; Function: direct object; Translation: names; Notes: refers back to tribal names engraved on stones.
  13. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying nomina; Translation: of them; Notes: “them” = sons of Israel.
  14. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses presence before; Translation: before; Notes: sacred presence formula.
  15. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of coram; Translation: the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH, therefore translated “LORD.”
  16. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses position over/upon; Translation: upon; Notes: specifies placement on the shoulders.
  17. utrumque — Lemma: uterque; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies humerum; Translation: each (of the) two; Notes: one on the left, one on the right shoulder.
  18. humerum — Lemma: humerus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of super; Translation: shoulder; Notes: location where Aaron bears the stones.
  19. ob — Lemma: ob; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses purpose or reason; Translation: for; Notes: denotes intention.
  20. recordationem — Lemma: recordatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of ob; Translation: remembrance; Notes: expresses memorial function before YHWH.

 

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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