Exodus 28:21

Posted on March 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 28:21 Habebuntque nomina filiorum Israel: duodecim nominibus cælabuntur, singuli lapides nominibus singulorum per duodecim tribus.

And they shall have the names of the sons of Israel; with twelve names they shall be engraved, each of the stones with the names of each one, according to the twelve tribes.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Habebuntque and they shall have 3, PL, FUT, ACT, IND, 2ND CONJ
2 nomina names ACC, PL, N, 3RD DECL, NOUN
3 filiorum of the sons GEN, PL, M, 2ND DECL, NOUN
4 Israel Israel GEN, SG, INDECL, NOUN
5 duodecim twelve INDECL, ADJ, POS
6 nominibus with names ABL, PL, N, 3RD DECL, NOUN
7 cælabuntur they shall be engraved 3, PL, FUT, PASS, IND, 1ST CONJ
8 singuli each NOM, PL, M, ADJ, POS
9 lapides stones NOM, PL, M, 3RD DECL, NOUN
10 nominibus with the names ABL, PL, N, 3RD DECL, NOUN
11 singulorum of each one GEN, PL, M, ADJ, INDEF
12 per according to PREP+ACC
13 duodecim twelve INDECL, ADJ, POS
14 tribus tribes ACC, PL, F, 3RD DECL, NOUN

Syntax

First clause:
Habebuntque nomina filiorum Israel — “and they shall have the names of the sons of Israel.”
• Subject (implied): the gemstones set in the breastpiece
• nomina — direct object
• filiorum Israel — dependent genitive specifying whose names

Second clause:
duodecim nominibus cælabuntur — “they shall be engraved with twelve names.”
• nominibus — ablative of means (“with names”)
• duodecim — numeral modifying nominibus
• cælabuntur — future passive, the stones as subject

Further specification:
singuli lapides nominibus singulorum — “each of the stones with the names of each one.”
• singuli lapides — explicit subject phrase
• nominibus singulorum — ablative phrase, “with the names of each one,” stressing one tribal name per stone.

Final distributive phrase:
per duodecim tribus — “according to the twelve tribes,” indicating distribution of stones by tribal identity.

Morphology

  1. Habebuntque — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural future active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb of the opening clause, taking nomina as its object; Translation: and they shall have; Notes: -que links this statement tightly with the preceding instructions.
  2. nomina — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, 3rd declension; Function: direct object of Habebuntque; Translation: names; Notes: refers specifically to the tribal names inscribed on the stones.
  3. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying nomina; Translation: of the sons; Notes: identifies these names as belonging to the sons (patriarchs) of Israel.
  4. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular, indeclinable; Function: further genitive specification with filiorum; Translation: Israel; Notes: Hebrew proper name treated as indeclinable in this Latin context, its case determined syntactically.
  5. duodecim — Lemma: duodecim; Part of Speech: numeral used adjectivally; Form: indeclinable, positive degree; Function: modifies nominibus; Translation: twelve; Notes: corresponds to the twelve tribes, one name per tribe.
  6. nominibus — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter, 3rd declension; Function: ablative of means with cælabuntur; Translation: with names; Notes: describes the content and means of the engraving.
  7. cælabuntur — Lemma: cælo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural future passive indicative, 1st conjugation; Function: main verb describing the engraving of the stones; Translation: they shall be engraved; Notes: passive voice highlights the work done to the stones rather than the engraver.
  8. singuli — Lemma: singulus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine, positive degree; Function: modifies lapides; Translation: each; Notes: emphasizes individual correspondence, one name per stone.
  9. lapides — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine, 3rd declension; Function: explicit subject of cælabuntur in the expanded phrase; Translation: stones; Notes: the gemstones mounted in the breastpiece.
  10. nominibus — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter, 3rd declension; Function: ablative of association or accompaniment with singulorum; Translation: with the names; Notes: indicates what is present on each individual stone.
  11. singulorum — Lemma: singulus; Part of Speech: adjective (used substantivally); Form: genitive plural masculine, indefinite; Function: dependent genitive modifying nominibus; Translation: of each one; Notes: points individually to each tribal head whose name appears.
  12. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces distributive expression; Translation: according to; Notes: marks arrangement by category or group.
  13. duodecim — Lemma: duodecim; Part of Speech: numeral used adjectivally; Form: indeclinable, positive degree; Function: modifies tribus; Translation: twelve; Notes: reinforces the total number of tribes as the organizing principle.
  14. tribus — Lemma: tribus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of per; Translation: tribes; Notes: refers to the twelve tribes of Israel whose names structure the entire arrangement of stones.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.