Exodus 28:29

Posted on March 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 28:29 Portabitque Aaron nomina filiorum Israel in rationali iudicii super pectus suum, quando ingredietur Sanctuarium, memoriale coram Domino in æternum.

And Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his chest, when he enters the Sanctuary, as a memorial before the LORD forever.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Portabitque and he shall carry VERB 3 FUT ACT IND 3RD CONJ
2 Aaron Aaron NOUN NOM SG M INDECL
3 nomina names NOUN ACC PL N 3RD DECL
4 filiorum of the sons NOUN GEN PL M 2ND DECL
5 Israel Israel NOUN GEN SG M INDECL
6 in in PREP+ABL INDECL
7 rationali in the breastpiece NOUN ABL SG N 3RD DECL
8 iudicii of judgment NOUN GEN SG N 2ND DECL
9 super over PREP+ACC INDECL
10 pectus chest NOUN ACC SG N 3RD DECL
11 suum his PRON POSS ACC SG N
12 quando when CONJ INDECL
13 ingredietur he enters VERB 3 FUT DEP IND 3RD CONJ
14 Sanctuarium the Sanctuary NOUN ACC SG N 2ND DECL
15 memoriale a memorial NOUN NOM SG N 3RD DECL
16 coram before PREP+ABL INDECL
17 Domino the LORD NOUN ABL SG M 2ND DECL
18 in in PREP+ACC INDECL
19 æternum forever ADV/ADJ ACC SG N INVAR

Syntax

Main clause:
Portabitque Aaron nomina filiorum Israel —
The verb Portabitque governs the clause: “and Aaron shall carry.”
Its object is nomina filiorum Israel (“the names of the sons of Israel”).

Prepositional phrase #1:
in rationali iudicii — “in the breastpiece of judgment.”
Locative ablative with genitive dependent.

Prepositional phrase #2:
super pectus suum — “over his chest.”
Expresses physical placement.

Temporal clause:
quando ingredietur Sanctuarium — “when he enters the Sanctuary.”
The verb ingredietur is future deponent.

Predicate noun:
memoriale stands as a nominative of purpose or result:
“as a memorial before the LORD forever,” completed by coram Domino and in æternum.

Morphology

  1. Portabitque — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative, third conjugation, enclitic -que attached; Function: main verb (“and he shall carry”); Translation: “and he shall carry”; Notes: future indicative used for ritual prescriptions.
  2. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: subject; Translation: “Aaron”; Notes: Hebrew name used indeclinably in Latin Bible.
  3. nomina — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: “names”; Notes: refers to tribal names engraved on stones.
  4. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, second declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying nomina; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: tribal lineage phrase.
  5. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine indeclinable; Function: genitive dependent on filiorum; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: indeclinable biblical proper name.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: static placement.
  7. rationali — Lemma: rationale; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, third declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “in the breastpiece”; Notes: priestly vestment term.
  8. iudicii — Lemma: iudicium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, second declension; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: “of judgment”; Notes: identifies this breastpiece’s symbolic purpose.
  9. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces positional phrase; Translation: “over”; Notes: expresses physical placement above the chest.
  10. pectus — Lemma: pectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, third declension; Function: object of super; Translation: “chest”; Notes: anatomical term.
  11. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies pectus; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexive referring to Aaron.
  12. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: marks time of ritual action.
  13. ingredietur — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future deponent indicative; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “he shall enter”; Notes: deponent verb with active meaning.
  14. Sanctuarium — Lemma: sanctuarium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of ingredietur; Translation: “the Sanctuary”; Notes: refers to Holy Place.
  15. memoriale — Lemma: memoriale; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter, third declension; Function: predicate noun; Translation: “a memorial”; Notes: expresses purpose of the engraved names.
  16. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces adverbial phrase; Translation: “before”; Notes: common biblical preposition for presence before God.
  17. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, second declension; Function: object of coram; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH; must be translated in caps.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces expression of duration; Translation: “in”; Notes: with accusative expresses extent of time.
  19. æternum — Lemma: aeternus; Part of Speech: adjective/ adverbial accusative; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: adverbial accusative of duration; Translation: “forever”; Notes: fixed expression in biblical Latin.

 

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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