Exodus 29:12

Posted on March 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 29:12 Sumptumque de sanguine vituli, pones super cornua altaris digito tuo, reliquum autem sanguinem fundes iuxta basim eius.

And taking from the blood of the young bull, you shall put it upon the horns of the altar with your finger, but the rest of the blood you shall pour out beside its base.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sumptumque and having taken PTCP PERF.PASS.ACC.SG.N + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 de from PREP+ABL
3 sanguine blood NOUN ABL.SG.M 3RD DECL
4 vituli of the young bull NOUN GEN.SG.M 2ND DECL
5 pones you shall place VERB 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
6 super upon PREP+ACC
7 cornua horns NOUN ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
8 altaris of the altar NOUN GEN.SG.N 3RD DECL
9 digito with (your) finger NOUN ABL.SG.M 2ND DECL
10 tuo your PRON POSS ABL.SG.M
11 reliquum the rest ADJ ACC.SG.M POS (substantive use)
12 autem however / but CONJ
13 sanguinem blood NOUN ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL
14 fundes you shall pour out VERB 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
15 iuxta beside PREP+ACC
16 basim the base NOUN ACC.SG.F 3RD DECL
17 eius of it PRON DEM GEN.SG.M/N

Syntax

Introductory Circumstantial Participle:
Sumptumque de sanguine vituli — passive perfect participle (accusative neuter) forming an accusative absolute: “and having taken from the blood of the bull.”

Main Command 1:
pones super cornua altaris digito tuo — pones governs the implied object “it” (the blood); super cornua altaris marks destination; digito tuo is ablative of means (“with your finger”).

Contrastive Command:
reliquum autem sanguinem fundes iuxta basim eius — fundes governs sanguinem; reliquum serves substantively (“the rest”); iuxta basim eius marks spatial placement.

Morphology

  1. Sumptumque — Lemma: sumo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle accusative singular neuter with enclitic -que; Function: circumstantial modifier; Translation: and having taken; Notes: introduces ritual sequence.
  2. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: from; Notes: marks source of sacrificial blood.
  3. sanguine — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: blood; Notes: sacrificial material.
  4. vituli — Lemma: vitulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: specifies type of blood; Translation: of the young bull; Notes: genitive of possession.
  5. pones — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second person singular; Function: main command; Translation: you shall place; Notes: directs priestly application of blood.
  6. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates position on the altar; Translation: upon; Notes: spatial placement.
  7. cornua — Lemma: cornu; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of super; Translation: horns; Notes: architectural features of the altar.
  8. altaris — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies cornua; Translation: of the altar; Notes: specifies location.
  9. digito — Lemma: digitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with (your) finger; Notes: priest directly applies blood.
  10. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies digito; Translation: your; Notes: stresses personal priestly action.
  11. reliquum — Lemma: reliquus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine (substantive); Function: object modifier of sanguinem; Translation: the rest; Notes: indicates remainder of the blood.
  12. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: but; Notes: sets apart the second action.
  13. sanguinem — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of fundes; Translation: blood; Notes: remaining blood volume.
  14. fundes — Lemma: fundo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second person singular; Function: main command; Translation: you shall pour out; Notes: ritual disposal of sacrificial blood.
  15. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates spatial relation; Translation: beside; Notes: common in sacrificial directives.
  16. basim — Lemma: basis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: base; Notes: refers to the lower part of the altar.
  17. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine/neuter; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: of it; Notes: refers to the altar.

 

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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