Exodus 30:20

Posted on March 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 30:20 quando ingressuri sunt tabernaculum testimonii, et quando accessuri sunt ad altare, ut offerant in eo thymiama Domino,

when they are about to enter the tabernacle of testimony, and when they are about to approach the altar, in order to offer incense on it to the LORD,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quando when CONJ INDECL
2 ingressuri about to enter NOM.PL.M PTCP.FUT.ACT
3 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
4 tabernaculum the tabernacle ACC.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
5 testimonii of testimony GEN.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
6 et and CONJ INDECL
7 quando when CONJ INDECL
8 accessuri about to approach NOM.PL.M PTCP.FUT.ACT
9 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
10 ad to PREP+ACC INDECL
11 altare the altar ACC.SG.N NOUN 3RD DECL
12 ut in order that CONJ SUBJ
13 offerant they may offer 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ 3RD CONJ
14 in in/on PREP+ABL INDECL
15 eo it ABL.SG.M PRON DEM
16 thymiama incense ACC.SG.N NOUN 3RD DECL
17 Domino to the LORD DAT.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL

Syntax

Temporal Clauses:
• quando ingressuri sunt — “when they are about to enter.”
• quando accessuri sunt — “when they are about to approach.”

Objects of Motion:
• tabernaculum testimonii — destination of entry.
• ad altare — destination of approach.

Purpose Clause:
• ut offerant — expresses priestly function (“in order that they may offer”).

Prepositional Phrase:
• in eo — refers to the altar as the place of incense offering.

Dative of Advantage:
• Domino — recipient of the incense offering, translated as “the LORD” per rule.

Morphology

  1. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: marks recurring ritual timing.
  2. ingressuri — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine future active participle; Function: predicate in periphrastic construction; Translation: about to enter; Notes: deponent verb but FAP is morphologically active.
  3. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: auxiliary in periphrastic future; Translation: are; Notes: forms imminent action.
  4. tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: destination of motion; Translation: tabernacle; Notes: sacred tent.
  5. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies tabernaculum; Translation: of testimony; Notes: expresses purpose of the structure.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links temporal clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  7. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces second temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: parallel to first *quando*.
  8. accessuri — Lemma: accedo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine future active participle; Function: predicate with sunt; Translation: about to approach; Notes: denotes ritual approach to the altar.
  9. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: auxiliary; Translation: are; Notes: marks near-future action.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: motion toward; Translation: to; Notes: standard directional preposition.
  11. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: altar; Notes: refers to the incense altar.
  12. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: in order that; Notes: expresses intended priestly action.
  13. offerant — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: they may offer; Notes: subjunctive required by *ut* purpose construction.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location; Translation: in/on; Notes: here denotes position “on the altar.”
  15. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: it; Notes: refers to the altar.
  16. thymiama — Lemma: thymiama; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of offerant; Translation: incense; Notes: Greek loanword used in cultic context.
  17. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH; dative of advantage.

 

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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