Exodus 30:34

Posted on March 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 30:34 Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Sume tibi aromata, stacten et onycha, galbanum boni odoris, et thus lucidissimum, æqualis ponderis erunt omnia:

And the LORD said to Moyses: “Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha, galbanum of good fragrance, and very pure frankincense, each shall be of equal weight;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND IRREG + CONJ
2 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
3 ad to PREP+ACC INDECL
4 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M NOUN INDECL
5 Sume take 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP 3RD CONJ
6 tibi for yourself DAT.SG.2ND.PERS PRON
7 aromata spices ACC.PL.N NOUN 3RD DECL
8 stacten stacte ACC.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
9 et and CONJ INDECL
10 onycha onycha ACC.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
11 galbanum galbanum ACC.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
12 boni of good GEN.SG.M ADJ POS
13 odoris fragrance GEN.SG.M NOUN 3RD DECL
14 et and CONJ INDECL
15 thus frankincense ACC.SG.N NOUN 3RD DECL
16 lucidissimum very pure ACC.SG.N ADJ SUPER
17 æqualis equal NOM.PL.F ADJ POS
18 ponderis of weight GEN.SG.N NOUN 3RD DECL
19 erunt they shall be 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND IRREG
20 omnia all things NOM.PL.N PRON INDEF

Syntax

Divine Speech Formula: Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen — introduces a new command.
Main Imperative: Sume tibi aromata — “take for yourself spices,” addressed to Moses.
Object List: a sequence of spices in apposition to aromata:
• stacten, onycha, galbanum boni odoris, thus lucidissimum
Predicate: æqualis ponderis erunt omnia — all must be of equal weight.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico + que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: introduces divine command; Translation: and said; Notes: -que links to previous narrative.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks addressee; Translation: to; Notes: standard in divine speech.
  4. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: Moses; Notes: indeclinable Hebrew name.
  5. Sume — Lemma: sumo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative second singular; Function: direct command; Translation: take; Notes: initiates incense preparation instructions.
  6. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: for yourself; Notes: indicates Moses’ role.
  7. aromata — Lemma: aroma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: spices; Notes: general category.
  8. stacten — Lemma: stacte; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: apposition to aromata; Translation: stacte; Notes: resin used for incense.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects items; Translation: and; Notes: joins list.
  10. onycha — Lemma: onycha; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: list element; Translation: onycha; Notes: aromatic substance.
  11. galbanum — Lemma: galbanum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: list element; Translation: galbanum; Notes: resin used in incense.
  12. boni — Lemma: bonus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies odoris; Translation: of good; Notes: qualitative genitive.
  13. odoris — Lemma: odor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies galbanum; Translation: fragrance; Notes: describes high quality.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects final item; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  15. thus — Lemma: thus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: list element; Translation: frankincense; Notes: incense ingredient.
  16. lucidissimum — Lemma: lucidus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter superlative; Function: modifies thus; Translation: very pure; Notes: SUPER tag required.
  17. æqualis — Lemma: aequalis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: equal; Notes: describes required proportions.
  18. ponderis — Lemma: pondus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: of weight; Notes: refers to measurement.
  19. erunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative third plural; Function: main verb; Translation: they shall be; Notes: mandatory instruction.
  20. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of erunt; Translation: all things; Notes: refers to all four spices.

 

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.