Exodus 33:10

Posted on March 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 33:10 cernentibus universis quod columna nubis staret ad ostium Tabernaculi. Stabantque ipsi, et adorabant per fores tabernaculorum suorum.

while all were seeing that the column of cloud was standing at the entrance of the Tabernacle. And they themselves stood and worshipped at the doors of their tabernacles.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 cernentibus while seeing PTCP.PRES.ACT.ABL.PL.M/F 3RD CONJ
2 universis all ABL.PL.M/F ADJ POS
3 quod that ACC.SG.N CONJ/REL
4 columna column NOM.SG.F 1ST DECL
5 nubis of cloud GEN.SG.F 3RD DECL
6 staret was standing 3SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ 1ST CONJ
7 ad at PREP+ACC
8 ostium the entrance ACC.SG.N 2ND DECL
9 Tabernaculi of the Tabernacle GEN.SG.N 2ND DECL
10 Stabantque and they stood 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND 1ST CONJ
11 ipsi they themselves NOM.PL.M PRON
12 et and CONJ
13 adorabant were worshipping 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND 1ST CONJ
14 per at / through PREP+ACC
15 fores doors ACC.PL.F 3RD DECL
16 tabernaculorum of the tabernacles GEN.PL.N 2ND DECL
17 suorum their GEN.PL.N POSS.PRON

Syntax

Ablative Absolute:
cernentibus universis — “while all were seeing”; circumstantial description.

Object Clause Introduced by quod:
quod columna nubis staret ad ostium Tabernaculi — content of what was being seen.

Main Habitual Clause:
Stabantque ipsi — repeated stance of the people.

Coordinated Imperfect Clause:
et adorabant — repeated/habitual worship expressed by the people.

Prepositional Phrase:
per fores tabernaculorum suorum — location of worship, “at the doors of their tabernacles.”

Morphology

  1. cernentibus — Lemma: cerno; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle ablative plural masculine/feminine; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: while seeing; Notes: expresses contemporaneous action.
  2. universis — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine/feminine; Function: modifies cernentibus; Translation: all; Notes: inclusive designation of Israel.
  3. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction/relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: introduces object clause; Translation: that; Notes: here clearly conjunctional.
  4. columna — Lemma: columna; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of staret; Translation: column; Notes: divine manifestation.
  5. nubis — Lemma: nubes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies columna; Translation: of cloud; Notes: theophanic symbol in Exodus.
  6. staret — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb in object clause; Translation: was standing; Notes: imperfect = ongoing action; subjunctive because of dependent clause.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates position near; Translation: at; Notes: locative nuance.
  8. ostium — Lemma: ostium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: entrance; Notes: threshold of the tabernacle.
  9. Tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies ostium; Translation: of the Tabernacle; Notes: sacred meeting-place.
  10. Stabantque — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main action; Translation: and they stood; Notes: habitual repeated behavior.
  11. ipsi — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: intensifier of subject; Translation: they themselves; Notes: emphasizes personal involvement.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates verbs; Translation: and; Notes: simple connector.
  13. adorabant — Lemma: adoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: expresses repeated worship; Translation: were worshipping; Notes: liturgical reverence.
  14. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: locative; Translation: at / through; Notes: here meaning “at” (vulgate idiom).
  15. fores — Lemma: foris/foris; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: doors; Notes: entrances of tents.
  16. tabernaculorum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: modifies fores; Translation: of the tabernacles; Notes: refers to private dwelling tents of the Israelites.
  17. suorum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: modifies tabernaculorum; Translation: their; Notes: reflexive to the people.

 

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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