Exodus 36:10

Posted on March 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 36:10 Coniunxitque cortinas quinque, alteram alteri, et alias quinque sibi invicem copulavit.

And he joined together five curtains, one to another, and the other five he coupled to one another.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Coniunxitque and he joined 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 cortinas curtains ACC.PL.F NOUN
3 quinque five INDECL.NUM
4 alteram one ACC.SG.F ADJ
5 alteri to another DAT.SG.F ADJ
6 et and CONJ
7 alias other ACC.PL.F ADJ
8 quinque five INDECL.NUM
9 sibi to one another DAT.SG or PL PRON.REFL
10 invicem mutually ADV
11 copulavit he coupled 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1:
Coniunxitque cortinas quinque — “And he joined five curtains.”
• Coniunxitque — main verb + enclitic -que.
• cortinas quinque — direct object (“five curtains”).

Phrase of pairing:
alteram alteri — “one to another.”
• internal pairing construction with accusative + dative.

Main Clause 2:
et alias quinque sibi invicem copulavit — “and the other five he coupled to one another.”
• copulavit — finite verb.
• alias quinque — direct object (“the other five”).
• sibi invicem — reciprocal expression (“to one another”).

Morphology

  1. Coniunxitque — Lemma: coniungo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: and he joined; Notes: enclitic -que coordinates with following clause.
  2. cortinas — Lemma: cortina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of Coniunxitque; Translation: curtains; Notes: refers to sections of the tabernacle covering.
  3. quinque — Lemma: quinque; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifies cortinas; Translation: five; Notes: cardinal number used as adjective.
  4. alteram — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive use); Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object paired with dative alteri; Translation: one; Notes: expresses pairing relationship.
  5. alteri — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect complement (“to another”); Translation: to another; Notes: creates reciprocal construction.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates the second main clause (aliases quinque sibi invicem copulavit) with the first; Translation: and; Notes: additive connector showing progression.
  7. alias — Lemma: alius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies quinque and cortinas understood; Translation: other; Notes: contrasts with the first set of five.
  8. quinque — Lemma: quinque; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifies alias (i.e., five more curtains); Translation: five; Notes: total of ten curtains in two joined groups.
  9. sibi — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: dative singular or plural (contextual reciprocal); Function: indirect object expressing mutual relationship; Translation: to one another; Notes: standard reciprocal construction in Latin.
  10. invicem — Lemma: invicem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: strengthens reciprocal sense; Translation: mutually / to one another; Notes: commonly paired with sibi.
  11. copulavit — Lemma: copulo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of second main clause; Translation: he coupled; Notes: perfect tense narrates completed physical joining.

 

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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