Exodus 37:3

Posted on March 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 37:3 conflans quattuor annulos aureos per quattuor angulos eius: duos annulos in latere uno, et duos in altero.

casting four golden rings for its four corners: two rings on one side, and two on the other.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 conflans casting PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
2 quattuor four INDECL.NUM
3 annulos rings ACC.PL.M NOUN
4 aureos golden ACC.PL.M ADJ
5 per for / at PREP+ACC
6 quattuor four INDECL.NUM
7 angulos corners ACC.PL.M NOUN
8 eius of it GEN.SG.N PRON.POSS
9 duos two ACC.PL.M NUM
10 annulos rings ACC.PL.M NOUN
11 in on PREP+ABL
12 latere side ABL.SG.N NOUN
13 uno one ABL.SG.N ADJ.NUM
14 et and CONJ
15 duos two ACC.PL.M NUM
16 in on PREP+ABL
17 altero the other ABL.SG.N ADJ

Syntax

Participial Construction:
conflans quattuor annulos aureos — “casting four golden rings.”
• Present active participle describes ongoing action performed by the artisan.
• annulos aureos = direct object phrase.

Prepositional Phrase of Position:
per quattuor angulos eius — “for its four corners.”
• per + accusative = distribution over four locations.
• eius = belonging to the ark.

Parallel Distributive Clauses:
duos annulos in latere uno — “two rings on one side.”
duos in altero — “two on the other.”
• in with ablative indicates static location.
• altero contrasts with uno.

Morphology

  1. conflans — Lemma: conflo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: describes the artisan performing the action; Translation: casting; Notes: modifies the implied subject Beseleel.
  2. quattuor — Lemma: quattuor; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies annulos; Translation: four; Notes: cardinal numeral.
  3. annulos — Lemma: annulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: rings; Notes: structural mounting-rings.
  4. aureos — Lemma: aureus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies annulos; Translation: golden; Notes: material adjective.
  5. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses distribution; Translation: for / at; Notes: indicates placement across positions.
  6. quattuor — Lemma: quattuor; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies angulos; Translation: four; Notes: repeated for emphasis.
  7. angulos — Lemma: angulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of per; Translation: corners; Notes: structural corners of the ark.
  8. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: expresses possession; Translation: of it; Notes: refers to the ark.
  9. duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object; Translation: two; Notes: number of rings per side.
  10. annulos — Lemma: annulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: rings; Notes: repeated for clarity.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: on; Notes: static spatial placement.
  12. latere — Lemma: latus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: side; Notes: structural side of the ark.
  13. uno — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: adjective/numeral; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies latere; Translation: one; Notes: contrasts with altero.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links parallel clause; Translation: and; Notes: coordination.
  15. duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object; Translation: two; Notes: second set of two rings.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: on; Notes: same spatial usage as previous instance.
  17. altero — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: adjective/pronominal adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies implied latere; Translation: the other; Notes: contrasts one side with the other.

 

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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