Exodus 38:13

Posted on March 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 38:13 Porro contra orientem quinquaginta cubitorum paravit tentoria:

And moreover, toward the east he prepared hangings of fifty cubits;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Porro moreover ADV
2 contra toward PREP+ACC
3 orientem the East ACC.SG.M NOUN
4 quinquaginta fifty INDECL.NUM
5 cubitorum of cubits GEN.PL.M NOUN
6 paravit he prepared 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 tentoria hangings ACC.PL.N NOUN

Syntax

Adverbial opener:
Porro — introduces an additional construction detail.

Directional phrase:
contra orientem — “toward the East.”
• contra = facing or toward
• orientem = the eastern side of the courtyard

Main clause:
paravit tentoria — “he prepared hangings.”
• Verb: paravit
• Direct object: tentoria

Measure phrase:
quinquaginta cubitorum — “fifty cubits.”
• cubitorum = genitive of measure
• quinquaginta = numeral

Morphology

  1. Porro — Lemma: porro; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: introduces an additional item; Translation: moreover; Notes: commonly used to continue narrative enumeration.
  2. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses orientation; Translation: toward; Notes: indicates the side faced by the structure.
  3. orientem — Lemma: oriens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: complement of contra; Translation: the East; Notes: refers to sunrise direction.
  4. quinquaginta — Lemma: quinquaginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifier; Translation: fifty; Notes: standard cardinal numeral.
  5. cubitorum — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of measure; Translation: of cubits; Notes: expresses length dimension.
  6. paravit — Lemma: paro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he prepared; Notes: describes completed construction action.
  7. tentoria — Lemma: tentorium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: hangings; Notes: fabric screens forming the boundary of the courtyard.

 

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.