Exodus 39:19

Posted on March 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 39:19 stricta ad balteum et annulis fortius copulata, quos iungebat vitta hyacinthina, ne laxa fluerent, et a se invicem moverentur, sicut præcepit Dominus Moysi.

fastened to the belt and more firmly bound by the rings, which a violet cord joined together, so that they would not hang loose nor move apart from one another, just as the LORD commanded Moyses.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 stricta fastened PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.N/F
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 balteum belt NOUN.ACC.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 annulis by the rings NOUN.ABL.PL.M
6 fortius more firmly ADV.CMPR
7 copulata bound PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.N/F
8 quos which PRON.ACC.PL.M.REL
9 iungebat joined 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ
10 vitta cord NOUN.NOM.SG.F
11 hyacinthina violet ADJ.NOM.SG.F
12 ne lest CONJ.SUBORD
13 laxa loose ADJ.NOM.PL.N
14 fluerent might hang loosely 3PL.IMP.SUBJ.ACT.3RD CONJ
15 et and CONJ
16 a from PREP+ABL
17 se one another PRON.ABL.PL/SG.REFL
18 invicem mutually ADV
19 moverentur might move 3PL.IMP.SUBJ.PASS/DEP.3RD CONJ
20 sicut just as CONJ
21 præcepit commanded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ
22 Dominus the LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
23 Moysi to Moses NOUN.DAT.SG.M

Syntax

The sentence continues the description of the fastening system of the priestly garments.
stricta ad balteum et annulis fortius copulata forms a circumstantial participial phrase describing the breastpiece and shoulderpiece as “fastened to the belt and more firmly bound by the rings.”

The relative clause quos iungebat vitta hyacinthina modifies annulis, explaining that a violet cord joined these rings together.

The negative purpose clause ne laxa fluerent et a se invicem moverentur expresses why the cord was used — “so that they would not hang loose nor move apart from one another.”

The final clause sicut præcepit Dominus Moysi states divine authorization: “just as the LORD commanded Moses.”

Morphology

  1. stricta — Lemma: stringo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Perfect passive participle, nominative singular feminine/neuter; Function: Circumstantial modifier; Translation: fastened; Notes: Refers to the fastening of vestments.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing accusative; Function: Marks direction or attachment; Translation: to; Notes: Used with balteum.
  3. balteum — Lemma: balteus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: belt; Notes: Part of the priestly vestment system.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects participles; Translation: and; Notes: Joins two descriptions of fastening.
  5. annulis — Lemma: annulus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Ablative of means; Translation: by the rings; Notes: Refers to the gold rings linking the shoulderpiece and breastpiece.
  6. fortius — Lemma: fortiter; Part of Speech: Adverb (comparative); Form: Comparative degree; Function: Modifies copulata; Translation: more firmly; Notes: Comparative of manner.
  7. copulata — Lemma: copulo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Perfect passive participle, nominative singular feminine/neuter; Function: Circumstantial modifier; Translation: bound; Notes: Describes binding by rings.
  8. quos — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative plural masculine; Function: Introduces relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: Refers to the rings.
  9. iungebat — Lemma: iungo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: joined; Notes: Describes continuous binding action.
  10. vitta — Lemma: vitta; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of iungebat; Translation: cord; Notes: A tying-cord used in sacred garments.
  11. hyacinthina — Lemma: hyacinthinus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Modifies vitta; Translation: violet; Notes: Refers to the “hyacinth-blue” sacred color.
  12. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: Subordinating conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Introduces negative purpose clause; Translation: lest; Notes: Governs subjunctive verbs.
  13. laxa — Lemma: laxus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative plural neuter; Function: Predicate adjective with fluerent; Translation: loose; Notes: Describes dangling or looseness.
  14. fluerent — Lemma: fluo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural imperfect active subjunctive; Function: Verb of negative purpose clause; Translation: might hang loosely; Notes: Here figurative of garments “flowing loose.”
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Links two negative purposes; Translation: and; Notes: Connects fluerent and moverentur.
  16. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing ablative; Function: Indicates separation; Translation: from; Notes: Used with se.
  17. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: Reflexive pronoun; Form: Ablative singular/plural; Function: Object of a; Translation: one another; Notes: Indicates reciprocal motion.
  18. invicem — Lemma: invicem; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable; Function: Expresses reciprocity; Translation: mutually; Notes: Reinforces separative meaning.
  19. moverentur — Lemma: moveor; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural imperfect subjunctive passive/deponent; Function: Verb of negative purpose clause; Translation: might move; Notes: Describes unintended shifting of vestments.
  20. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Introduces comparison clause; Translation: just as; Notes: Introduces divine command.
  21. præcepit — Lemma: praecipio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: Main verb; Translation: commanded; Notes: Refers to the LORD’s instruction.
  22. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of præcepit; Translation: the LORD; Notes: Rendered “LORD” because it refers to YHWH.
  23. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Indirect object; Translation: to Moses; Notes: Traditional Vulgate form of “Moses.”

 

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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