Exodus 39:24

Posted on March 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 39:24 tintinnabulum autem aureum, et malum punicum, quibus ornatus incedebat pontifex quando ministerio fungebatur, sicut præceperat Dominus Moysi.

a small golden bell and a pomegranate, with which the High Priest went adorned when he performed his ministry, just as the LORD had commanded Moyses.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 tintinnabulum small bell NOUN.NOM.SG.N
2 autem however / moreover CONJ
3 aureum golden ADJ.NOM.SG.N
4 et and CONJ
5 malum pomegranate NOUN.NOM.SG.N
6 punicum pomegranate-shaped ADJ.NOM.SG.N
7 quibus with which PRON.ABL.PL.N.REL
8 ornatus adorned PTCP.NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS
9 incedebat he walked / went 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ
10 pontifex high priest NOUN.NOM.SG.M
11 quando when CONJ
12 ministerio in ministry NOUN.ABL.SG.N
13 fungebatur he performed 3SG.IMP.DEP.IND.3RD CONJ
14 sicut just as CONJ
15 præceperat had commanded 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND.1ST CONJ
16 Dominus the LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
17 Moysi to Moses NOUN.DAT.SG.M

Syntax

The coordinated nominatives tintinnabulum aureum and malum punicum form the subject of an implied verb (“there was”), continuing the description of the priestly garments.

The relative pronoun quibus introduces a relative clause describing how these ornaments were used: the High Priest (pontifex) “went adorned” (ornatus incedebat).

The temporal clause quando ministerio fungebatur (“when he performed his ministry”) gives the circumstance of this adorned movement.

The concluding clause sicut præceperat Dominus Moysi confirms obedience to divine instruction.

Morphology

  1. tintinnabulum — Lemma: tintinnabulum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter, second declension; Function: subject; Translation: small bell; Notes: refers to the golden bells alternating with pomegranates on the priestly tunic.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connective with contrastive nuance; Translation: however / moreover; Notes: shifts to an explanatory detail.
  3. aureum — Lemma: aureus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies tintinnabulum; Translation: golden; Notes: denotes construction from pure gold.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates tintinnabulum and malum; Translation: and; Notes: simple connective.
  5. malum — Lemma: malum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: pomegranate; Notes: ornamental textile fruit-shape on the hem.
  6. punicum — Lemma: punicus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies malum; Translation: pomegranate-like; Notes: refers to the style, not botanical identity.
  7. quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural neuter, relative; Function: ablative of means with ornatus; Translation: with which; Notes: refers back to both bells and pomegranates.
  8. ornatus — Lemma: orno; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect passive participle; Function: predicate participle; Translation: adorned; Notes: describes the High Priest’s appearance while moving.
  9. incedebat — Lemma: incedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular imperfect active indicative, third conjugation; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: he went / walked; Notes: imperfect suggests repeated ceremonial movement.
  10. pontifex — Lemma: pontifex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of incedebat; Translation: high priest; Notes: denotes the one performing the sacred ritual.
  11. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: marks ritual circumstance.
  12. ministerio — Lemma: ministerium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative with the deponent verb fungebatur; Translation: in ministry; Notes: expresses sphere or function.
  13. fungebatur — Lemma: fungor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: third person singular imperfect indicative, deponent; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: he performed; Notes: governs ablative; classical rule preserved.
  14. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces comparative clause; Translation: just as; Notes: stresses obedience to divine command.
  15. præceperat — Lemma: praecipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular pluperfect active indicative, third conjugation; Function: verb of the subordinate clause; Translation: had commanded; Notes: expresses prior divine instruction.
  16. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of præceperat; Translation: the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH (translated as “LORD” per project rule).
  17. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to Moses; Notes: recipient of the divine command.

 

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.