Exodus 40:20

Posted on March 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

20 Posuit et mensam in tabernaculo testimonii ad plagam Septentrionalem extra velum,

And he placed the table in the tabernacle of the testimony, on the Northern side, outside the veil,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Posuit he placed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 et and CONJ
3 mensam table ACC.SG.F.1ST.DECL
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 tabernaculo tabernacle ABL.SG.N.2ND.DECL
6 testimonii of the testimony GEN.SG.N.2ND.DECL
7 ad toward PREP+ACC
8 plagam side ACC.SG.F.1ST.DECL
9 Septentrionalem northern ACC.SG.F.ADJ.POS
10 extra outside PREP+ACC
11 velum veil ACC.SG.N.2ND.DECL

Syntax

Main Clause:
• Posuit mensam — verb + object
• in tabernaculo testimonii — locative phrase (within the sanctuary)

Directional Phrase:
• ad plagam Septentrionalem — “toward the northern side”
— plagam = object of ad
— Septentrionalem = modifying adjective

Spatial Qualification:
• extra velum — clarifies location in relation to the inner veil

Morphology

  1. Posuit — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he placed; Notes: continues the installation sequence of sanctuary furniture.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective; Translation: and; Notes: joins the action to prior narrative flow.
  3. mensam — Lemma: mensa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine 1st declension; Function: direct object of posuit; Translation: table; Notes: refers to the table of the Bread of the Presence.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: in; Notes: indicates the placement within the tabernacle structure.
  5. tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter 2nd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: tabernacle; Notes: general term for the dwelling tent.
  6. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter 2nd declension; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: of the testimony; Notes: marks this as the sacred tent containing the covenant tablets.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: directional; Translation: toward; Notes: indicates orientation.
  8. plagam — Lemma: plaga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine 1st declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: side; Notes: used for a cardinal direction.
  9. Septentrionalem — Lemma: septentrionalis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine positive degree; Function: modifies plagam; Translation: northern; Notes: refers to the north side of the tabernacle interior.
  10. extra — Lemma: extra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: outside; Notes: describes the table’s placement relative to the inner veil.
  11. velum — Lemma: velum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter 2nd declension; Function: object of extra; Translation: veil; Notes: the inner curtain marking the Holy of Holies.

 

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.