Exodus 40:34

Posted on March 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 40:34 Si quando nubes tabernaculum deserebat, proficiscebantur filii Israel per turmas suas:

If ever the cloud left the tabernacle, the sons of Israel set out according to their companies;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ.SUBORD
2 quando ever / whenever ADV
3 nubes cloud NOM.SG.F.3RD.DECL
4 tabernaculum tabernacle ACC.SG.N.2ND.DECL
5 deserebat left / departed 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
6 proficiscebantur they set out 3PL.IMP.DEP.IND
7 filii sons NOM.PL.M.2ND.DECL
8 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M.INDECL
9 per according to PREP+ACC
10 turmas companies ACC.PL.F.1ST.DECL
11 suas their ACC.PL.F.PRON.REFL

Syntax

Conditional Protasis:
• Si quando nubes tabernaculum deserebat — “If ever the cloud left the tabernacle”
— Si quando: idiomatic conditional “whenever”
— nubes = subject
— tabernaculum = object
— deserebat = imperfect indicating repeated action

Main Apodosis:
• proficiscebantur filii Israel per turmas suas — “the sons of Israel set out according to their companies”
— proficiscebantur = deponent verb functioning actively
— filii Israel = compound subject
— per turmas suas = distributive phrase of organized marching order

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: if; Notes: establishes contingency-pattern typical of Israel’s journey.
  2. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: intensifies conditional into an iterative “whenever”; Translation: ever / whenever; Notes: adds temporal flexibility.
  3. nubes — Lemma: nubes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine 3rd declension; Function: subject; Translation: cloud; Notes: divine presence manifested visibly.
  4. tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter 2nd declension; Function: direct object of deserebat; Translation: tabernacle; Notes: the sacred dwelling whose condition dictated Israel’s travels.
  5. deserebat — Lemma: desero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: verb of protasis; Translation: left / departed; Notes: imperfect portrays repeated historical pattern.
  6. proficiscebantur — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: 3rd person plural imperfect indicative deponent; Function: main verb of apodosis; Translation: they set out; Notes: deponent form with active sense referring to tribal movement.
  7. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine 2nd declension; Function: subject; Translation: sons; Notes: refers to the people of Israel collectively.
  8. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine indeclinable; Function: modifies filii; Translation: of Israel; Notes: Hebrew proper name preserved as indeclinable in Latin.
  9. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses distribution; Translation: according to; Notes: marks organized departure by divisions.
  10. turmas — Lemma: turma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine 1st declension; Function: object of per; Translation: companies; Notes: refers to military-style tribal groupings.
  11. suas — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine reflexive; Function: modifies turmas; Translation: their; Notes: reflexive possession tied to the subject group.

 

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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