Exodus 40:35

Posted on March 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 40:35 si pendebat desuper, manebant in eodem loco.

if it hung above, they remained in the same place.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 si if CONJ.SUBORD
2 pendebat was hanging 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
3 desuper above / from above ADV
4 manebant they remained 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 eodem the same ABL.SG.M.ADJ.DEM
7 loco place ABL.SG.M.2ND.DECL

Syntax

Conditional Protasis:
• si pendebat desuper — “if it was hanging above”
— pendebat = imperfect, describing ongoing condition of the cloud
— desuper = adverb meaning “from above / overhead”

Main Apodosis:
• manebant in eodem loco — “they remained in the same place”
— manebant = imperfect indicating continued staying
— in eodem loco = stable spatial position

Morphology

  1. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: if; Notes: marks circumstances determining Israel’s movement.
  2. pendebat — Lemma: pendeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: verb of protasis; Translation: was hanging; Notes: imperfect gives continuous, ongoing divine presence.
  3. desuper — Lemma: desuper; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: specifies position; Translation: above / from above; Notes: refers to the cloud remaining overhead.
  4. manebant — Lemma: maneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb of apodosis; Translation: they remained; Notes: shows habitual response to the cloud’s position.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: in; Notes: marks stable residence.
  6. eodem — Lemma: idem; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies loco; Translation: the same; Notes: emphasizes continuity of encampment.
  7. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine 2nd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: place; Notes: refers to Israel’s fixed encampment location.

 

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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