Exodus 40:36

Posted on March 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 40:36 Nubes quippe Domini incubabat per diem tabernaculo, et ignis in nocte, videntibus cunctis populis Israel per cunctas mansiones suas.

For the cloud of the LORD indeed rested upon the tabernacle by day, and fire by night, with all the peoples of Israel seeing it through all their dwellings.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nubes cloud NOM.SG.F.3RD.DECL
2 quippe indeed ADV
3 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M.2ND.DECL
4 incubabat was resting upon 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
5 per through / during PREP+ACC
6 diem day ACC.SG.M.5TH.DECL
7 tabernaculo upon the tabernacle DAT.SG.N.2ND.DECL
8 et and CONJ
9 ignis fire NOM.SG.M.3RD.DECL
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 nocte night ABL.SG.F.3RD.DECL
12 videntibus with … seeing PTCP.PRES.ACT.ABL.PL.M
13 cunctis all ABL.PL.C.ADJ
14 populis peoples ABL.PL.M.3RD.DECL
15 Israel of Israel GEN.SG.M.INDECL
16 per through PREP+ACC
17 cunctas all ACC.PL.F.ADJ
18 mansiones dwellings ACC.PL.F.3RD.DECL
19 suas their ACC.PL.F.PRON.REFL

Syntax

Main Clause:
• Nubes quippe Domini incubabat per diem tabernaculo — “For the cloud of the LORD indeed was resting upon the tabernacle during the day”
— Nubes = subject
— Domini = genitive identifying the divine presence
— incubabat = imperfect, ongoing action
— tabernaculo = dative of reference with incubare (“to rest upon”)

Coordinated Clause:
• et ignis in nocte — “and fire by night”
— ignis = subject
— in nocte = temporal phrase

Ablative Absolute:
• videntibus cunctis populis Israel — “with all the peoples of Israel seeing”
— videntibus = present active ablative plural participle
— cunctis populis Israel = ablative of attendant circumstance

Prepositional Phrase of Extent:
• per cunctas mansiones suas — “through all their dwellings”
— describes visibility throughout the entire encampment

Morphology

  1. Nubes — Lemma: nubes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine 3rd declension; Function: subject; Translation: cloud; Notes: the cloud is the manifestation of divine guidance.
  2. quippe — Lemma: quippe; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adds emphasis; Translation: indeed; Notes: strengthens the assertion of divine presence.
  3. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine 2nd declension; Function: modifies Nubes; Translation: of the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  4. incubabat — Lemma: incubo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: was resting upon; Notes: continuous protective presence.
  5. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses duration; Translation: during; Notes: refers to the daily period.
  6. diem — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine 5th declension; Function: object of per; Translation: day; Notes: denotes daylight hours.
  7. tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular neuter 2nd declension; Function: complement of incubabat; Translation: upon the tabernacle; Notes: dative used idiomatically with this verb.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates clauses; Translation: and; Notes: links day and night manifestations.
  9. ignis — Lemma: ignis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine 3rd declension; Function: subject; Translation: fire; Notes: night-time form of divine presence.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: temporal marker; Translation: in; Notes: specifies nocturnal timing.
  11. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine 3rd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: night; Notes: contrasts daily cloud manifestation.
  12. videntibus — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: with … seeing; Notes: signifies all tribes were witnesses.
  13. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural common gender; Function: modifies populis; Translation: all; Notes: emphasizes universality.
  14. populis — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine 3rd declension; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: peoples; Notes: tribal divisions of Israel.
  15. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine indeclinable; Function: modifies populis; Translation: of Israel; Notes: ethnic identifier.
  16. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses spatial extent; Translation: through; Notes: indicates visibility across camp.
  17. cunctas — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies mansiones; Translation: all; Notes: expresses totality of camp locations.
  18. mansiones — Lemma: mansio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine 3rd declension; Function: object of per; Translation: dwellings; Notes: refers to Israel’s encampment points.
  19. suas — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine reflexive; Function: modifies mansiones; Translation: their; Notes: reflexively refers back to “peoples of Israel.”

 

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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