Exodus 25:10

Posted on March 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 25:10 Arcam de lignis setim compingite, cuius longitudo habeat duos et semis cubitos: latitudo, cubitum et dimidium: altitudo, cubitum similiter ac semissem.

Make an ark of acacia wood, whose length shall be two and a half cubits, its width a cubit and a half, its height likewise a cubit and a half.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Arcam ark ACC.SG.F.NOUN.1ST DECL
2 de of PREP+ABL
3 lignis woods ABL.PL.N.NOUN.2ND DECL
4 setim acacia GEN.PL.F.INVAR
5 compingite make 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
6 cuius whose GEN.SG.F.PRON.REL
7 longitudo length NOM.SG.F.NOUN.3RD DECL
8 habeat may have 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
9 duos two ACC.PL.M.NUM
10 et and CONJ
11 semis half ACC.SG.M.NOUN.3RD DECL
12 cubitos cubits ACC.PL.M.NOUN.2ND DECL
13 latitudo width NOM.SG.F.NOUN.3RD DECL
14 cubitum a cubit ACC.SG.M.NOUN.2ND DECL
15 et and CONJ
16 dimidium a half ACC.SG.M.ADJ
17 altitudo height NOM.SG.F.NOUN.3RD DECL
18 cubitum a cubit ACC.SG.M.NOUN.2ND DECL
19 similiter likewise ADV
20 ac and CONJ
21 semissem a half ACC.SG.M.NOUN.3RD DECL

Syntax

Main command: Arcam … compingite issues the instruction to build the ark.
Material phrase: de lignis setim specifies acacia wood as the exclusive material.
Relative clause: cuius longitudo habeat… elaborates the dimensions beginning with the length.
Numeric expressions: duos et semis cubitos forms a compound measure (“two and a half cubits”).
Parallel dimension clauses: latitudo … cubitum et dimidium and altitudo … cubitum similiter ac semissem establish width and height analogously.
Adverbial modifier: similiter indicates that the height follows the same pattern as the width.

Morphology

  1. Arcam — Lemma: arca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of compingite; Translation: ark; Notes: primary object being constructed.
  2. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates material; Translation: of; Notes: expresses source substance.
  3. lignis — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: woods; Notes: collective term for timber.
  4. setim — Lemma: setim; Part of Speech: noun (indeclinable); Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: specifies type of wood; Translation: of acacia; Notes: denotes shittim/acacia wood.
  5. compingite — Lemma: compingo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second plural present active imperative; Function: main command; Translation: make; Notes: instructs construction.
  6. cuius — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun (relative); Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: relative dependent on arca; Translation: whose; Notes: introduces measurement clause.
  7. longitudo — Lemma: longitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of habeat; Translation: length; Notes: first dimension given.
  8. habeat — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: may have; Notes: subjunctive of specification.
  9. duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: part of measure; Translation: two; Notes: cardinal numeral.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects numeric elements; Translation: and; Notes: additive.
  11. semis — Lemma: semis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: fractional measurement; Translation: half; Notes: ancient fractional unit.
  12. cubitos — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: measurement; Translation: cubits; Notes: standard biblical measure.
  13. latitudo — Lemma: latitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of implied habeat; Translation: width; Notes: second dimension listed.
  14. cubitum — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: measurement; Translation: a cubit; Notes: indicates base unit.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects dimension elements; Translation: and; Notes: linking phrase.
  16. dimidium — Lemma: dimidius; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: fractional measure; Translation: half; Notes: used to form “one and a half.”
  17. altitudo — Lemma: altitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: height; Notes: third dimension.
  18. cubitum — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: unit of measure; Translation: a cubit; Notes: repeated for clarity.
  19. similiter — Lemma: similiter; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverbial modifier; Translation: likewise; Notes: parallels previous measure.
  20. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces second fractional unit; Translation: and; Notes: formal connective.
  21. semissem — Lemma: semissis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: fractional measure; Translation: a half; Notes: synonymous with semis.

 

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.