Exodus 25:18

Posted on March 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

18 Duos quoque Cherubim aureos, et productiles facies, ex utraque parte oraculi.

And you shall also make two Cherubim of gold, and of beaten work you shall make them, on each side of the mercy-seat.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Duos two ACC.PL.M.ADJ
2 quoque also ADV
3 Cherubim Cherubim ACC.PL.M.NOUN.INVAR
4 aureos golden ACC.PL.M.ADJ
5 et and CONJ
6 productiles beaten / hammered ACC.PL.M.ADJ
7 facies you shall make 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
8 ex from / out of PREP+ABL
9 utraque each / both ABL.SG.F.ADJ
10 parte side ABL.SG.F.NOUN.3RD DECL
11 oraculi of the mercy-seat GEN.SG.N.NOUN.2ND DECL

Syntax

Main command: Duos quoque Cherubim aureos … facies instructs Moses to make two golden cherubim.
Adjectival modifier: productiles describes the cherubim as hammered or beaten work.
Prepositional phrase of origin: ex utraque parte indicates “from each side,” describing placement.
Genitive phrase: oraculi identifies the mercy-seat as the object flanked by the cherubim.

Morphology

  1. Duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: quantifies Cherubim; Translation: two; Notes: numeral serving as object modifier.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds additional command; Translation: also; Notes: stresses inclusion of this instruction.
  3. Cherubim — Lemma: Cherubim; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine (indeclinable plural); Function: direct object; Translation: Cherubim; Notes: Hebrew loanword.
  4. aureos — Lemma: aureus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies Cherubim; Translation: golden; Notes: describes their composition.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: links modifiers.
  6. productiles — Lemma: productilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: describes manner of manufacture; Translation: beaten / hammered; Notes: implies metalwork.
  7. facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second singular future active indicative; Function: main command; Translation: you shall make; Notes: construction directive.
  8. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses position from each side; Translation: from; Notes: spatial relation.
  9. utraque — Lemma: uterque; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies parte; Translation: each/both; Notes: indicates dual placement.
  10. parte — Lemma: pars; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of ex; Translation: side; Notes: physical orientation around the mercy-seat.
  11. oraculi — Lemma: oraculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: possession; Translation: of the mercy-seat; Notes: “oraculum” is Vulgate term for the propitiatory lid.

 

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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