Exodus 25:31

Posted on March 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 25:31 Facies et candelabrum ductile de auro mundissimo, hastile eius, et calamos, scyphos, et sphærulas, ac lilia ex ipso procedentia.

You shall also make a lampstand of hammered work from the purest gold: its shaft, and its branches, its cups, and its knobs, and its lilies shall come forth from it.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Facies you shall make 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 et and CONJ
3 candelabrum lampstand ACC.SG.N.2ND DECL
4 ductile hammered ACC.SG.N.ADJ
5 de from PREP+ABL
6 auro gold ABL.SG.N.2ND DECL
7 mundissimo purest ABL.SG.N.ADJ.SUPER
8 hastile shaft NOM.SG.N.3RD DECL
9 eius its GEN.SG.M/F/N.PRON
10 et and CONJ
11 calamos branches ACC.PL.M.2ND DECL
12 scyphos cups ACC.PL.M.2ND DECL
13 et and CONJ
14 sphærulas knobs ACC.PL.F.1ST DECL
15 ac and CONJ
16 lilia lilies ACC.PL.N.1ST DECL
17 ex from PREP+ABL
18 ipso from it ABL.SG.N.PRON.DEM
19 procedentia coming forth NOM.PL.N.PTCP.PRES.ACT

Syntax

Main command: Facies … candelabrum ductile — Moses is commanded to craft a hammered lampstand.
Material phrase: de auro mundissimo — specifies construction from the purest gold.
Appositional list: hastile eius, et calamos, scyphos, et sphærulas, ac lilia — enumerates structural components of the lampstand.
Participial phrase: procedentia ex ipso — describes all listed parts as emerging organically from the lampstand itself, not attached separately.

Morphology

  1. Facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second singular; Function: main command; Translation: you shall make; Notes: obligatory instruction.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects to prior instructions; Translation: and; Notes: simple additive.
  3. candelabrum — Lemma: candelabrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: lampstand; Notes: central source of tabernacle light.
  4. ductile — Lemma: ductilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies candelabrum; Translation: hammered; Notes: indicates beaten metalwork.
  5. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates material; Translation: from; Notes: common material phrase.
  6. auro — Lemma: aurum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of material; Translation: gold; Notes: sacred furnishings require pure gold.
  7. mundissimo — Lemma: mundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter superlative; Function: modifies auro; Translation: purest; Notes: highest ritual purity.
  8. hastile — Lemma: hastile; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: part of appositional list; Translation: shaft; Notes: central stem of lampstand.
  9. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possession; Translation: its; Notes: refers to the lampstand.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates list; Translation: and; Notes: simple connector.
  11. calamos — Lemma: calamus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object within list; Translation: branches; Notes: arms extending from shaft.
  12. scyphos — Lemma: scyphus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: cups; Notes: almond-shaped lamp cups.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: continues enumeration; Translation: and; Notes: list connector.
  14. sphærulas — Lemma: sphærula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: knobs; Notes: decorative round ornaments.
  15. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds final element; Translation: and; Notes: slightly emphatic conjunction.
  16. lilia — Lemma: lilium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: lilies; Notes: floral designs characteristic of menorah imagery.
  17. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source; Translation: from; Notes: expresses emergence.
  18. ipso — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: pronoun (demonstrative/intensive); Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of ex; Translation: from it; Notes: from the lampstand itself.
  19. procedentia — Lemma: procedo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural neuter present active participle; Function: predicate describing all listed parts; Translation: coming forth; Notes: indicates integrated construction rather than separate attachment.

 

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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