Exodus 26:1

Posted on March 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 26:1 Tabernaculum vero ita facies: Decem cortinas de bysso retorta, et hyacintho, ac purpura, coccoque bis tincto, variatas opere plumario facies.

“You shall make the tabernacle thus: You shall make ten curtains of twisted linen, and of hyacinth, and purple, and scarlet twice-dyed, embroidered with variegated work.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tabernaculum the tabernacle ACC.SG.N, NOUN, 2ND DECL
2 vero however ADV, INDECL
3 ita thus ADV, INDECL
4 facies you will make 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND, 3RD CONJ
5 Decem ten INVAR, ADJ.NUM
6 cortinas curtains ACC.PL.F, NOUN, 3RD DECL
7 de from/of PREP+ABL
8 bysso fine linen ABL.SG.F, NOUN, 1ST DECL
9 retorta twisted ACC.PL.F, PTCP, PERF.PASS
10 et and CONJ, INDECL
11 hyacintho hyacinth-blue ABL.SG.M, NOUN, 2ND DECL
12 ac and CONJ, INDECL
13 purpura purple ABL.SG.F, NOUN, 1ST DECL
14 coccoque and scarlet ABL.SG.M, NOUN, 2ND DECL
15 bis twice ADV, INDECL
16 tincto dyed ABL.SG.M, PTCP, PERF.PASS
17 variatas variegated ACC.PL.F, PTCP, PERF.PASS
18 opere with work ABL.SG.N, NOUN, 3RD DECL
19 plumario embroidered ABL.SG.N, ADJ
20 facies you shall make 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND, 3RD CONJ

Syntax

Main clause:
Subject (implied) — “you” (2nd singular)
Verb: facies — main finite verb
Object: Tabernaculum — direct object of the first verb
Complement clause: Decem cortinas … variatas … facies — second coordinated imperative-future clause describing the construction of the curtains
Prepositional phrase: de bysso … hyacintho … purpura … coccoque bis tincto — materials from which the curtains are made
Ablative of means: opere plumario — specifying the decorative technique (“embroidered work”)

Morphology

  1. Tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: the tabernacle; Notes: object of the first verb facies.
  2. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: discourse marker; Translation: however; Notes: adds adversative nuance.
  3. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: manner adverb; Translation: thus; Notes: modifies facies.
  4. facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: you will make; Notes: future indicative used as instructional future.
  5. Decem — Lemma: decem; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: invariable; Function: quantifier of cortinas; Translation: ten; Notes: Latin numerals above three are invariable.
  6. cortinas — Lemma: cortina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of the second facies; Translation: curtains; Notes: modified by multiple participles.
  7. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces material; Translation: from/of; Notes: standard material ablative construction.
  8. bysso — Lemma: byssus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: material ablative; Translation: fine linen; Notes: fine Egyptian linen.
  9. retorta — Lemma: retorqueo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle accusative plural feminine; Function: modifier of cortinas; Translation: twisted; Notes: refers to twisted linen threads.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinating conjunction; Translation: and; Notes: joins items in the material list.
  11. hyacintho — Lemma: hyacinthus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: material ablative; Translation: hyacinth-blue; Notes: a blue dye material.
  12. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connective; Translation: and; Notes: often slightly stronger than et.
  13. purpura — Lemma: purpura; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: material ablative; Translation: purple; Notes: expensive dye color.
  14. coccoque — Lemma: coccus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: material ablative; Translation: and scarlet; Notes: enclitic -que attaches to the noun.
  15. bis — Lemma: bis; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adverb modifying tincto; Translation: twice; Notes: refers to double dyeing process.
  16. tincto — Lemma: tingo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: describes cocco; Translation: dyed; Notes: forms a unit with bis.
  17. variatas — Lemma: vario; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative plural feminine perfect passive participle; Function: modifier of cortinas; Translation: variegated; Notes: describes multicolored embroidery.
  18. opere — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with work; Notes: technical artistic term.
  19. plumario — Lemma: plumarius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies opere; Translation: embroidered; Notes: denotes decorative needlework.
  20. facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: you shall make; Notes: repeats the instructional future for emphasis.

 

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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