Exodus 28:16

Posted on March 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 28:16 Quadrangulum erit et duplex: mensuram palmi habebit tam in longitudine quam in latitudine.

It shall be square and doubled; it shall have the measure of a palm both in length and in width.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quadrangulum square NOM.SG.N, ADJ.POS
2 erit it shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 et and CONJ
4 duplex doubled NOM.SG.N, ADJ.POS
5 mensuram measure ACC.SG.F, 1ST DECL, NOUN
6 palmi of a palm GEN.SG.M, 2ND DECL, NOUN
7 habebit it shall have 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND, 2ND CONJ
8 tam as much ADV
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 longitudine length ABL.SG.F, 3RD DECL, NOUN
11 quam as CONJ.CORREL
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 latitudine width ABL.SG.F, 3RD DECL, NOUN

Syntax

First clause:
Quadrangulum erit et duplex — nominal predicate: “it shall be square and doubled.”
• Quadrangulum — predicate adjective
• duplex — second predicate adjective
• erit — future verb of being

Second clause:
mensuram palmi habebit — “it shall have the measure of a palm.”
Direct object: mensuram
Genitive specification: palmi

Correlative construction:
tam in longitudine quam in latitudine — “both in length and in width.”
Prepositional ablatives indicating dimensions.

Morphology

  1. Quadrangulum — Lemma: quadrangulus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter, positive degree; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: square; Notes: describes the shape of the breastpiece.
  2. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: it shall be; Notes: continues the series of construction specifications.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins predicate adjectives; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordinator.
  4. duplex — Lemma: duplex; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter, positive degree; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: doubled; Notes: describes the folded construction of the breastpiece.
  5. mensuram — Lemma: mensura; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: direct object of habebit; Translation: measure; Notes: the dimension specification.
  6. palmi — Lemma: palmus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying mensuram; Translation: of a palm; Notes: ancient unit of measure.
  7. habebit — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: it shall have; Notes: describes fixed required dimensions.
  8. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: correlative marker; Translation: as much; Notes: pairs with quam.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces dimension phrase; Translation: in; Notes: expresses specification.
  10. longitudine — Lemma: longitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: length; Notes: one dimension of the breastpiece.
  11. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: correlative with tam; Translation: as; Notes: introduces parallel dimension.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces second dimension phrase; Translation: in; Notes: repetition strengthens structure.
  13. latitudine — Lemma: latitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: width; Notes: parallel to longitudine.

 

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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