Exodus 28:17

Posted on March 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 28:17 Ponesque in eo quattuor ordines lapidum: in primo versu erit lapis sardius, et topazius, et smaragdus:

And you shall place in it four rows of stones the first row shall be a sardius stone and a topaz and an emerald;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ponesque and you shall place 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE, 3RD CONJ
2 in in PREP+ABL
3 eo it ABL.SG.N, PRON.DEM
4 quattuor four INDECL.NUM
5 ordines rows ACC.PL.M, 3RD DECL, NOUN
6 lapidum of stones GEN.PL.M, 3RD DECL, NOUN
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 primo first ABL.SG.M, ADJ.POS
9 versu row ABL.SG.M, 4TH DECL, NOUN
10 erit it shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
11 lapis stone NOM.SG.M, 3RD DECL, NOUN
12 sardius sardius NOM.SG.M, 2ND DECL, NOUN
13 et and CONJ
14 topazius topaz NOM.SG.M, 2ND DECL, NOUN
15 et and CONJ
16 smaragdus emerald NOM.SG.M, 2ND DECL, NOUN

Syntax

Main command:
Ponesque — future directive addressed to Moses.
in eo — ablative of location: “in it,” referring to the breastpiece.
quattuor ordines lapidum — direct object: “four rows of stones.”

Subsequent clause:
in primo versu — ablative phrase: “in the first row.”
erit lapis sardius et topazius et smaragdus — nominal predicate listing the stones of the first row.

Morphology

  1. Ponesque — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular future active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and you shall place; Notes: -que closely links to prior instructions.
  2. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: in; Notes: spatial usage.
  3. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: it; Notes: refers to the breastpiece.
  4. quattuor — Lemma: quattuor; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies ordines; Translation: four; Notes: numeral of quantity.
  5. ordines — Lemma: ordo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, 3rd declension; Function: direct object; Translation: rows; Notes: refers to ordered gemstone rows.
  6. lapidum — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, 3rd declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying ordines; Translation: of stones; Notes: specifies composition of rows.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks spatial context; Translation: in; Notes: repeated for structural clarity.
  8. primo — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine, positive degree; Function: modifies versu; Translation: first; Notes: ordinal used adjectivally.
  9. versu — Lemma: versus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 4th declension; Function: object of in; Translation: row; Notes: technical term for a line or row.
  10. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of the second clause; Translation: it shall be; Notes: introduces the contents of the first row.
  11. lapis — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: stone; Notes: generic classification.
  12. sardius — Lemma: sardius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: apposition to lapis; Translation: sardius; Notes: the first gemstone listed.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates items; Translation: and; Notes: simple additive.
  14. topazius — Lemma: topazius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: second item in apposition to lapis; Translation: topaz; Notes: second gemstone.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins final item; Translation: and; Notes: sequential coordinator.
  16. smaragdus — Lemma: smaragdus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: final appositional element; Translation: emerald; Notes: third gemstone in the first row.

 

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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