Exodus 28:22

Posted on March 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 28:22 Facies in rationali catenas sibi invicem cohærentes ex auro purissimo:

You shall make on the breastpiece chains joined to one another of the purest gold;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Facies you shall make 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND, 3RD CONJ
2 in in PREP+ABL
3 rationali on the breastpiece ABL.SG.N, 3RD DECL, NOUN
4 catenas chains ACC.PL.F, 1ST DECL, NOUN
5 sibi to one another DAT.SG, PRON, REFL
6 invicem mutually ADV, INDECL
7 cohærentes joined NOM.PL.F, PTCP.PRES.ACT
8 ex of PREP+ABL
9 auro gold ABL.SG.N, 2ND DECL, NOUN
10 purissimo purest ABL.SG.N, ADJ, SUPER

Syntax

Main clause: Facies catenas — “you shall make chains,” with Facies as the main future directive and catenas as the direct object.

Locative phrase: in rationali — ablative with preposition, “on the breastpiece,” indicating where the chains belong.

Reciprocal description: sibi invicem cohærentes — “joined to one another,” with sibi and invicem forming a reciprocal expression and cohærentes as a participle modifying catenas.

Material phrase: ex auro purissimo — ablative of material, “of the purest gold,” specifying the substance from which the chains are made.

Morphology

  1. Facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb expressing a command to make; Translation: you shall make; Notes: future indicative used imperatively in legal and ritual instructions.
  2. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the ablative case; Function: introduces a prepositional phrase of location; Translation: in or on; Notes: here indicates spatial placement on the breastpiece.
  3. rationali — Lemma: rationale; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, third declension; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: on the breastpiece; Notes: refers to the breastpiece of judgment worn by the high priest.
  4. catenas — Lemma: catena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: direct object of Facies; Translation: chains; Notes: denotes the ornamental and functional chains attached to the breastpiece.
  5. sibi — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: forms a reciprocal expression together with invicem; Translation: to one another; Notes: refers back to the chains as relating mutually to each other.
  6. invicem — Lemma: invicem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifies the reciprocal idea expressed with sibi; Translation: mutually or in turn; Notes: reinforces that the chains are correspondingly interconnected.
  7. cohærentes — Lemma: cohæreo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural feminine present active participle; Function: adjectival modifier of catenas; Translation: joined or clinging; Notes: describes the physical connection of each part of the chains.
  8. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the ablative case; Function: introduces an ablative of material; Translation: from or of; Notes: marks the substance out of which the chains are made.
  9. auro — Lemma: aurum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of the preposition ex; Translation: gold; Notes: indicates precious material required for the sacred vestments.
  10. purissimo — Lemma: purissimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter, superlative degree; Function: attribute modifying auro; Translation: the purest; Notes: SUPER used correctly for the superlative, emphasizing the highest quality of gold.

 

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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