Exodus 28:26

Posted on March 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 28:26 Facies et duos annulos aureos, quos pones in summitatibus rationalis, in oris, quæ e regione sunt superhumeralis, et posteriora eius aspiciunt.

You will make also two golden rings, which you will place on the top edges of the breastpiece, on the borders which are opposite the ephod, and its back parts look toward it.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Facies you will make VERB 2 FUT ACT IND 3RD CONJ
2 et and CONJ INDECL
3 duos two ADJ ACC PL M
4 annulos rings NOUN ACC PL M 2ND DECL
5 aureos golden ADJ ACC PL M
6 quos which PRON REL ACC PL M
7 pones you will place VERB 2 FUT ACT IND 3RD CONJ
8 in in/on PREP+ABL INDECL
9 summitatibus top parts NOUN ABL PL F 3RD DECL
10 rationalis of the breastpiece NOUN GEN SG N 3RD DECL
11 in in/on PREP+ABL INDECL
12 oris edges NOUN ABL PL F 3RD DECL
13 quæ which PRON REL NOM PL F
14 e out of PREP+ABL INDECL
15 regione opposite NOUN ABL SG F 3RD DECL
16 sunt are VERB 3 PRES ACT IND IRREG
17 superhumeralis of the ephod NOUN GEN SG N 3RD DECL
18 et and CONJ INDECL
19 posteriora the back parts ADJ SUBST NOM PL N
20 eius of it PRON POSS GEN SG
21 aspiciunt look toward VERB 3 PRES ACT IND 3RD CONJ

Syntax

Main Instruction:
Facies is the first finite verb, giving the command “you will make.”
The direct object is duos annulos aureos, the two golden rings.

Relative Clause #1:
quos pones in summitatibus rationalis modifies annulos.
The verb is pones. The prepositional phrase in summitatibus rationalis gives the placement.

Prepositional Expansion:
in oris quæ e regione sunt superhumeralis further specifies the precise borders of the breastpiece that face the ephod.
quæ… sunt forms another relative clause modifying oris.

Final Clause:
et posteriora eius aspiciunt introduces an additional description:
The subject is posteriora, the neuter plural substantive.
eius modifies the subject (“its back parts”).
The verb aspiciunt gives their orientation.

Morphology

  1. Facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: main imperative-force verb; Translation: “you will make”; Notes: future indicative used as a command in legal instructions.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links coordinated instructions; Translation: “and”; Notes: standard coordinator linking successive construction directives.
  3. duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies annulos; Translation: “two”; Notes: numeral marking quantity of rings.
  4. annulos — Lemma: annulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, second declension; Function: direct object of Facies; Translation: “rings”; Notes: refers to attachment rings for the breastpiece.
  5. aureos — Lemma: aureus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies annulos; Translation: “golden”; Notes: denotes material composition.
  6. quos — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object inside the relative clause modifying annulos; Translation: “which”; Notes: introduces clause specifying placement.
  7. pones — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “you will place”; Notes: future with imperative sense continues ritual instructions.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces spatial phrase; Translation: “in/on”; Notes: static location.
  9. summitatibus — Lemma: summitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine, third declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “top parts”; Notes: used for uppermost edges of the breastpiece.
  10. rationalis — Lemma: rationale; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: dependent genitive (“of the breastpiece”); Translation: “of the breastpiece”; Notes: technical term for the High Priest’s “breastpiece of judgment.”
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: begins new spatial phrase; Translation: “in/on”; Notes: second use emphasizes precise positioning.
  12. oris — Lemma: ora; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine, third declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “edges”; Notes: refers to border-edges of the breastpiece.
  13. quæ — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of sunt; Translation: “which”; Notes: introduces clause identifying which borders are meant.
  14. e — Lemma: e/ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: forms phrase “out of, opposite to”; Translation: “out of/from”; Notes: idiomatic with regione meaning “opposite.”
  15. regione — Lemma: regio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, third declension; Function: object of e; Translation: “region/opposite”; Notes: ablative of relation forming the idiom “e regione”—“facing/opposite.”
  16. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: copula of the relative clause; Translation: “are”; Notes: links borders with their orientation.
  17. superhumeralis — Lemma: superhumerale; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, third declension; Function: genitive of relation (“of the ephod”); Translation: “of the ephod”; Notes: identifies the garment to which the borders face.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links the final descriptive clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: introduces an additional property.
  19. posteriora — Lemma: posterior; Part of Speech: comparative adjective used substantively; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of aspiciunt; Translation: “the back parts”; Notes: neuter plural substantive of position.
  20. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies posteriora; Translation: “of it”; Notes: refers back to the breastpiece.
  21. aspiciunt — Lemma: aspicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: final finite verb; Translation: “look toward”; Notes: expresses orientation or facing of the garment parts.

 

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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