Exodus 28:33

Posted on March 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 28:33 Deorsum vero, ad pedes eiusdem tunicæ, per circuitum, quasi mala punica facies, ex hyacintho, et purpura, et cocco bis tincto, mistis in medio tintinnabulis,

And below, at the feet of the same tunic, all around, you shall make pomegranate-like forms of blue, and purple, and twice-dyed scarlet, with little bells mixed in the midst,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Deorsum below ADV INDECL
2 vero however / but ADV INDECL
3 ad to / at PREP+ACC INDECL
4 pedes feet NOUN ACC PL M 3RD DECL
5 eiusdem of the same PRON DEM GEN SG F
6 tunicæ of the tunic NOUN GEN SG F 1ST DECL
7 per around PREP+ACC INDECL
8 circuitum circuit NOUN ACC SG M 4TH DECL
9 quasi as if ADV INDECL
10 mala pomegranates NOUN ACC PL N 2ND DECL
11 punica Punic / pomegranate-like ADJ ACC PL N
12 facies you shall make VERB 2 FUT ACT IND 3RD CONJ
13 ex from / of PREP+ABL INDECL
14 hyacintho blue NOUN ABL SG M 2ND DECL
15 et and CONJ INDECL
16 purpura purple NOUN ABL SG F 1ST DECL
17 et and CONJ INDECL
18 cocco scarlet NOUN ABL SG M 2ND DECL
19 bis twice ADV INDECL
20 tincto dyed PTCP ABL SG M PERF PASS 3RD CONJ
21 mistis mixed PTCP ABL PL N PERF PASS 2ND CONJ
22 in in PREP+ABL INDECL
23 medio middle NOUN ABL SG N 2ND DECL
24 tintinnabulis little bells NOUN ABL PL N 2ND DECL

Syntax

Deorsum vero introduces a contrastive spatial setting: “But below.”
ad pedes eiusdem tunicæ gives the location: “at the feet of the same tunic,” i.e., the lower hem.
per circuitum describes decoration encircling the hem completely.
quasi mala punica facies is the main verbal idea: “you shall make pomegranate-like shapes.”
Material ablatives: ex hyacintho, et purpura, et cocco bis tincto list the colored textiles.
Ablative absolute: mistis in medio tintinnabulis — “with little bells mixed in the midst,” describing how the ornaments alternate with bells.

Morphology

  1. Deorsum — Lemma: deorsum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces downward position; Translation: “below”; Notes: spatial marker distinguishing upper and lower parts of garment.
  2. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrastive connective; Translation: “however/but”; Notes: softens transition to new instruction.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction/location; Translation: “to / at”; Notes: commonly used with body-part metaphors like garment hems (“feet”).
  4. pedes — Lemma: pes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, third declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: “feet / lower parts”; Notes: metaphorical for bottom of robe.
  5. eiusdem — Lemma: idem; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies tunicæ; Translation: “of the same”; Notes: refers back to previously specified tunic.
  6. tunicæ — Lemma: tunica; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, first declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of the tunic”; Notes: identifies garment to which hem belongs.
  7. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses movement around; Translation: “around”; Notes: indicates encircling pattern.
  8. circuitum — Lemma: circuitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, fourth declension; Function: object of per; Translation: “circuit / circumference”; Notes: expresses full circular perimeter.
  9. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “as if”; Notes: softens visual metaphor.
  10. mala — Lemma: malum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, second declension; Function: object of facies; Translation: “pomegranates”; Notes: decorative textile fruits.
  11. punica — Lemma: punicus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies mala; Translation: “pomegranate-like”; Notes: from Punic red color associated with the fruit.
  12. facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: main verbal command; Translation: “you shall make”; Notes: prescriptive future typical of ritual law.
  13. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: material-source construction; Translation: “from / of”; Notes: indicates textile composition.
  14. hyacintho — Lemma: hyacinthus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: material ablative; Translation: “blue”; Notes: hyacinth dye used in sacred garments.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links coordinate nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple coordinator.
  16. purpura — Lemma: purpura; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: material; Translation: “purple”; Notes: prestigious dye in ancient textiles.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links next noun; Translation: “and”; Notes: identical usage.
  18. cocco — Lemma: coccus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: material ablative; Translation: “scarlet”; Notes: cochineal-derived dye.
  19. bis — Lemma: bis; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies tincto; Translation: “twice”; Notes: indicates double dyeing for intensity.
  20. tincto — Lemma: tingo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: modifies cocco; Translation: “dyed”; Notes: describes scarlet thread preparation.
  21. mistis — Lemma: misceo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “mixed”; Notes: refers to elements interwoven with bells.
  22. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: introduces the interior position of the bells.
  23. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “middle”; Notes: center region of lower hem.
  24. tintinnabulis — Lemma: tintinnabulum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter, second declension; Function: complement in ablative absolute; Translation: “little bells”; Notes: sound-producing ornaments alternating with pomegranates.

 

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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