Exodus 28:37

Posted on March 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 28:37 Ligabisque eam vitta hyacinthina, et erit super tiaram,

And you shall bind it with a hyacinth-blue cord, and it shall be upon the turban.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ligabisque and you shall bind VERB 2 FUT ACT IND 1ST CONJ
2 eam it PRON PERS ACC SG F
3 vitta with a cord NOUN ABL SG F 1ST DECL
4 hyacinthina hyacinth-blue ADJ ABL SG F
5 et and CONJ INDECL
6 erit it shall be VERB 3 FUT ACT IND IRREG
7 super upon PREP+ACC INDECL
8 tiaram mitre / headdress / turban NOUN ACC SG F 1ST DECL

Syntax

First main clause: Ligabisque eam vitta hyacinthina — “And you shall bind it with a hyacinth-blue cord.”
The verb Ligabisque governs the direct object eam, while vitta hyacinthina functions as an ablative of means describing how the binding is done.

Second main clause: et erit super tiaram — “and it shall be upon the turban.”
Here the subject is still the golden plate (lamina), implied from context, the verb is erit, and the prepositional phrase super tiaram specifies its fixed position on the high priest’s headgear.

Morphology

  1. Ligabisque — Lemma: ligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative, first conjugation, with enclitic -que; Function: main imperative-like command coordinated with previous instructions; Translation: “and you shall bind”; Notes: the enclitic -que links this command tightly to what precedes, continuing the sequence of vesting regulations.
  2. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun (personal/demonstrative); Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of Ligabisque; Translation: “it”; Notes: refers back to the golden plate (laminam) engraved “Sanctum Domino.”
  3. vitta — Lemma: vitta; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, first declension; Function: ablative of means/instrument with the passive notion of binding; Translation: “with a cord”; Notes: denotes a narrow band or ribbon used to fasten or adorn.
  4. hyacinthina — Lemma: hyacinthinus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: agrees with vitta and specifies its color; Translation: “hyacinth-blue”; Notes: indicates the same sacred blue used elsewhere in priestly garments, signifying cultic distinctiveness.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates the second main clause with the first; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple copulative conjunction continuing the instructions.
  6. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative, irregular verb; Function: main verb of the second clause; Translation: “it shall be”; Notes: prescriptive future describing the fixed, ongoing position of the plate.
  7. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces a prepositional phrase of spatial relation; Translation: “upon”; Notes: expresses physical placement on top of another object, here the priestly headdress.
  8. tiaram — Lemma: tiara; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, first declension; Function: object of the preposition super; Translation: “turban”; Notes: denotes the high priest’s ceremonial headpiece upon which the golden plate rests.

 

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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