Exodus 30:3

Posted on March 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 30:3 Vestiesque illud auro purissimo, tam craticulam eius, quam parietes per circuitum, et cornua. Faciesque ei coronam aureolam per gyrum,

And you shall overlay it with very pure gold, both its grating and its walls all around, and its horns. And you shall make for it a little golden crown around it,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Vestiesque and you shall overlay 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND 4TH CONJ + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 illud it ACC.SG.N PRON DEM
3 auro with gold ABL.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
4 purissimo very pure ABL.SG.N ADJ SUPER
5 tam as much ADV INDECL
6 craticulam grating ACC.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
7 eius its GEN.SG PRON POSS
8 quam as CONJ INDECL
9 parietes walls ACC.PL.M NOUN 3RD DECL
10 per through / around PREP+ACC INDECL
11 circuitum circuit / circumference ACC.SG.M NOUN 4TH DECL
12 et and CONJ INDECL
13 cornua horns ACC.PL.N NOUN 3RD DECL
14 Faciesque and you shall make 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ + ENCLITIC -QUE
15 ei for it DAT.SG PRON PERS
16 coronam a crown ACC.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
17 aureolam a little golden ACC.SG.F ADJ POS
18 per around PREP+ACC INDECL
19 gyrum circle / circuit ACC.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL

Syntax

Main Command 1: Vestiesque illud auro purissimo — instruction to overlay the altar in pure gold.
Correlative Construction: tam craticulam eius quam parietes per circuitum — specifies which parts must be covered.
Added Element: et cornua — horns likewise included.
Main Command 2: Faciesque ei coronam aureolam — command to craft a golden crown for the altar.
Prepositional Phrase: per gyrum — describes the encircling design.

Morphology

  1. Vestiesque — Lemma: vestio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second singular with enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and you shall overlay; Notes: introduces continued construction instructions.
  2. illud — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: it; Notes: refers to the incense altar.
  3. auro — Lemma: aurum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of material; Translation: with gold; Notes: denotes material covering.
  4. purissimo — Lemma: purus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter superlative; Function: modifies auro; Translation: very pure; Notes: largest degree of purity.
  5. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: first half of correlative pair; Translation: as much; Notes: pairs with quam.
  6. craticulam — Lemma: craticula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of dimension; Translation: grating; Notes: metal lattice for altar top.
  7. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies craticulam; Translation: its; Notes: refers back to the altar.
  8. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: second half of correlative pair; Translation: as; Notes: links second object.
  9. parietes — Lemma: paries; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: second coordinate object; Translation: walls; Notes: vertical side panels of altar.
  10. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: describes extent; Translation: through / around; Notes: indicates entire circumference.
  11. circuitum — Lemma: circuitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of per; Translation: circumference; Notes: describes surrounding area.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adds final item; Translation: and; Notes: connects horns to list.
  13. cornua — Lemma: cornu; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: horns; Notes: distinctive altar projections.
  14. Faciesque — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second singular with enclitic -que; Function: introduces new command; Translation: and you shall make; Notes: second instruction referring to ornamentation.
  15. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: for it; Notes: indicates beneficiary (the altar).
  16. coronam — Lemma: corona; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of Faciesque; Translation: a crown; Notes: decorative rim.
  17. aureolam — Lemma: aureolus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifier of coronam; Translation: golden / little golden; Notes: diminutive style adjective.
  18. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses distribution; Translation: around; Notes: describes full encircling.
  19. gyrum — Lemma: gyrus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of per; Translation: circuit / circle; Notes: architectural description.

 

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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