Exodus 30:36

Posted on March 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 30:36 Cumque in tenuissimum pulverem universa contuderis, pones ex eo coram tabernaculo testimonii, in quo loco apparebo tibi. Sanctum sanctorum erit vobis thymiama.

And when you shall have crushed all things into very fine powder, you shall place some of it before the tabernacle of testimony, in the place where I will appear to you. The incense shall be Holy of holies to you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ + CONJ INDECL
2 in into PREP+ACC INDECL
3 tenuissimum very fine ACC.SG.N ADJ SUPER
4 pulverem powder ACC.SG.M NOUN 3RD DECL
5 universa all things ACC.PL.N PRON INDEF
6 contuderis you shall have crushed 2SG.FUTP.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
7 pones you shall place 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
8 ex from PREP+ABL INDECL
9 eo it ABL.SG.N PRON DEM
10 coram before PREP+ABL INDECL
11 tabernaculo the tabernacle ABL.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
12 testimonii of testimony GEN.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
13 in in PREP+ABL INDECL
14 quo in which ABL.SG.N PRON REL
15 loco place ABL.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
16 apparebo I will appear 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND 1ST CONJ
17 tibi to you DAT.SG.2ND.PERS PRON
18 Sanctum holy NOM.SG.N ADJ POS
19 sanctorum of holies GEN.PL.N ADJ POS
20 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND IRREG
21 vobis to you DAT.PL.2ND.PERS PRON
22 thymiama the incense NOM.SG.N NOUN 3RD DECL

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque … contuderis — future perfect: “when you shall have crushed.”
Resulting Action: pones ex eo — place some of it.
Location Phrase: coram tabernaculo testimonii — before the tabernacle of testimony.
Relative Clause: in quo loco apparebo tibi — “in the place where I will appear to you.”
Predicate: Sanctum sanctorum erit vobis thymiama — holiness status of the incense.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction + enclitic; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: and when; Notes: links sequence of commands.
  2. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates transformation; Translation: into; Notes: expresses result of crushing.
  3. tenuissimum — Lemma: tenuis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter superlative; Function: modifies pulverem; Translation: very fine; Notes: SUPER degree.
  4. pulverem — Lemma: pulvis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: powder; Notes: incense finely ground.
  5. universa — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of contuderis; Translation: all things; Notes: refers to incense ingredients.
  6. contuderis — Lemma: contundo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative second singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: you shall have crushed; Notes: expresses completion before next action.
  7. pones — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second singular; Function: main instruction; Translation: you shall place; Notes: ritual placement.
  8. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: ablative of source; Translation: from; Notes: some portion of the incense.
  9. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of ex; Translation: it; Notes: refers to the crushed mixture.
  10. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location phrase; Translation: before; Notes: liturgical setting.
  11. tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of coram; Translation: the tabernacle; Notes: sacred location.
  12. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies tabernaculo; Translation: of testimony; Notes: legal/revelatory purpose.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces relative location; Translation: in; Notes: locative nuance.
  14. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: in which; Notes: refers to loco.
  15. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in quo; Translation: place; Notes: divine meeting point.
  16. apparebo — Lemma: appareo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative first singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: I will appear; Notes: divine presence.
  17. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: to you; Notes: to Moses.
  18. Sanctum — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: holy; Notes: predicate with erit.
  19. sanctorum — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: intensifying genitive; Translation: of holies; Notes: formula “Holy of holies.”
  20. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: shall be; Notes: expresses sacred status.
  21. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: dative of reference; Translation: to you; Notes: addressed to Israel.
  22. thymiama — Lemma: thymiama; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of final clause; Translation: the incense; Notes: incense given ultimate sanctity.

 

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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