Exodus 36:15

Posted on March 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 36:15 unum sagum in longitudine habebat cubitos triginta, et in latitudine cubitos quattuor: unius mensuræ erant omnia saga:

one covering in length had thirty cubits, and in width four cubits; of one measure were all the coverings;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 unum one NOM.SG.N ADJ
2 sagum covering NOM.SG.N NOUN
3 in in PREP+ABL
4 longitudine length ABL.SG.F NOUN
5 habebat had 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
6 cubitos cubits ACC.PL.M NOUN
7 triginta thirty INDECL.NUM
8 et and CONJ
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 latitudine width ABL.SG.F NOUN
11 cubitos cubits ACC.PL.M NOUN
12 quattuor four INDECL.NUM
13 unius of one GEN.SG.F ADJ.NUM
14 mensuræ measure GEN.SG.F NOUN
15 erant were 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
16 omnia all NOM.PL.N ADJ
17 saga coverings NOM.PL.N NOUN

Syntax

Main Clause 1:
unum sagum in longitudine habebat cubitos triginta
• unum sagum = subject.
• in longitudine = ablative of specification (“in length”).
• habebat cubitos triginta = internal accusative of measure (“had thirty cubits”).

Second Dimensional Phrase:
et in latitudine cubitos quattuor
• in latitudine = ablative of specification (“in width”).
• cubitos quattuor = internal accusative of measure.

Main Clause 2:
unius mensuræ erant omnia saga — “all the coverings were of one measure.”
• uniaus mensuræ = genitive idiom meaning “of one measurement.”
• omnia saga = subject.
• erant = copula.

Morphology

  1. unum — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: adjective (numeral); Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies sagum; Translation: one; Notes: specifies a single covering among the set.
  2. sagum — Lemma: sagum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of habebat; Translation: covering; Notes: refers to one of the goat-hair coverings.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks the dimension being specified; Translation: in; Notes: classical ablative of respect/specification.
  4. longitudine — Lemma: longitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: length; Notes: dimension term for longitudinal measure.
  5. habebat — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: had; Notes: imperfect describes characteristic attribute.
  6. cubitos — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: internal accusative of measure; Translation: cubits; Notes: used as a unit of length measurement.
  7. triginta — Lemma: triginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifies cubitos; Translation: thirty; Notes: cardinal numeral modifying units of measure.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links second dimension; Translation: and; Notes: additive connection.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces specification of width; Translation: in; Notes: same construction as earlier.
  10. latitudine — Lemma: latitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: width; Notes: dimension term for lateral measurement.
  11. cubitos — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: internal accusative expressing extent; Translation: cubits; Notes: repeated unit of measure.
  12. quattuor — Lemma: quattuor; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifies cubitos; Translation: four; Notes: basic cardinal numeral.
  13. unius — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: adjective (numeral); Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies mensuræ; Translation: of one; Notes: expresses uniformity.
  14. mensuræ — Lemma: mensura; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of quality; Translation: measure; Notes: indicates standard dimension.
  15. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: were; Notes: describes ongoing characteristic.
  16. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: modifies saga; Translation: all; Notes: totality of coverings.
  17. saga — Lemma: sagum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject complement; Translation: coverings; Notes: refers to every individual covering belonging to the set.

 

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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