Exodus 36:17

Posted on March 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 36:17 Fecitque ansas quinquaginta in ora sagi unius, et quinquaginta in ora sagi alterius, ut sibi invicem iungerentur.

And he made fifty loops on the edge of one covering, and fifty on the edge of the other covering, so that they might be joined to one another.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fecitque and he made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ansas loops ACC.PL.F NOUN
3 quinquaginta fifty INDECL.NUM
4 in on / in PREP+ABL
5 ora edge ABL.SG.F NOUN
6 sagi of the covering GEN.SG.N NOUN
7 unius of one GEN.SG.N ADJ.NUM
8 et and CONJ
9 quinquaginta fifty INDECL.NUM
10 in on / in PREP+ABL
11 ora edge ABL.SG.F NOUN
12 sagi of the covering GEN.SG.N NOUN
13 alterius of the other GEN.SG.N ADJ
14 ut so that CONJ.SUBORD
15 sibi to one another DAT.SG/PL PRON.REFL
16 invicem mutually ADV
17 iungerentur might be joined 3PL.IMP.PASS.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Action:
Fecitque ansas quinquaginta…
• Fecitque = main verb with enclitic -que.
• ansas quinquaginta = direct object (“fifty loops”).

Locative Phrase 1:
in ora sagi unius
• ablative phrase describing placement on the edge of one covering.

Locative Phrase 2:
et quinquaginta in ora sagi alterius
• parallel structure describing identical placement on the other covering.

Purpose Clause:
ut sibi invicem iungerentur — “so that they might be joined to one another.”
• ut introduces purpose.
• sibi invicem expresses reciprocal relationship.
• iungerentur = imperfect passive subjunctive.

Morphology

  1. Fecitque — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: and he made; Notes: enclitic -que coordinates this action with the previous verse.
  2. ansas — Lemma: ansa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of Fecitque; Translation: loops; Notes: refers to fastening loops for joining coverings.
  3. quinquaginta — Lemma: quinquaginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifies ansas; Translation: fifty; Notes: cardinal numeral indicating the number of loops.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks position on an edge; Translation: on / in; Notes: used for fixed surface positions.
  5. ora — Lemma: ora; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: edge; Notes: denotes hem or border.
  6. sagi — Lemma: sagum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies ora; Translation: of the covering; Notes: identifies which covering’s edge.
  7. unius — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: adjective (numeral); Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: specifies first covering; Translation: of one; Notes: contrasts with alterius.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links the parallel placement; Translation: and; Notes: introduces second identical construction.
  9. quinquaginta — Lemma: quinquaginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifies implied ansas; Translation: fifty; Notes: omitted noun understood from previous phrase.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks second location; Translation: on / in; Notes: parallel to earlier usage.
  11. ora — Lemma: ora; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: edge; Notes: refers to the hem of the second covering.
  12. sagi — Lemma: sagum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies ora; Translation: of the covering; Notes: same noun as earlier, now second in the pair.
  13. alterius — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: specifies the second covering; Translation: of the other; Notes: marks contrast with unius.
  14. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: so that; Notes: governs subjunctive iungerentur.
  15. sibi — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: dative singular or plural (contextual reciprocal); Function: indicates reciprocal direction; Translation: to one another; Notes: standard reciprocal construction with invicem.
  16. invicem — Lemma: invicem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: strengthens reciprocal meaning; Translation: mutually / one another; Notes: commonly paired with sibi.
  17. iungerentur — Lemma: iungo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect passive subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: might be joined; Notes: passive expresses being joined by an external action using loops.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.