Exodus 36:20

Posted on March 27, 2025 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 36:20 Fecit et tabulas tabernaculi de lignis setim stantes.

And he made the boards of the tabernacle from setim wood, standing upright.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fecit he made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 et and CONJ
3 tabulas boards ACC.PL.F NOUN
4 tabernaculi of the tabernacle GEN.SG.N NOUN
5 de from PREP+ABL
6 lignis woods ABL.PL.N NOUN
7 setim acacia INDECL.NOUN
8 stantes standing NOM.PL.F PTCP.PRES.ACT

Syntax

Main Clause:
Fecit et tabulas tabernaculi…
• Fecit = main narrative verb.
• tabulas tabernaculi = direct object + genitive specifying whose boards.

Material Phrase:
de lignis setim — “from acacia wood.”
• ablative of material after de.

Supplementary Participle:
stantes — “standing upright.”
• nominative (agreeing with tabulas) giving manner or configuration.

Morphology

  1. Fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he made; Notes: denotes a completed act of construction.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects this item with the series of constructions; Translation: and; Notes: simple additive linkage.
  3. tabulas — Lemma: tabula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of Fecit; Translation: boards; Notes: structural panels forming the walls of the tabernacle.
  4. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: specifying possession; Translation: of the tabernacle; Notes: identifies the purpose of the boards.
  5. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses material; Translation: from; Notes: introduces the substance from which the boards were made.
  6. lignis — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: woods; Notes: denotes timber material.
  7. setim — Lemma: setim; Part of Speech: noun (indeclinable Hebraism); Form: invariable; Function: specifies the type of wood; Translation: acacia; Notes: acacia wood noted for durability in Near Eastern construction.
  8. stantes — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural feminine present active participle; Function: describes the orientation of the boards; Translation: standing; Notes: participle agrees with tabulas, indicating upright placement.

 

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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