Exodus 36:3

Posted on March 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 36:3 tradidit eis universa donaria filiorum Israel. Qui cum instarent operi, quotidie mane vota populus offerebat.

He handed over to them all the offerings of the sons of Israel. And when they pressed on with the work, each day in the morning the people were offering vows.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 tradidit handed over 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 eis to them DAT.PL.M, PRON.PERS
3 universa all ACC.PL.N, ADJ
4 donaria offerings ACC.PL.N, NOUN
5 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M, NOUN
6 Israel Israel GEN.SG.INDECL, NOUN
7 Qui who NOM.PL.M, PRON.REL
8 cum when CONJ
9 instarent were pressing on 3PL.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
10 operi to the work DAT.SG.N, NOUN
11 quotidie daily ADV
12 mane in the morning ADV
13 vota vows ACC.PL.N, NOUN
14 populus the people NOM.SG.M, NOUN
15 offerebat was offering 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1:
tradidit eis universa donaria filiorum Israel — a complete narrative statement.
• tradidit = main verb.
• eis = indirect object.
• universa donaria = direct object.
• filiorum Israel = genitive phrase modifying donaria.

Main Clause 2 (with embedded temporal clause):
populus offerebat vota — main action.
• populus = subject.
• offerebat = verb (imperfect narrative).
• vota = direct object.

Temporal Clause:
Qui cum instarent operi — describes the circumstances.
• Qui refers back to those receiving the offerings.
• instarent = imperfect subjunctive required by cum.
• operi = dative complement (“to the work”).

Adverbial Modifiers:
• quotidie — indicates frequency
• mane — indicates time of day

Morphology

  1. tradidit — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of first clause; Translation: handed over; Notes: perfect marks completed narrative action.
  2. eis — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of tradidit; Translation: to them; Notes: refers to craftsmen or overseers in context.
  3. universa — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies donaria; Translation: all; Notes: neuter plural used for collective items.
  4. donaria — Lemma: donarium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of tradidit; Translation: offerings; Notes: refers to contributions for the Sanctuary.
  5. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying donaria; Translation: of the sons; Notes: standard construct “sons of Israel.”
  6. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular indeclinable; Function: genitive dependent on filiorum; Translation: of Israel; Notes: indeclinable Hebrew name.
  7. Qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of instarent; Translation: who; Notes: links the second sentence to the first.
  8. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: requires subjunctive verb.
  9. instarent — Lemma: insto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of cum-clause; Translation: were pressing on; Notes: imperfect expresses continuous effort.
  10. operi — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular neuter; Function: complement of instarent; Translation: to the work; Notes: expresses direction or engagement.
  11. quotidie — Lemma: quotidie; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies offerebat; Translation: daily; Notes: indicates habitual activity.
  12. mane — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: time adverb modifying offerebat; Translation: in the morning; Notes: classical and later adverb of time.
  13. vota — Lemma: votum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of offerebat; Translation: vows; Notes: refers to dedicatory offerings.
  14. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of offerebat; Translation: the people; Notes: singular collective.
  15. offerebat — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: was offering; Notes: imperfect marks repeated or continuous daily action.

 

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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