Exodus 36:8

Posted on March 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 36:8 Feceruntque omnes corde sapientes ad explendum opus tabernaculi, cortinas decem de bysso retorta, et hyacintho, et purpura, coccoque bis tincto, opere vario, et arte polymita:

And all the wise in heart made, for completing the work of the tabernacle, ten curtains of twisted linen, and of hyacinth, and of purple, and of twice-dyed scarlet, with varied workmanship and with embroidered skill;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Feceruntque and they made 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 omnes all NOM.PL.M ADJ
3 corde in heart ABL.SG.N NOUN
4 sapientes wise NOM.PL.M ADJ
5 ad for PREP+ACC
6 explendum for completing GERUNDV.ACC.SG.N
7 opus work ACC.SG.N NOUN
8 tabernaculi of the tabernacle GEN.SG.N NOUN
9 cortinas curtains ACC.PL.F NOUN
10 decem ten INDECL
11 de of PREP+ABL
12 bysso fine linen ABL.SG.F NOUN
13 retorta twisted ABL.SG.F PTCP.PERF.PASS
14 et and CONJ
15 hyacintho hyacinth ABL.SG.M NOUN
16 et and CONJ
17 purpura purple ABL.SG.F NOUN
18 coccoque and scarlet ABL.SG.M NOUN
19 bis twice ADV
20 tincto dyed ABL.SG.M PTCP.PERF.PASS
21 opere with workmanship ABL.SG.N NOUN
22 vario varied ABL.SG.N ADJ
23 et and CONJ
24 arte with skill ABL.SG.F NOUN
25 polymita embroidered ABL.SG.F ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause:
Feceruntque omnes corde sapientes — “And all the wise in heart made …”
• Feceruntque is the main verb (perfect active) with enclitic -que linking to the previous narrative.
• omnes … sapientes forms the compound subject (“all the wise”).
• corde is an ablative of respect (“wise in heart”).

Purpose Phrase:
ad explendum opus tabernaculi — “for completing the work of the tabernacle.”
• ad + gerundive explendum expresses purpose.
• opus tabernaculi is the object phrase (“the work of the tabernacle”).

Direct Object and Materials:
cortinas decem — direct object of Feceruntque (“ten curtains”),
qualified by a chain of ablatives of material:
• de bysso retorta — “of twisted fine linen,”
• et hyacintho — “and of hyacinth,”
• et purpura — “and of purple,”
• coccoque bis tincto — “and of scarlet twice dyed.”

Ablatives of Manner:
opere vario and arte polymita — “with varied workmanship and with embroidered skill.”

Morphology

  1. Feceruntque — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main finite verb of the clause, narrating the completed act of making; Translation: and they made; Notes: the enclitic -que coordinates this clause with the preceding context, giving “and they made.”
  2. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: attributive adjective modifying sapientes, forming the subject phrase “all the wise”; Translation: all; Notes: plural indicates the whole group of skilled artisans.
  3. corde — Lemma: cor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of respect, specifying in what respect they are wise; Translation: in heart; Notes: Hebraizing idiom: “wise in heart” = inwardly wise.
  4. sapientes — Lemma: sapiens; Part of Speech: adjective (used substantively); Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: head of the subject phrase “all the wise in heart”; Translation: wise; Notes: functions as a noun, denoting wise craftsmen.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: invariable, governing accusative; Function: introduces a purpose construction with the gerundive; Translation: for; Notes: standard preposition to express purpose or goal with a verbal noun.
  6. explendum — Lemma: expleo; Part of Speech: gerundive (verbal adjective); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: governed by ad in a purpose phrase, taking opus as its object; Translation: for completing; Notes: gerundive construction indicates intended completion of the work.
  7. opus — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of the gerundive explendum; Translation: work; Notes: refers specifically to the construction tasks of the tabernacle.
  8. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: possessive genitive modifying opus; Translation: of the tabernacle; Notes: defines the work’s scope and sacred setting.
  9. cortinas — Lemma: cortina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of Feceruntque; Translation: curtains; Notes: the primary objects produced by the artisans in this verse.
  10. decem — Lemma: decem; Part of Speech: numeral (indeclinable); Form: invariable; Function: numerical modifier of cortinas; Translation: ten; Notes: indeclinable cardinal numeral specifying the quantity of curtains.
  11. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces an ablative of material phrase; Translation: of; Notes: commonly used in Latin to indicate the material from which something is made.
  12. bysso — Lemma: byssus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of the preposition de, indicating material; Translation: fine linen; Notes: denotes costly, high-quality linen used in sacred textiles.
  13. retorta — Lemma: retorqueo; Part of Speech: participle (adjectival); Form: ablative singular feminine perfect passive participle; Function: agrees with and modifies bysso; Translation: twisted; Notes: describes the linen as twisted threads, indicating craftsmanship in the weave.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates de bysso retorta with the following ablative material phrase hyacintho; Translation: and; Notes: simple additive conjunction linking another material in the series.
  15. hyacintho — Lemma: hyacinthus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of material, further specifying the composition of the curtains; Translation: hyacinth; Notes: refers to blue-purple dye or fabric of hyacinth color.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates hyacintho with purpura; Translation: and; Notes: continues the list of colored materials.
  17. purpura — Lemma: purpura; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of material; Translation: purple; Notes: denotes purple-dyed fabric, associated with luxury and royalty.
  18. coccoque — Lemma: coccus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of material, the last colored component in the series; Translation: and scarlet; Notes: the enclitic -que joins this closely to the preceding materials, with bis tincto describing the scarlet dyeing.
  19. bis — Lemma: bis; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adverb modifying tincto; Translation: twice; Notes: indicates that the scarlet was dyed twice, intensifying the color.
  20. tincto — Lemma: tingo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: modifies cocco and completes the phrase coccoque bis tincto; Translation: dyed; Notes: grammatically agrees with cocco, describing how the scarlet was prepared.
  21. opere — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of manner, expressing the way the curtains were crafted; Translation: with workmanship; Notes: used with vario to describe decorative variety.
  22. vario — Lemma: varius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: agrees with opere as its modifier; Translation: varied; Notes: indicates multicolored or richly patterned work.
  23. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates opere vario with arte polymita; Translation: and; Notes: joins two ablatives of manner that describe the artistry of the curtains.
  24. arte — Lemma: ars; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of manner, indicating the skill by which the work was done; Translation: with skill; Notes: pairs with polymita to emphasize artistic workmanship.
  25. polymita — Lemma: polymitus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies arte, giving the quality of the skill; Translation: embroidered; Notes: stresses that the skill involved complex, multi-threaded embroidery.

 

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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