Exodus 37:1

Posted on March 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 37:1 Fecit autem Beseleel et arcam de lignis setim, habentem duos semis cubitos in longitudine, et cubitum ac semissem in latitudine, altitudo quoque unius cubiti fuit et dimidii: vestivitque eam auro purissimo intus ac foris.

But Beseleel made the ark also of setim wood, having two and a half cubits in length, and a cubit and a half in breadth, and the height was one cubit and a half; and he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fecit he made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but ADV
3 Beseleel Bezalel NOM.SG.M NOUN.PROP
4 et also CONJ
5 arcam ark ACC.SG.F NOUN
6 de of / from PREP+ABL
7 lignis woods ABL.PL.N NOUN
8 setim setim / acacia ABL.PL.N NOUN.INDECL
9 habentem having ACC.SG.F PTCP.PRES.ACT
10 duos two ACC.PL.M NUM
11 semis half ACC.SG.F/INDECL ADJ.NUM
12 cubitos cubits ACC.PL.M NOUN
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 longitudine length ABL.SG.F NOUN
15 et and CONJ
16 cubitum a cubit ACC.SG.M NOUN
17 ac and CONJ
18 semissem a half ACC.SG.M NOUN.NUM
19 in in PREP+ABL
20 latitudine breadth ABL.SG.F NOUN
21 altitudo height NOM.SG.F NOUN
22 quoque also ADV
23 unius of one GEN.SG.F NUM
24 cubiti of a cubit GEN.SG.M NOUN
25 fuit was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
26 et and CONJ
27 dimidii of a half GEN.SG.M NUM
28 vestivitque and he overlaid 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
29 eam it ACC.SG.F PRON.PERS
30 auro with gold ABL.SG.N NOUN
31 purissimo very pure ABL.SG.N ADJ.SUPER
32 intus inside ADV
33 ac and CONJ
34 foris outside ADV

Syntax

Main Clause:
Fecit autem Beseleel et arcam — “But Beseleel also made the ark.”
• Fecit = main verb; Beseleel = subject; arcam = direct object.

Material Construction:
de lignis setim — “of setim wood.”
• Ablative of material with de.

Participial Modifier:
habentem … cubitos — “having … cubits.”
• Describes the dimensions of the ark using present active participle.

Dimension Phrases:
• in longitudine — in length
• in latitudine — in breadth
• altitudo … fuit — height was …
Use of genitives (unius cubiti, dimidii) expresses measured quantity.

Final Predicate:
vestivitque eam auro purissimo intus ac foris — “and he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside.”
• auro purissimo = ablative of instrument/material.

Morphology

  1. Fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he made; Notes: begins description of the ark’s construction.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: mild contrast; Translation: but; Notes: transitions to a new object.
  3. Beseleel — Lemma: Beseleel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Beseleel; Notes: chief artisan.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces additional item; Translation: also; Notes: continuation of catalogue.
  5. arcam — Lemma: arca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: ark; Notes: refers to the Ark of the Covenant.
  6. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: material; Translation: of / from; Notes: introduces composition.
  7. lignis — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: material; Translation: woods; Notes: describes substance of construction.
  8. setim — Lemma: setim; Part of Speech: noun (indeclinable); Form: ablative plural; Function: specifies wood type; Translation: setim; Notes: acacia wood used for sacred objects.
  9. habentem — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative singular feminine present active; Function: modifies arcam; Translation: having; Notes: describes dimensions.
  10. duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies cubitos; Translation: two; Notes: cardinal number.
  11. semis — Lemma: semis; Part of Speech: numeral/adjective; Form: indeclinable (used adjectivally); Function: modifies cubitos; Translation: half; Notes: expresses fractional measure.
  12. cubitos — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: measured object; Translation: cubits; Notes: standard biblical measure.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: dimension expression; Translation: in; Notes: used with measurement nouns.
  14. longitudine — Lemma: longitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: specification; Translation: length; Notes: domain of measurement.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links coordinate measure; Translation: and; Notes: continues geometric description.
  16. cubitum — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: measured object; Translation: a cubit; Notes: measure of breadth.
  17. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adds closely linked phrase; Translation: and; Notes: slightly stronger than et.
  18. semissem — Lemma: semis; Part of Speech: numeral/noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: second half measure; Translation: a half; Notes: expresses half-unit.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: dimension phrase; Translation: in; Notes: continues measurement description.
  20. latitudine — Lemma: latitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: breadth specification; Translation: breadth; Notes: geometric parameter.
  21. altitudo — Lemma: altitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: height; Notes: begins new measurement clause.
  22. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adds second measurement; Translation: also; Notes: emphasis on parallel dimension.
  23. unius — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: quantifier; Translation: of one; Notes: expresses amount in genitive of measure.
  24. cubiti — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: measure; Translation: of a cubit; Notes: coordinate with dimidii.
  25. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: linking verb; Translation: was; Notes: expresses completed specification.
  26. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links final fraction; Translation: and; Notes: additive.
  27. dimidii — Lemma: dimidius; Part of Speech: numeral/adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of measure; Translation: of a half; Notes: completes height measurement.
  28. vestivitque — Lemma: vestio; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative with –que; Function: introduces embellishing action; Translation: and he overlaid; Notes: –que links decorating to fabrication.
  29. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object; Translation: it; Notes: refers to the ark.
  30. auro — Lemma: aurum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of instrument/material; Translation: with gold; Notes: gilding substance.
  31. purissimo — Lemma: purus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter superlative; Function: modifies auro; Translation: very pure; Notes: SUPER form indicates highest quality gold.
  32. intus — Lemma: intus; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: specifies interior; Translation: inside; Notes: contrasts with foris.
  33. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates adverbial expressions; Translation: and; Notes: connects interior and exterior decoration.
  34. foris — Lemma: foris; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: specifies exterior; Translation: outside; Notes: marks outer surface of ark.

 

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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