Exodus 37:10

Posted on March 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 37:10 Fecit et mensam de lignis setim in longitudine duorum cubitorum, et in latitudine unius cubiti, quæ habebat in altitudine cubitum ac semissem.

He also made the table of setim wood, two cubits in length, and one cubit in width, which had in height a cubit and a half.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fecit he made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 et also CONJ
3 mensam table ACC.SG.F NOUN
4 de of / from PREP+ABL
5 lignis woods ABL.PL.N NOUN
6 setim acacia ABL.PL.N NOUN.INDECL
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 longitudine length ABL.SG.F NOUN
9 duorum two GEN.PL.M NUM
10 cubitorum cubits GEN.PL.M NOUN
11 et and CONJ
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 latitudine width ABL.SG.F NOUN
14 unius one GEN.SG.M NUM
15 cubiti cubit GEN.SG.M NOUN
16 quæ which NOM.SG.F PRON.REL
17 habebat it had 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
18 in in PREP+ABL
19 altitudine height ABL.SG.F NOUN
20 cubitum a cubit ACC.SG.M NOUN
21 ac and CONJ
22 semissem a half ACC.SG.M NOUN

Syntax

Main Clause:
Fecit et mensam — “He also made the table.”
• Fecit = verb.
• mensam = direct object.

Material Phrase:
de lignis setim — “of acacia wood.”
• Material construction with de + ablative.

Dimensional Phrases:
in longitudine duorum cubitorum — “two cubits in length.”
in latitudine unius cubiti — “one cubit in width.”

Relative Clause:
quæ habebat in altitudine cubitum ac semissem — “which had in height a cubit and a half.”

Morphology

  1. Fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he made; Notes: narrative perfect.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adds this construction to the previous verse; Translation: also; Notes: coordinating.
  3. mensam — Lemma: mensa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: table; Notes: refers to the table of the bread of presence.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: material origin; Translation: of; Notes: used for material composition.
  5. lignis — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: woods; Notes: construction material.
  6. setim — Lemma: setim; Part of Speech: noun (indeclinable); Form: ablative plural; Function: specifies type of wood; Translation: acacia; Notes: Hebrew loanword.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces measurement; Translation: in; Notes: standard dimensional use.
  8. longitudine — Lemma: longitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: measurement term; Translation: length; Notes: spatial dimension.
  9. duorum — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies cubitorum; Translation: of two; Notes: genitive of measure.
  10. cubitorum — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: measure; Translation: cubits; Notes: common biblical unit.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links dimensional phrases; Translation: and; Notes: coordination.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces second measurement; Translation: in; Notes: parallel structure.
  13. latitudine — Lemma: latitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: measurement term; Translation: width; Notes: spatial dimension.
  14. unius — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies cubiti; Translation: of one; Notes: genitive of quantity.
  15. cubiti — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: measure; Translation: of a cubit; Notes: repeats measurement pattern.
  16. quæ — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: refers to mensa.
  17. habebat — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: it had; Notes: describes continuous characteristic.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces last measurement; Translation: in; Notes: standard construction.
  19. altitudine — Lemma: altitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: dimension phrase; Translation: height; Notes: vertical measure.
  20. cubitum — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: measure; Translation: a cubit; Notes: direct object of implied “had (as height).”
  21. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins the two height measures; Translation: and; Notes: classical “and also.”
  22. semissem — Lemma: semissis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: second part of height measurement; Translation: a half; Notes: indicates 1.5 cubits.

 

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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