Exodus 37:11

Posted on March 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 37:11 circumdeditque eam auro mundissimo, et fecit illi labium aureum per gyrum,

and he surrounded it with very pure gold, and made for it a golden molding all around,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 circumdeditque and he surrounded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 eam it ACC.SG.F PRON.PERS
3 auro with gold ABL.SG.N NOUN
4 mundissimo most pure ABL.SG.N ADJ.SUPER
5 et and CONJ
6 fecit he made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 illi for it DAT.SG.F PRON.PERS
8 labium rim / molding ACC.SG.N NOUN
9 aureum golden ACC.SG.N ADJ
10 per around PREP+ACC
11 gyrum circuit / circumference ACC.SG.M NOUN

Syntax

First Action:
circumdeditque eam auro mundissimo — “and he surrounded it with very pure gold.”
• circumdeditque = verb + enclitic “and.”
• eam = object (the table).
• auro mundissimo = ablative of means/instrument.

Second Action:
fecit illi labium aureum — “he made for it a golden molding.”
• illi = dative of advantage (“for it”).
• labium aureum = object phrase.

Locative Phrase:
per gyrum — “around,” describing where the molding ran.

Morphology

  1. circumdeditque — Lemma: circumdo; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative + -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and he surrounded; Notes: -que = “and,” attached to the verb.
  2. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: it; Notes: refers to the table.
  3. auro — Lemma: aurum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with gold; Notes: standard instrumental ablative.
  4. mundissimo — Lemma: mundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter superlative; Function: modifies auro; Translation: most pure; Notes: SUPER must be used for superlatives.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links independent actions; Translation: and; Notes: basic coordinator.
  6. fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: he made; Notes: narrative perfect.
  7. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect object (“for it”); Translation: for it; Notes: dative of advantage.
  8. labium — Lemma: labium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: rim / molding; Notes: architectural term.
  9. aureum — Lemma: aureus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies labium; Translation: golden; Notes: standard adjective agreement.
  10. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial extent; Translation: around; Notes: expresses encircling motion.
  11. gyrum — Lemma: gyrus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of per; Translation: circuit / circumference; Notes: spatial orientation term.

 

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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