Exodus 38:1

Posted on March 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 38:1 Fecit et altare holocausti de lignis setim, quinque cubitorum per quadrum, et trium in altitudine:

And he made the altar of burnt offering from setim wood, five cubits square, and three in height.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fecit he made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 et and CONJ
3 altare altar ACC.SG.N NOUN
4 holocausti of burnt offering GEN.SG.N NOUN
5 de from PREP+ABL
6 lignis woods ABL.PL.N NOUN
7 setim setim NOUN.INDECL
8 quinque five NUM.INDECL
9 cubitorum cubits GEN.PL.M NOUN
10 per by PREP+ACC
11 quadrum square ACC.SG.M NOUN
12 et and CONJ
13 trium three GEN.PL.M NUM
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 altitudine height ABL.SG.F NOUN

Syntax

Main clause:
Fecit … altare holocausti de lignis setim — Verb fecit governs object altare, specified by genitive holocausti, and material expressed by de lignis setim.

Dimensional specification #1:
quinque cubitorum per quadrum — “five cubits square,” genitive of measure + accusative with per.

Dimensional specification #2:
et trium in altitudine — “and three in height,” genitive of measure + ablative of respect.

Morphology

  1. Fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he made; Notes: standard narrative perfect introducing a new construction.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links this construction to the previous verse; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordinator.
  3. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: altar; Notes: refers to the bronze altar for burnt offerings.
  4. holocausti — Lemma: holocaustum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: specifies type of altar; Translation: of burnt offering; Notes: Hebrew loanword indicating a whole-burnt sacrifice.
  5. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses material; Translation: from; Notes: introduces substance used.
  6. lignis — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: woods; Notes: acacia planks used for sacred furnishings.
  7. setim — Lemma: setim; Part of Speech: noun (indeclinable); Form: indeclinable; Function: specifies wood type; Translation: setim; Notes: transliterated Semitic term for acacia.
  8. quinque — Lemma: quinque; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: expresses measurement; Translation: five; Notes: cardinal numeral modifying cubitorum.
  9. cubitorum — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of measure; Translation: of cubits; Notes: corresponds to ancient forearm measure.
  10. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses geometric arrangement; Translation: by; Notes: marks dimension expressed by quadrum.
  11. quadrum — Lemma: quadrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: complement of per; Translation: square; Notes: indicates four-sided even shape.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adds a second dimensional phrase; Translation: and; Notes: simple addition.
  13. trium — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of measure; Translation: of three; Notes: expresses numerical height.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates respect; Translation: in; Notes: ablative of specification.
  15. altitudine — Lemma: altitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of specification; Translation: height; Notes: describes vertical measurement.

 

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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