Exodus 38:2

Posted on March 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

2 cuius cornua de angulis procedebant, operuitque illum laminis æneis.

whose horns projected from the corners, and he covered it with bronze plates.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 cuius whose GEN.SG.M/F/N PRON.REL
2 cornua horns NOM.PL.N NOUN
3 de from PREP+ABL
4 angulis corners ABL.PL.M NOUN
5 procedebant were projecting 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
6 operuitque and he covered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 illum it ACC.SG.M PRON.DEM
8 laminis with plates ABL.PL.F NOUN
9 æneis bronze ABL.PL.F ADJ

Syntax

Relative clause:
cuius cornua de angulis procedebant — “whose horns were projecting from the corners.”
• Subject: cornua
• Relative pronoun: cuius modifying the altar
• Ablative of source: de angulis
• Verb: procedebant (describing feature of the altar)

Main clause:
operuitque illum laminis æneis — “and he covered it with bronze plates.”
• Direct object: illum
• Ablative of instrument: laminis æneis

Morphology

  1. cuius — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive singular (all genders); Function: expresses possession; Translation: whose; Notes: links back to the altar.
  2. cornua — Lemma: cornu; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of procedebant; Translation: horns; Notes: decorative and ritual projections.
  3. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source; Translation: from; Notes: expresses origin of movement.
  4. angulis — Lemma: angulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: complement of de; Translation: corners; Notes: describes location at altar edges.
  5. procedebant — Lemma: procedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural imperfect active indicative; Function: describes continual state; Translation: were projecting; Notes: imperfect expresses ongoing structural feature.
  6. operuitque — Lemma: operio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and he covered; Notes: -que joins this action to the description preceding it.
  7. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: it; Notes: refers to the altar.
  8. laminis — Lemma: lamina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: ablative of instrument; Translation: with plates; Notes: metal sheets used for plating.
  9. æneis — Lemma: aeneus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies laminis; Translation: bronze; Notes: indicates material composition.

 

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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