Exodus 38:9

Posted on March 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 38:9 Fecit et atrium, in cuius australi plaga erant tentoria de bysso retorta, cubitorum centum,

And he also made the court, in whose southern side there were hangings of twisted linen, one hundred cubits long,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fecit he made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 et also CONJ
3 atrium court ACC.SG.N NOUN
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 cuius whose GEN.SG.C PRON.REL
6 australi southern ABL.SG.F ADJ
7 plaga side ABL.SG.F NOUN
8 erant there were 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
9 tentoria hangings NOM.PL.N NOUN
10 de of PREP+ABL
11 bysso fine linen ABL.SG.F NOUN
12 retorta twisted ABL.SG.F PTCP.PERF.PASS
13 cubitorum of cubits GEN.PL.M NOUN
14 centum one hundred INDECL.NUM

Syntax

Main clause:
Fecit et atrium — “And he also made the court.”
• Fecit = main verb
• atrium = direct object

Relative phrase with location:
in cuius australi plaga — “in whose southern side”
• cuius = refers to the atrium
• Ablative of place: australi plaga

Descriptive clause:
erant tentoria de bysso retorta — “there were hangings of twisted linen.”
• tentoria = subject
• de bysso retorta = ablative of material + modifier

Measurement phrase:
cubitorum centum — “one hundred cubits”
• cubitorum = genitive of measure
• centum = numeral

Morphology

  1. Fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he made; Notes: continues listing of constructed items.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: additive connector; Translation: also; Notes: links consecutive actions.
  3. atrium — Lemma: atrium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: court; Notes: refers to the enclosure around the Tabernacle.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: static placement.
  5. cuius — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive singular common gender; Function: connects to atrium; Translation: whose; Notes: possessive reference.
  6. australi — Lemma: australis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies plaga; Translation: southern; Notes: indicates orientation.
  7. plaga — Lemma: plaga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: side; Notes: refers to one side of the courtyard.
  8. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb of descriptive statement; Translation: there were; Notes: describes ongoing state.
  9. tentoria — Lemma: tentorium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of erant; Translation: hangings; Notes: linen screens of the courtyard.
  10. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses material; Translation: of; Notes: standard ablative of substance.
  11. bysso — Lemma: byssus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: complement of de; Translation: fine linen; Notes: refers to high-quality linen.
  12. retorta — Lemma: retorqueo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular feminine perfect passive participle; Function: modifies bysso; Translation: twisted; Notes: describes spun linen threads.
  13. cubitorum — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: measure expression; Translation: of cubits; Notes: length measurement.
  14. centum — Lemma: centum; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifier of measure; Translation: one hundred; Notes: standard cardinal numeral.

 

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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