Exodus 39:14

Posted on March 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 39:14 Ipsique lapides duodecim, sculpti erant nominibus duodecim tribuum Israel, singuli per nomina singulorum.

And the twelve stones themselves were engraved with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, each one according to the name of each.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ipsique and the stones themselves PRON+ENCL.NOM.PL.M
2 lapides stones NOUN.NOM.PL.M
3 duodecim twelve ADJ.INDECL.NUM
4 sculpti engraved PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.PL.M
5 erant were 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND.IRR
6 nominibus with the names NOUN.ABL.PL.N
7 duodecim twelve ADJ.INDECL.NUM
8 tribuum of the tribes NOUN.GEN.PL.F
9 Israel Israel NOUN.GEN.SG.INDECL
10 singuli each ADJ.NOM.PL.M
11 per according to PREP+ACC
12 nomina names NOUN.ACC.PL.N
13 singulorum of each ADJ.GEN.PL.M

Syntax

The sentence begins with Ipsique lapides duodecim, where Ipsique intensifies the subject lapides, meaning “the stones themselves.” The numeral duodecim modifies lapides.

The predicate is formed by the perfect passive participle sculpti with the imperfect of sum (erant), producing a periphrastic passive construction meaning “were engraved.”

The ablative phrase nominibus duodecim tribuum Israel expresses the content of the engraving (“with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel”).

The final expression singuli per nomina singulorum describes distribution: “each one according to the name of each,” emphasizing that each stone corresponded to a specific tribe.

Morphology

  1. Ipsique — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: Intensive pronoun with enclitic -que; Form: Nominative plural masculine + enclitic; Function: Coordinates and intensifies the subject; Translation: and the stones themselves; Notes: Stresses the identity of the stones.
  2. lapides — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine, third declension; Function: Subject; Translation: stones; Notes: Refers to the twelve gemstones on the breastpiece.
  3. duodecim — Lemma: duodecim; Part of Speech: Numeral adjective; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Modifies lapides; Translation: twelve; Notes: Numerical specification.
  4. sculpti — Lemma: sculpo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Perfect passive participle, nominative plural masculine; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: engraved; Notes: Part of a periphrastic passive.
  5. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: Auxiliary verb in periphrastic passive; Translation: were; Notes: Descriptive imperfect.
  6. nominibus — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural neuter, third declension; Function: Ablative of content; Translation: with the names; Notes: Specifies what was engraved.
  7. duodecim — Lemma: duodecim; Part of Speech: Numeral adjective; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Modifies tribuum; Translation: twelve; Notes: Number of tribes.
  8. tribuum — Lemma: tribus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural feminine, irregular 4th declension; Function: Dependent genitive with nominibus; Translation: of the tribes; Notes: Refers to the twelve tribes of Israel.
  9. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular indeclinable; Function: Modifies tribuum; Translation: Israel; Notes: Hebrew name functioning as genitive by context.
  10. singuli — Lemma: singulus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative plural masculine, first/second declension; Function: Subject modifier; Translation: each one; Notes: Refers to each stone.
  11. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the accusative; Function: Expresses correspondence; Translation: according to; Notes: Marks distribution.
  12. nomina — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural neuter, third declension; Function: Object of per; Translation: names; Notes: Refers to proper tribal names.
  13. singulorum — Lemma: singulus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Dependent genitive; Translation: of each; Notes: Mirrors singuli, emphasizing one-to-one correspondence.

 

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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