Exodus 39:40

Posted on March 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 39:40 tentorium in introitu atrii, funiculosque illius et paxillos. Nihil ex vasis defuit, quæ in ministerium tabernaculi, et in tectum fœderis iussa sunt fieri.

the curtain at the entrance of the court, and its cords and its pegs. Nothing was lacking from the vessels that were commanded to be made for the ministry of the tabernacle and for the covering of the covenant.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 tentorium curtain NOUN.ACC.SG.N
2 in in / at PREP+ABL
3 introitu entrance NOUN.ABL.SG.M
4 atrii of the court NOUN.GEN.SG.N
5 funiculosque and the cords NOUN.ACC.PL.M + CONJ (-que)
6 illius of it PRON.GEN.SG.M/F/N
7 et and CONJ
8 paxillos pegs NOUN.ACC.PL.M
9 Nihil nothing PRON.NOM.SG.N
10 ex from PREP+ABL
11 vasis vessels NOUN.ABL.PL.N
12 defuit was lacking 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 quæ which PRON.NOM.PL.N.REL
14 in for PREP+ACC
15 ministerium ministry / service NOUN.ACC.SG.N
16 tabernaculi of the tabernacle NOUN.GEN.SG.N
17 et and CONJ
18 in for / in PREP+ACC
19 tectum covering NOUN.ACC.SG.N
20 fœderis of the covenant NOUN.GEN.SG.N
21 iussa commanded PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.PL.N
22 sunt were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
23 fieri to be made INF.PASS

Syntax

The first clause lists additional objects delivered for the sanctuary:
tentorium … funiculosque illius et paxillos, all accusative and functioning as direct objects of the ongoing governing verb obtulerunt (“they presented”).

in introitu atrii is a prepositional phrase in the ablative defining the **location** of the tentorium — “at the entrance of the court.”

The second clause forms a complete statement:
Nihil ex vasis defuit — “Nothing from the vessels was lacking.”
It is then modified by a relative clause:
quæ … iussa sunt fieri — “which were commanded to be made for the ministry of the tabernacle and for the covering of the covenant.”

Morphology

  1. tentorium — Lemma: tentorium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: curtain; Notes: refers to the entrance curtain of the courtyard.
  2. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative here; Function: locative phrase; Translation: at / in; Notes: forms spatial description with introitu.
  3. introitu — Lemma: introitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, fourth declension; Function: object of in; Translation: entrance; Notes: technical term for a formal entryway.
  4. atrii — Lemma: atrium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies introitu; Translation: of the court; Notes: identifies the specific entrance.
  5. funiculosque — Lemma: funiculus; Part of Speech: noun + enclitic conjunction; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: and the cords; Notes: -que joins this item to tentorium.
  6. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies funiculos; Translation: of it; Notes: refers back to the courtyard tentorium.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: links final item in the first list.
  8. paxillos — Lemma: paxillus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: pegs; Notes: tent-pegs for securing structures.
  9. Nihil — Lemma: nihil; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: nothing; Notes: absolute negation introducing the second clause.
  10. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: partitive construction; Translation: from; Notes: indicates that no items were missing from the category.
  11. vasis — Lemma: vas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of ex; Translation: vessels; Notes: refers to the equipment required for worship.
  12. defuit — Lemma: desum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: was lacking; Notes: emphasizes completeness.
  13. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: refers to vasa.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative here; Function: indicates purpose; Translation: for; Notes: links to ministerium.
  15. ministerium — Lemma: ministerium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: ministry; Notes: refers to priestly service.
  16. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies ministerium; Translation: of the tabernacle; Notes: specifies the sphere of ministry.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects parallel prepositional phrase; Translation: and; Notes: coordinates two purposes.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: purpose; Translation: for; Notes: parallels previous in.
  19. tectum — Lemma: tectum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: covering; Notes: refers to the protective structure over the Ark.
  20. fœderis — Lemma: foedus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies tectum; Translation: of the covenant; Notes: identifies the covenantal significance.
  21. iussa — Lemma: iubeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate of relative clause; Translation: commanded; Notes: describes divine mandate.
  22. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: were; Notes: forms passive periphrastic construction with iussa.
  23. fieri — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: to be made; Notes: expresses the purpose of the commandments.

 

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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