Exodus 39:7

Posted on March 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 39:7 posuitque eos in lateribus superhumeralis in monimentum filiorum Israel, sicut præceperat Dominus Moysi.

and he placed them on the sides of the ephod as a memorial for the sons of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded Moyses.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 posuitque and he placed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ
2 eos them PRON.ACC.PL.M
3 in on / in PREP+ABL
4 lateribus sides NOUN.ABL.PL.N
5 superhumeralis of the ephod NOUN.GEN.SG.N
6 in as / for PREP+ACC
7 monimentum a memorial NOUN.ACC.SG.N
8 filiorum of the sons NOUN.GEN.PL.M
9 Israel Israel NOUN.GEN.SG.INDECL
10 sicut just as CONJ
11 præceperat had commanded 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND.3RD CONJ
12 Dominus LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
13 Moysi to Moses NOUN.DAT.SG.M

Syntax

The main clause is posuitque eos, where posuit is the perfect active verb, the subject is implied (“he”), and eos is the direct object referring to the two engraved onyx stones.

The prepositional phrase in lateribus superhumeralis expresses the location where the stones were placed: “on the sides of the ephod.” Here in governs the ablative lateribus and the dependent genitive superhumeralis.

A second prepositional phrase in monimentum filiorum Israel expresses purpose or function (“as a memorial”), with in governing the accusative. The genitive filiorum Israel specifies for whom the memorial was intended.

The comparative clause sicut præceperat Dominus Moysi marks the divine authority behind the procedure. sicut introduces the comparison, præceperat is the pluperfect verb (“had commanded”), Dominus is the subject (YHWH), and Moysi is the indirect object.

Morphology

  1. posuitque — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular perfect active indicative, third conjugation; Function: Main verb; Translation: and he placed; Notes: The enclitic -que links this action with the preceding crafting acts.
  2. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Accusative plural masculine; Function: Direct object; Translation: them; Notes: Refers back to the two engraved onyx stones.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the ablative here; Function: Introduces location; Translation: on; Notes: The ablative expresses position or location.
  4. lateribus — Lemma: latus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural neuter, third declension; Function: Object of in; Translation: sides; Notes: Denotes the flanks or panels of the ephod.
  5. superhumeralis — Lemma: superhumerale; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Dependent genitive modifying lateribus; Translation: of the ephod; Notes: Specifies which sides were meant — those belonging to the ephod.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the accusative here; Function: Introduces purpose; Translation: as; Notes: With the accusative, in expresses purpose or intended function.
  7. monimentum — Lemma: monimentum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: Predicate accusative expressing purpose; Translation: a memorial; Notes: Indicates that the stones served a commemorative role.
  8. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine, second declension; Function: Possessive genitive modifying monimentum; Translation: of the sons; Notes: Refers to the tribes of Israel represented by the engraved names.
  9. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular (indeclinable); Function: Modifies filiorum; Translation: Israel; Notes: As an indeclinable Hebrew proper name, its case is determined by context.
  10. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Introduces comparative/conformative clause; Translation: just as; Notes: Marks that the action conforms precisely to divine command.
  11. præceperat — Lemma: praecipio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular pluperfect active indicative, third conjugation; Function: Verb of comparative clause; Translation: had commanded; Notes: Pluperfect denotes the earlier issuing of the command prior to the crafting.
  12. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun (title); Form: Nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: Subject of præceperat; Translation: LORD; Notes: Refers to YHWH; must be translated “LORD.”
  13. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Dative singular masculine, third declension; Function: Indirect object; Translation: to Moses; Notes: Indicates the recipient of the divine command.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.