Leviticus 8:4

Posted on April 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 8:4 Fecit Moyses ut Dominus imperaverat. Congregataque omni turba ante fores tabernaculi,

Moyses did as the LORD had commanded. And the whole assembly having been gathered before the doors of the tabernacle,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fecit did 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
3 ut as CONJ
4 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
5 imperaverat had commanded 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
6 Congregataque having been gathered and PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.F
7 omni the whole ABL.SG.F
8 turba assembly ABL.SG.F
9 ante before PREP+ACC
10 fores doors ACC.PL.F
11 tabernaculi of the tabernacle GEN.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Fecit (finite verb) + Moyses (subject)
Comparative Clause: ut Dominus imperaverat — standard formula expressing obedience to divine command
Participial Clause: Congregataque omni turba — circumstantial clause describing the resulting situation
Locative Phrase: ante fores tabernaculi — spatial setting of the gathered assembly

Morphology

  1. Fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: did; Notes: Introduces Moses’ completed obedience as a factual report.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative masculine singular third declension; Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: Leader executing the divine instructions.
  3. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a clause of manner; Translation: as; Notes: Common biblical Latin construction expressing conformity.
  4. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular second declension; Function: subject of the subordinate clause; Translation: LORD; Notes: Rendered as LORD because it refers to YHWH.
  5. imperaverat — Lemma: impero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular pluperfect active indicative; Function: verb of the comparative clause; Translation: had commanded; Notes: Pluperfect marks the command as prior to Moses’ action.
  6. Congregataque — Lemma: congrego; Part of Speech: verb (participle with enclitic conjunction); Form: perfect passive participle nominative feminine singular with enclitic -que; Function: circumstantial participle agreeing with turba; Translation: having been gathered and; Notes: Presents the assembled state as the outcome of the command.
  7. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: modifies turba; Translation: the whole; Notes: Stresses total inclusion.
  8. turba — Lemma: turba; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular first declension; Function: ablative absolute with Congregataque; Translation: assembly; Notes: The collective body of the people.
  9. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative; Function: expresses spatial position; Translation: before; Notes: Indicates location in front of a structure.
  10. fores — Lemma: fores; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: object of ante; Translation: doors; Notes: Plural form commonly used for doorways or entrances.
  11. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter singular second declension; Function: genitive modifier of fores; Translation: of the tabernacle; Notes: Specifies the sacred tent as the focal location.

 

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 Leviticus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.