Numeri 23:10 (Numbers 23:10)

Posted on May 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 23:10 Quis dinumerare possit pulverem Iacob, et nosse numerum stirpis Israel? Moriatur anima mea morte iustorum, et fiant novissima mea horum similia.

Who can count the dust of Jacob, and know the number of the offspring of Israel? Let my soul die the death of the righteous, and let my last things become like theirs.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quis who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
2 dinumerare to count fully PRES.ACT.INF
3 possit can 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
4 pulverem dust ACC.SG.M.3RD DECL
5 Iacob of Jacob GEN.SG.M.INDECL
6 et and CONJ
7 nosse to know PERF.ACT.INF
8 numerum number ACC.SG.M.2ND DECL
9 stirpis of the offspring GEN.SG.F.3RD DECL
10 Israel of Israel GEN.SG.M.INDECL
11 Moriatur let die 3SG.PRES.DEP.SUBJ
12 anima soul NOM.SG.F.1ST DECL
13 mea my NOM.SG.F.POSS.PRON
14 morte by the death ABL.SG.F.3RD DECL
15 iustorum of the righteous GEN.PL.M.POS.ADJ
16 et and CONJ
17 fiant let become 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
18 novissima last things NOM.PL.N.SUPER.ADJ
19 mea my NOM.PL.N.POSS.PRON
20 horum of these GEN.PL.M.DEM.PRON
21 similia similar NOM.PL.N.POS.ADJ

Syntax

Rhetorical Question: Quis dinumerare possit pulverem Iacob forms the first interrogative clause, asking who is able to count the innumerable descendants of Iacob.

Infinitive Construction: dinumerare depends on possit, expressing the action that cannot realistically be accomplished.

Genitive Phrase: pulverem Iacob uses a possessive genitive to describe the “dust” belonging to or associated with Iacob’s descendants.

Coordinated Clause: et nosse numerum stirpis Israel parallels the first clause, reinforcing the immeasurable size of Israel.

Jussive Clause: Moriatur anima mea morte iustorum expresses Balaam’s wish or desire concerning his own death.

Ablative Phrase: morte iustorum expresses manner or circumstance, describing the kind of death Balaam desires.

Second Jussive Clause: et fiant novissima mea horum similia expresses Balaam’s wish that his final end resemble that of the righteous people he beholds.

Predicate Adjective Construction: horum similia functions predicatively with fiant, describing what Balaam wishes his final state to become like.

Morphology

  1. Quis — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of possit; Translation: “who”; Notes: The interrogative opens the rhetorical question with emphasis on impossibility.
  2. dinumerare — Lemma: dinumero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive dependent on possit; Translation: “to count fully”; Notes: The compound verb intensifies the idea of complete enumeration.
  3. possit — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: main verb of the rhetorical question; Translation: “can”; Notes: The subjunctive gives the clause a deliberative or rhetorical force.
  4. pulverem — Lemma: pulvis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine third declension; Function: direct object of dinumerare; Translation: “dust”; Notes: The metaphor recalls the countless descendants promised to the patriarchs.
  5. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine indeclinable; Function: possessive genitive modifying pulverem; Translation: “of Jacob”; Notes: The name stands collectively for the covenant people descending from Jacob.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the two rhetorical infinitive clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: The conjunction strengthens the poetic parallelism.
  7. nosse — Lemma: nosco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active infinitive used with present meaning; Function: complementary infinitive dependent on possit; Translation: “to know”; Notes: The infinitive nosse commonly carries the meaning “to know” rather than “to have learned.”
  8. numerum — Lemma: numerus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine second declension; Function: direct object of nosse; Translation: “number”; Notes: The noun emphasizes measurable quantity, which here exceeds human calculation.
  9. stirpis — Lemma: stirps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine third declension; Function: possessive genitive modifying numerum; Translation: “of the offspring”; Notes: The word refers to lineage, stock, or descendants.
  10. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine indeclinable; Function: modifies stirpis; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: The name identifies the covenant nation whose descendants are beyond numbering.
  11. Moriatur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person singular present deponent subjunctive; Function: jussive verb expressing Balaam’s wish; Translation: “let die”; Notes: The deponent form carries active meaning while expressing desire or prayer.
  12. anima — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine first declension; Function: subject of Moriatur; Translation: “soul”; Notes: The noun refers to Balaam’s own life or inner being.
  13. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine agreeing with anima; Function: modifies anima; Translation: “my”; Notes: The possessive makes the wish deeply personal.
  14. morte — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine third declension; Function: ablative of manner or circumstance; Translation: “by the death”; Notes: The ablative describes the type or condition of death desired.
  15. iustorum — Lemma: iustus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantivally; Form: genitive plural masculine positive adjective; Function: modifies morte; Translation: “of the righteous”; Notes: The adjective functions substantivally to refer to righteous people collectively.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the two jussive wishes; Translation: “and”; Notes: The conjunction links Balaam’s desired death with his desired final destiny.
  17. fiant — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active subjunctive; Function: jussive verb expressing wish; Translation: “let become”; Notes: The subjunctive expresses Balaam’s longing concerning his future end.
  18. novissima — Lemma: novissimus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantivally; Form: nominative plural neuter superlative adjective; Function: subject of fiant; Translation: “last things”; Notes: The superlative form refers to final outcomes, end, or destiny.
  19. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter agreeing with novissima; Function: modifies novissima; Translation: “my”; Notes: The possessive personalizes Balaam’s reflection on his future.
  20. horum — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive with similia; Translation: “of these”; Notes: The pronoun refers to the righteous people of Israel.
  21. similia — Lemma: similis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural neuter positive adjective; Function: predicate adjective with fiant; Translation: “similar”; Notes: The adjective expresses Balaam’s wish that his end resemble that of the righteous.

 

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 Numeri. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.