Numeri 24:11 (Numbers 24:11)

Posted on May 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 24:11 revertere ad locum tuum. Decreveram quidem magnifice honorare te, sed Dominus privavit te honore disposito.

Return to your place. Indeed, I had determined to honor you greatly, but the LORD has deprived you of the honor prepared for you.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 revertere return 2SG.PRES.DEP.IMP.MOOD
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 locum place ACC.SG.M
4 tuum your ACC.SG.M.POSS
5 Decreveram I had determined 1SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
6 quidem indeed ADV
7 magnifice greatly ADV
8 honorare to honor PRES.ACT.INF
9 te you ACC.SG.2.PERS
10 sed but CONJ
11 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
12 privavit has deprived 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 te you ACC.SG.2.PERS
14 honore of honor ABL.SG.M
15 disposito prepared ABL.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP

Syntax

Imperative Clause: revertere ad locum tuum forms a direct command ordering Balaam to depart.

Prepositional Phrase: ad locum tuum specifies the destination of the commanded return.

Main Declarative Clause: Decreveram quidem magnifice honorare te expresses Balac’s former intention to reward Balaam generously.

Infinitive Construction: honorare te functions as the object complement of Decreveram.

Adverbial Modifiers: quidem and magnifice intensify the sincerity and scale of the intended honor.

Contrasting Clause: sed Dominus privavit te honore disposito contrasts Balac’s intention with divine intervention.

Ablative Construction: honore disposito functions as an ablative of separation with privavit, indicating what has been withheld.

Morphology

  1. revertere — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Second person singular present deponent imperative; Function: Main imperative verb; Translation: “return”; Notes: The deponent form carries active meaning despite passive morphology.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Preposition governing accusative; Function: Introduces destination phrase; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates motion toward a place.
  3. locum — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine second declension; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “place”; Notes: Refers to Balaam’s homeland or dwelling.
  4. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular masculine positive degree; Function: Modifies locum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Personalizes the destination being referenced.
  5. Decreveram — Lemma: decerno; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: First person singular pluperfect active indicative; Function: Main verb of declarative clause; Translation: “I had determined”; Notes: Expresses prior resolved intention.
  6. quidem — Lemma: quidem; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable adverb; Function: Emphasizes the assertion; Translation: “indeed”; Notes: Adds confirmatory force to Balac’s statement.
  7. magnifice — Lemma: magnifice; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable adverb; Function: Modifies honorare; Translation: “greatly”; Notes: Describes the lavish scale of intended honor.
  8. honorare — Lemma: honoro; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive with Decreveram; Translation: “to honor”; Notes: Expresses the intended action toward Balaam.
  9. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Accusative singular second person; Function: Direct object of honorare; Translation: “you”; Notes: Directly addresses Balaam.
  10. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Marks opposition between human intention and divine action.
  11. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine second declension; Function: Subject of privavit; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the ultimate authority controlling events.
  12. privavit — Lemma: privo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: Main verb of contrasting clause; Translation: “has deprived”; Notes: Indicates removal or withholding of benefit.
  13. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Accusative singular second person; Function: Direct object of privavit; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers again to Balaam.
  14. honore — Lemma: honor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine third declension; Function: Ablative of separation with privavit; Translation: “of honor”; Notes: Indicates the reward or dignity withheld.
  15. disposito — Lemma: dispono; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Ablative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: Modifies honore; Translation: “prepared”; Notes: Describes honor that had been arranged or intended beforehand.

 

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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