Numeri 25:8 (Numbers 25:8)

Posted on May 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 25:8 ingressus est post virum Israelitem in lupanar, et perfodit ambos simul, virum scilicet et mulierem in locis genitalibus. Cessavitque plaga a filiis Israel:

he entered after the Israelite man into the brothel, and pierced both together, namely the man and the woman in the genital parts. And the plague ceased from the sons of Israel;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ingressus having entered NOM.SG.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
2 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 post after PREP+ACC
4 virum man ACC.SG.M
5 Israelitem Israelite ACC.SG.M
6 in into PREP+ACC
7 lupanar brothel ACC.SG.N
8 et and CONJ
9 perfodit pierced 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 ambos both ACC.PL.M
11 simul together ADV
12 virum man ACC.SG.M
13 scilicet namely ADV
14 et and CONJ
15 mulierem woman ACC.SG.F
16 in in PREP+ABL
17 locis parts ABL.PL.M
18 genitalibus genital ABL.PL.M
19 Cessavitque and ceased 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
20 plaga plague NOM.SG.F
21 a from PREP+ABL
22 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
23 Israel Israel INDECL.NOUN

Syntax

Main Clause 1: ingressus est forms the principal narrative action, with the implied subject referring back to Phinees.

Prepositional Phrases: post virum Israelitem expresses pursuit, while in lupanar indicates movement into the location.

Main Clause 2: perfodit ambos simul describes the violent act, with ambos functioning as the direct object.

Appositional Clarification: virum scilicet et mulierem explicitly identifies the two persons pierced.

Prepositional Phrase: in locis genitalibus specifies the bodily location of the piercing.

Main Clause 3: Cessavitque plaga expresses the resulting cessation of divine judgment.

Prepositional Phrase: a filiis Israel indicates separation or removal from the people of Israel.

Morphology

  1. ingressus — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: verb; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect deponent participle, 3rd conjugation; Function: participial component of compound perfect construction; Translation: “having entered”; Notes: deponent verb with active meaning indicating purposeful movement.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb completing perfect deponent construction; Translation: “was”; Notes: combines with ingressus to express completed action.
  3. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces pursuit phrase; Translation: “after”; Notes: indicates movement following another person.
  4. virum — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of post; Translation: “man”; Notes: refers to the Israelite offender.
  5. Israelitem — Lemma: Israelita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 1st declension; Function: apposition modifying virum; Translation: “Israelite”; Notes: identifies the man ethnically and covenantally.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces directional phrase; Translation: “into”; Notes: with accusative denotes movement into a place.
  7. lupanar — Lemma: lupanar; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “brothel”; Notes: term associated with prostitution and sexual immorality.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: joins sequential actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: links entry with the following act.
  9. perfodit — Lemma: perfodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative, 3rd conjugation; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “pierced”; Notes: conveys forceful penetration through with a weapon.
  10. ambos — Lemma: ambo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of perfodit; Translation: “both”; Notes: specifically refers to the two offenders together.
  11. simul — Lemma: simul; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies perfodit; Translation: “together”; Notes: emphasizes simultaneous action affecting both individuals.
  12. virum — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: appositional clarification of ambos; Translation: “man”; Notes: identifies the male offender explicitly.
  13. scilicet — Lemma: scilicet; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: explanatory particle; Translation: “namely”; Notes: introduces clarification or specification.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: joins paired nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: coordinates the man and the woman.
  15. mulierem — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: appositional clarification of ambos; Translation: “woman”; Notes: refers to the Midianite woman.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: with ablative denotes position or bodily location.
  17. locis — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “parts”; Notes: general anatomical term clarified by the following adjective.
  18. genitalibus — Lemma: genitalis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies locis; Translation: “genital”; Notes: specifies the bodily region involved.
  19. Cessavitque — Lemma: cesso; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative with enclitic conjunction, 1st conjugation; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “and ceased”; Notes: the enclitic -que links the cessation directly to the preceding action.
  20. plaga — Lemma: plaga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: subject of Cessavitque; Translation: “plague”; Notes: refers to divine punishment afflicting Israel.
  21. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces separation phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: expresses removal away from the people.
  22. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of a; Translation: “sons”; Notes: part of the covenantal designation for Israel.
  23. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: dependent identifier modifying filiis; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: names the covenant nation from whom the plague departed.

 

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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