Numeri 26:51 (Numbers 26:51)

Posted on May 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 26:51 Ista est summa filiorum Israel, qui recensiti sunt, sexcenta millia, et mille septingenti triginta.

This is the total of the sons of Israel who were counted: six hundred thousand, and one thousand seven hundred thirty.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ista this NOM.SG.F.DEM
2 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 summa total NOM.SG.F
4 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M
5 Israel Israel INDECL.NOUN
6 qui who NOM.PL.M.REL
7 recensiti counted NOM.PL.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
8 sunt were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
9 sexcenta six hundred NOM.PL.N.NUM
10 millia thousand NOM.PL.N
11 et and CONJ
12 mille one thousand INDECL.NUM
13 septingenti seven hundred NOM.PL.M.NUM
14 triginta thirty INDECL.NUM

Syntax

Main Clause: Ista est summa filiorum Israel presents the final census total of the nation.

Subject: Ista functions as the subject of est.

Predicate Nominative: summa identifies what “this” refers to.

Genitive Relationship: filiorum Israel specifies whose total is being given.

Relative Clause: qui recensiti sunt describes the sons of Israel as those who were enrolled in the census.

Numerical Predicate: sexcenta millia, et mille septingenti triginta states the final census figure of 601,730.

Census Function: This verse summarizes the completed numbering of all the tribes counted in the census.

Morphology

  1. Ista — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of est; Translation: “this”; Notes: points to the census result being summarized.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: links the subject with its identification.
  3. summa — Lemma: summa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “total”; Notes: denotes the grand census total.
  4. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying summa; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: identifies the people included in the total.
  5. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: dependent identifier modifying filiorum; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: refers to the covenant nation descended from Iacob.
  6. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers to the sons of Israel.
  7. recensiti — Lemma: recenseo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate participle in the relative clause; Translation: “counted”; Notes: indicates official enrollment in the census.
  8. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary forming the perfect passive; Translation: “were”; Notes: completes the passive verbal construction.
  9. sexcenta — Lemma: sexcenti; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: modifies millia; Translation: “six hundred”; Notes: first component of the final census total.
  10. millia — Lemma: mille; Part of Speech: numeral noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: head noun of the numerical expression; Translation: “thousand”; Notes: denotes groups of one thousand.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: joins numerical expressions; Translation: “and”; Notes: links the thousands total with the remaining figure.
  12. mille — Lemma: mille; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: part of the numerical predicate; Translation: “one thousand”; Notes: begins the remaining portion of the total.
  13. septingenti — Lemma: septingenti; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: part of the numerical predicate; Translation: “seven hundred”; Notes: contributes to the final census figure.
  14. triginta — Lemma: triginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: completes the numerical predicate; Translation: “thirty”; Notes: completes the total of 601,730.

 

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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