Numeri 26:61 (Numbers 26:61)

Posted on May 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 26:61 quorum Nadab et Abiu mortui sunt, cum obtulissent ignem alienum coram Domino.

of whom Nadab and Abiu died when they had offered strange fire before the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quorum of whom GEN.PL.M.REL
2 Nadab Nadab NOM.SG.M
3 et and CONJ
4 Abiu Abihu NOM.SG.M
5 mortui died NOM.PL.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
6 sunt did 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
7 cum when CONJ
8 obtulissent they had offered 3PL.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
9 ignem fire ACC.SG.M
10 alienum strange ACC.SG.M
11 coram before PREP+ABL
12 Domino LORD ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Relative Clause: quorum Nadab et Abiu mortui sunt identifies two members of Aaron’s family who died.

Genitive Relative Pronoun: quorum refers back to Aaron’s sons mentioned in the previous verse.

Subject: Nadab et Abiu forms the compound subject of mortui sunt.

Verbal Construction: mortui sunt is a perfect deponent expression meaning “died.”

Temporal Clause: cum obtulissent ignem alienum coram Domino explains the circumstance leading to their death.

Direct Object: ignem alienum is the object of obtulissent and refers to unauthorized sacrificial fire.

Prepositional Phrase: coram Domino indicates that the offense occurred in the presence of the LORD.

Morphology

  1. quorum — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: introduces the relative clause; Translation: “of whom”; Notes: refers back to Aaron’s sons.
  2. Nadab — Lemma: Nadab; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of mortui sunt; Translation: “Nadab”; Notes: eldest son of Aaron.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: joins coordinate subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: links Nadab and Abiu.
  4. Abiu — Lemma: Abiu; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of mortui sunt; Translation: “Abiu”; Notes: second son of Aaron.
  5. mortui — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect deponent participle; Function: predicate participle with sunt; Translation: “died”; Notes: forms a perfect deponent verbal expression.
  6. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “did”; Notes: completes the perfect deponent construction mortui sunt; idiomatically translated “died.”
  7. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces a temporal-circumstantial clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: explains the circumstance of their death.
  8. obtulissent — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the cum-clause; Translation: “they had offered”; Notes: indicates an action completed before the resulting judgment.
  9. ignem — Lemma: ignis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: direct object of obtulissent; Translation: “fire”; Notes: refers to sacrificial fire.
  10. alienum — Lemma: alienus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies ignem; Translation: “unauthorized”; Notes: literally “foreign” or “strange,” referring to fire not commanded by the LORD.
  11. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces a phrase of presence; Translation: “before”; Notes: denotes being in the presence of a superior.
  12. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of coram; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH and is therefore translated as “LORD.”

 

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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