Numeri 27:11 (Numbers 27:11)

Posted on May 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 27:11 sin autem nec patruos habuerit, dabitur hereditas his, qui ei proximi sunt. eritque hoc filiis Israel sanctum lege perpetua, sicut præcepit Dominus Moysi.

But if he does not have paternal uncles either, the inheritance shall be given to those who are nearest to him. And this shall be for the sons of Israel a sacred statute by a perpetual law, just as the LORD commanded Moyses.’”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 sin but if CONJ
2 autem however CONJ
3 nec nor CONJ
4 patruos paternal uncles ACC.PL.M
5 habuerit shall have had 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
6 dabitur shall be given 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
7 hereditas inheritance NOM.SG.F
8 his to these DAT.PL.M
9 qui who REL.NOM.PL.M
10 ei to him DAT.SG.M
11 proximi nearest NOM.PL.M
12 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
13 eritque and it shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
14 hoc this NOM.SG.N
15 filiis for sons DAT.PL.M
16 Israel Israel INDECL
17 sanctum sacred NOM.SG.N
18 lege by law ABL.SG.F
19 perpetua perpetual ABL.SG.F
20 sicut just as CONJ
21 præcepit commanded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
22 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
23 Moysi Moses DAT.SG.M

Syntax

Conditional Clause: sin autem nec patruos habuerit — establishes the final contingency in the inheritance sequence. The implied subject remains the deceased man.

Main Clause: dabitur hereditas his — hereditas is the subject and dabitur is the passive verb. his identifies the recipients.

Relative Clause: qui ei proximi sunt — modifies his, identifying the nearest relatives as the heirs.

Legislative Clause: eritque hoc filiis Israel sanctum lege perpetua — declares the inheritance regulation to be a permanent legal statute for Israel.

Comparative Clause: sicut præcepit Dominus Moysi — grounds the law in divine authority by referring to the LORD’s command to Moyses.

Legal Function: This verse establishes the final level of inheritance succession. If no direct heirs or paternal relatives exist, the inheritance passes to the nearest kinsman. The rule is then formally codified as a perpetual statute for Israel.

Morphology

  1. sin — Lemma: sin; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces an alternative condition; Translation: “but if”; Notes: Marks the final contingency in the inheritance legislation.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Transitional connective; Translation: “however”; Notes: Strengthens the transition to a further legal possibility.
  3. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Negative coordinator; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Continues the sequence of absent heirs.
  4. patruos — Lemma: patruus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Plural Masculine; Function: Direct object of habuerit; Translation: “paternal uncles”; Notes: Refers specifically to the brothers of the father.
  5. habuerit — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future Perfect Active Indicative 3rd Person Singular; Function: Verb of the conditional clause; Translation: “shall have had”; Notes: Expresses a completed future condition.
  6. dabitur — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future Passive Indicative 3rd Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “shall be given”; Notes: Expresses the legal transfer of the inheritance.
  7. hereditas — Lemma: hereditas; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of dabitur; Translation: “inheritance”; Notes: Refers to the hereditary estate under discussion.
  8. his — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: Demonstrative Pronoun; Form: Dative Plural Masculine; Function: Indirect object of dabitur; Translation: “to these”; Notes: Refers forward to the nearest relatives identified in the relative clause.
  9. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative Pronoun; Form: Nominative Plural Masculine; Function: Subject of sunt; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces the defining relative clause.
  10. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Personal Pronoun; Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Dative of reference; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to the deceased man whose inheritance is being assigned.
  11. proximi — Lemma: proximus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative Plural Masculine SUPER; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “nearest”; Notes: Indicates the closest relatives in degree of kinship.
  12. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Indicative 3rd Person Plural; Function: Verb of the relative clause; Translation: “are”; Notes: Links the relatives to their description as nearest kin.
  13. eritque — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb with enclitic conjunction; Form: Future Active Indicative 3rd Person Singular with enclitic -que; Function: Main verb introducing the legal statute; Translation: “and it shall be”; Notes: Connects the inheritance rule with its permanent legal status.
  14. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: Demonstrative Pronoun; Form: Nominative Singular Neuter; Function: Subject of eritque; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the inheritance legislation just given.
  15. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative Plural Masculine; Function: Dative of advantage; Translation: “for sons”; Notes: Refers collectively to the people of Israel.
  16. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Genitive relationship reference; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: Identifies the covenant nation receiving the statute.
  17. sanctum — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative Singular Neuter Positive Degree; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “sacred”; Notes: Describes the statute as holy and binding.
  18. lege — Lemma: lex; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Ablative of manner or specification; Translation: “by law”; Notes: Defines the legal form in which the statute exists.
  19. perpetua — Lemma: perpetuus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine Positive Degree; Function: Modifies lege; Translation: “perpetual”; Notes: Emphasizes the continuing validity of the statute.
  20. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces a comparative clause; Translation: “just as”; Notes: Connects the statute to divine command.
  21. præcepit — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative 3rd Person Singular; Function: Main verb of the comparative clause; Translation: “commanded”; Notes: Indicates a completed divine instruction.
  22. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of præcepit; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the source of the legislation.
  23. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Indirect object of præcepit; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: The recipient of the LORD’s command.

 

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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