Numeri 32:24 (Numbers 32:24)

Posted on May 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 32:24 Ædificate ergo urbes parvulis vestris, et caulas, et stabula ovibus ac iumentis: et quod polliciti estis implete.

Therefore build cities for your little ones, and folds and shelters for the sheep and beasts; and fulfill what you have promised.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ædificate build 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 ergo therefore ADV.INVAR
3 urbes cities ACC.PL.F.OBJ
4 parvulis for the little ones DAT.PL.M
5 vestris your DAT.PL.M.POSS
6 et and CONJ.INVAR
7 caulas folds ACC.PL.F.OBJ
8 et and CONJ.INVAR
9 stabula shelters ACC.PL.N.OBJ
10 ovibus for the sheep DAT.PL.F
11 ac and CONJ.INVAR
12 iumentis for the beasts DAT.PL.N
13 et and CONJ.INVAR
14 quod what ACC.SG.N.REL.OBJ
15 polliciti having promised NOM.PL.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
16 estis you have 2PL.PRES.ACT.IND
17 implete fulfill 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP

Syntax

Main Command: Ædificate ergo urbes parvulis vestris, et caulas, et stabula ovibus ac iumentis is an imperative instruction. Ædificate is the main verb, and urbes, caulas, and stabula are coordinated direct objects.

Inferential Adverb: ergo connects this command with the conditions stated previously and means “therefore.”

Dative of Advantage: parvulis vestris identifies those for whose benefit the cities are to be built. vestris agrees with parvulis.

Dative of Advantage: ovibus ac iumentis indicates the animals for whose benefit the folds and shelters are to be constructed.

Second Main Command: et quod polliciti estis implete adds a second imperative. implete is the command, while quod polliciti estis functions substantivally as its direct object.

Relative Clause: quod polliciti estis means “what you have promised.” The relative pronoun quod is the direct object of the deponent verb polliciti estis.

Morphology

  1. Ædificate — Lemma: ædifico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Second person plural, present active imperative, first conjugation; Function: Main verb of the first command; Translation: “build”; Notes: Moyses authorizes the tribes to construct the settlements and enclosures they had proposed.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable inferential adverb; Function: Modifies Ædificate and connects the command with the preceding conditions; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: It signals that the present instruction follows logically from the agreement just established.
  3. urbes — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine, third declension; Function: Direct object of Ædificate; Translation: “cities”; Notes: Refers to fortified settlements intended to protect the families remaining east of the Jordan.
  4. parvulis — Lemma: parvulus; Part of Speech: Adjective used substantivally; Form: Dative plural masculine, positive degree; Function: Dative of advantage with Ædificate; Translation: “for the little ones”; Notes: Used substantivally, it refers to the tribes’ children and young dependants.
  5. vestris — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Dative plural masculine, positive degree; Function: Modifier of parvulis; Translation: “your”; Notes: It identifies the little ones as belonging to the men being addressed.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects urbes and caulas; Translation: “and”; Notes: It adds another object to the construction command.
  7. caulas — Lemma: caula; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: Direct object of Ædificate; Translation: “folds”; Notes: Refers to enclosed places for keeping and protecting livestock, especially sheep.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects caulas and stabula; Translation: “and”; Notes: It introduces the third kind of structure to be built.
  9. stabula — Lemma: stabulum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural neuter, second declension; Function: Direct object of Ædificate; Translation: “shelters”; Notes: Denotes stalls, stables, or enclosures for domestic animals.
  10. ovibus — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative plural feminine, third declension; Function: Dative of advantage with the structures being built; Translation: “for the sheep”; Notes: It identifies one class of livestock for whose protection the enclosures are intended.
  11. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects ovibus and iumentis; Translation: “and”; Notes: It joins the two groups of animals benefiting from the structures.
  12. iumentis — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative plural neuter, second declension; Function: Dative of advantage; Translation: “for the beasts”; Notes: Refers to the larger domestic animals and beasts of burden owned by the tribes.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: Introduces the second command; Translation: “and”; Notes: It links the construction instruction with the requirement to fulfil their promise.
  14. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of polliciti estis and part of the substantive relative clause serving as the object of implete; Translation: “what”; Notes: It refers collectively to the military commitment the tribes had made.
  15. polliciti — Lemma: polliceor; Part of Speech: Perfect participle of a deponent verb; Form: Nominative plural masculine, perfect deponent participle, second conjugation; Function: Forms the perfect deponent tense with estis; Translation: “having promised”; Notes: Though passive in form, it has active meaning because polliceor is deponent.
  16. estis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Second person plural, present active indicative; Function: Auxiliary completing polliciti estis; Translation: “you have”; Notes: Together with polliciti, it forms the perfect deponent expression “you have promised.”
  17. implete — Lemma: impleo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Second person plural, present active imperative, second conjugation; Function: Main verb of the second command; Translation: “fulfill”; Notes: Moyses commands the tribes to carry out fully the obligation they have undertaken.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Numeri. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.