Numeri 33:17 (Numbers 33:17)

Posted on May 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 33:17 Profectique de sepulchris concupiscentiæ, castrametati sunt in Haseroth.

And setting out from the graves of craving, they encamped at Haseroth.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Profectique and setting out NOM.PL.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
2 de from PREP+ABL
3 sepulchris graves ABL.PL.N
4 concupiscentiæ of craving GEN.SG.F
5 castrametati encamped NOM.PL.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
6 sunt they encamped 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
7 in at PREP+ABL
8 Haseroth Hazeroth INDECL

Syntax

Main Clause: Profectique de sepulchris concupiscentiæ, castrametati sunt in Haseroth continues the itinerary of the sons of Israel. The sons of Israel are the understood subject. Profectique describes their departure from the Graves of Craving, while castrametati sunt is the finite perfect deponent construction describing their encampment at Haseroth.

Participial Phrase: Profectique de sepulchris concupiscentiæ means “and setting out from the Graves of Craving.” Profectique is nominative masculine plural and agrees with the understood subject. Its enclitic -que coordinates this stage with the preceding itinerary.

Place of Departure: de sepulchris concupiscentiæ identifies the point of departure. de governs the ablative plural sepulchris, while concupiscentiæ is a genitive singular dependent on sepulchris. The expression literally means “from the graves of craving.”

Verb Phrase: castrametati sunt is the perfect tense of the deponent verb castrametor. castrametati agrees with the understood masculine plural subject, while sunt serves as the auxiliary.

Place of Encampment: in Haseroth expresses place where. in therefore governs the ablative in function, while the indeclinable place-name Haseroth does not display a separate ablative form.

Morphology

  1. Profectique — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: Perfect participle of a deponent verb with enclitic conjunction; Form: Nominative plural masculine, perfect deponent participle, third conjugation, with enclitic -que; Function: Circumstantial participle agreeing with the understood subject, the sons of Israel; Translation: “and setting out”; Notes: proficiscor is deponent and has active meaning despite its passive morphology; the attached -que connects this departure with the preceding stage of the itinerary.
  2. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the place of departure; Translation: “from”; Notes: It governs sepulchris and marks the Graves of Craving as the location from which the Israelites depart.
  3. sepulchris — Lemma: sepulchrum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural neuter, second declension; Function: Object of the preposition de; Translation: “graves”; Notes: The noun is further specified by the genitive concupiscentiæ, together forming the geographical designation “Graves of Craving.”
  4. concupiscentiæ — Lemma: concupiscentia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine, first declension; Function: Genitive dependent on sepulchris; Translation: “of craving”; Notes: It specifies the association or character of the graves and completes the expression sepulchris concupiscentiæ.
  5. castrametati — Lemma: castrametor; Part of Speech: Perfect participle of a deponent verb; Form: Nominative plural masculine, perfect deponent participle, first conjugation; Function: Forms the perfect deponent construction castrametati sunt and agrees with the understood subject, the sons of Israel; Translation: “encamped”; Notes: The deponent verb castrametor means to pitch or establish a camp and carries active meaning despite its passive morphological form.
  6. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural, present active indicative, irregular; Function: Auxiliary completing the perfect deponent construction castrametati sunt; Translation: “they encamped”; Notes: Together with castrametati, it forms the perfect tense and presents the encampment at Haseroth as a completed event.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the place where the Israelites encamped; Translation: “at”; Notes: Here in expresses location rather than motion toward a destination, so its complement has ablative function.
  8. Haseroth — Lemma: Haseroth; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable place-name, functioning as ablative after in; Function: Complement of in and location of castrametati sunt; Translation: “Haseroth”; Notes: The indeclinable geographical name identifies the next encampment reached after the Israelites departed from the Graves of Craving.

 

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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