Numeri 33:43 (Numbers 33:43)

Posted on May 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 33:43 Profectique de Phunon, castrametati sunt in Oboth.

And setting out from Phunon, they encamped at Oboth.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Profectique and setting out NOM.PL.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
2 de from PREP+ABL
3 Phunon Punon INDECL
4 castrametati encamped NOM.PL.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
5 sunt they encamped 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
6 in at PREP+ABL
7 Oboth Oboth INDECL

Syntax

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

Participial Phrase: Profectique de Phunon means “and setting out from Phunon.” Profectique is a perfect deponent participle agreeing with the understood masculine plural subject. The enclitic -que coordinates this departure with the preceding stage of the itinerary.

Place of Departure: de Phunon identifies Phunon as the point of departure. de governs the ablative in function, while the indeclinable place-name Phunon remains morphologically unchanged.

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

Place of Encampment: in Oboth means “at Oboth.” Here in expresses place where and therefore governs the ablative in function. The indeclinable place-name Oboth does not display a distinct 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: Because proficiscor is deponent, Profecti 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 marks Phunon as the location from which the sons of Israel departed.
  3. Phunon — Lemma: Phunon; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable place-name, functioning as ablative after de; Function: Complement of de and point of departure; Translation: “Phunon”; Notes: The geographical name refers to the preceding station and remains morphologically unchanged despite its ablative function.
  4. 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 has active meaning despite its passive morphological form.
  5. 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 Oboth as a completed event.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the place where the sons of Israel encamped; Translation: “at”; Notes: Here in expresses location rather than movement toward a destination and therefore requires an ablative function.
  7. Oboth — Lemma: Oboth; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable place-name, functioning as ablative after in; Function: Complement of the locative preposition in and location of castrametati sunt; Translation: “Oboth”; Notes: The indeclinable geographical name identifies the next encampment reached after the sons of Israel departed from Phunon.

 

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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