Numeri 1:18 (Numbers 1:18)

Posted on April 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 1:18 et congregaverunt primo die mensis secundi, recensentes eos per cognationes, et domos, ac familias, et capita, et nomina singulorum a vigesimo anno et supra,

and they assembled on the first day of the second month, registering them by clans, and households, and families, and heads, and the names of each one from the twentieth year and above,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 congregaverunt they assembled 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
3 primo first ABL.SG.M.POS
4 die day ABL.SG.M
5 mensis of month GEN.SG.M
6 secundi second GEN.SG.M.POS
7 recensentes registering NOM.PL.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
8 eos them ACC.PL.M.PERS
9 per through / by PREP+ACC
10 cognationes clans ACC.PL.F
11 et and CONJ
12 domos houses ACC.PL.F
13 ac and CONJ
14 familias families ACC.PL.F
15 et and CONJ
16 capita heads ACC.PL.N
17 et and CONJ
18 nomina names ACC.PL.N
19 singulorum of each one GEN.PL.M.INDEF
20 a from PREP+ABL
21 vigesimo twentieth ABL.SG.M.POS
22 anno year ABL.SG.M
23 et and CONJ
24 supra above ADV

Syntax

Main Clause: congregaverunt is the main finite verb, with an implied plural subject, “they.” et links this clause to what precedes.

Temporal Phrase: primo die mensis secundi functions as an ablative expression of time, specifying when the assembly took place.

Participial Clause: recensentes eos modifies the implied subject of congregaverunt and explains the manner or attendant action, “while registering them.”

Object: eos is the direct object of recensentes.

Prepositional Series: per cognationes, domos, familias, capita, and nomina singulorum form an extended accusative series after per, expressing the categories according to which the registration was carried out.

Age Phrase: a vigesimo anno et supra is a prepositional phrase marking the lower age limit, “from the twentieth year and above.”

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: links this clause to the preceding context; Translation: and; Notes: A very common connective introducing continuation in narrative.
  2. congregaverunt — Lemma: congrego; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: they assembled; Notes: The perfect tense presents the action as a completed event in the narrative sequence.
  3. primo — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine positive; Function: modifies die in a temporal ablative phrase; Translation: first; Notes: It marks the specific day within the month.
  4. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, fifth declension; Function: head of the ablative of time expression; Translation: day; Notes: With primo it means “on the first day.”
  5. mensis — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, third declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying die; Translation: of month; Notes: It specifies the larger calendrical unit to which the day belongs.
  6. secundi — Lemma: secundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine positive; Function: modifies mensis; Translation: second; Notes: Together with mensis it means “of the second month.”
  7. recensentes — Lemma: recenseo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active participle; Function: agrees with the implied subject and expresses attendant action; Translation: registering; Notes: The participle describes the process accompanying the assembling.
  8. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine personal pronoun; Function: direct object of recensentes; Translation: them; Notes: Refers to the men being counted or enrolled.
  9. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces the categories or divisions used in the registration; Translation: by; Notes: It conveys distribution according to recognized social units.
  10. cognationes — Lemma: cognatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, third declension; Function: object of per; Translation: clans; Notes: The word points to kinship groupings or lines of relationship.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: joins items in the series after per; Translation: and; Notes: It continues the cumulative enumeration.
  12. domos — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, fourth declension; Function: coordinated object within the series governed by per; Translation: households; Notes: Here it likely emphasizes household units rather than physical buildings.
  13. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: links another element in the series; Translation: and; Notes: A stylistic variant of et, often slightly closer in connection.
  14. familias — Lemma: familia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: coordinated object in the series governed by per; Translation: families; Notes: The term can suggest the domestic family group or household dependents more broadly.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: joins another member of the list; Translation: and; Notes: The repeated coordination gives the enumeration a formal, documentary rhythm.
  16. capita — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, third declension; Function: coordinated object in the series governed by per; Translation: heads; Notes: In this context it can refer to head-counts or counted persons by head.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: links the final items in the enumeration; Translation: and; Notes: It maintains the additive structure of the record.
  18. nomina — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, third declension; Function: coordinated object in the series governed by per; Translation: names; Notes: This introduces a more individualized level of registration.
  19. singulorum — Lemma: singuli; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine positive; Function: modifies nomina as a dependent genitive; Translation: of each one; Notes: It stresses individual identification rather than merely collective grouping.
  20. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces the age threshold; Translation: from; Notes: It marks the starting point of the age range.
  21. vigesimo — Lemma: vicesimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine positive; Function: modifies anno within the prepositional phrase; Translation: twentieth; Notes: It identifies the exact qualifying age.
  22. anno — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, second declension; Function: object of the preposition a; Translation: year; Notes: With vigesimo it means “from the twentieth year.”
  23. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: links the phrase to the adverb supra; Translation: and; Notes: It creates the idiomatic expression for an age minimum plus those older.
  24. supra — Lemma: supra; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: completes the age-range expression; Translation: above; Notes: Here it means “and upward,” including those older than the stated age.

 

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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