Numeri 1:23 (Numbers 1:23)

Posted on April 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 1:23 quinquaginta novem millia trecenti.

fifty-nine thousand three hundred.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quinquaginta fifty NUM.INDECL
2 novem nine NUM.INDECL
3 millia thousand NOM.PL.N
4 trecenti three hundred NOM.PL.M

Syntax

Numerical Phrase: quinquaginta novem millia forms a compound numeral meaning “fifty-nine thousand,” where the indeclinable numerals quinquaginta and novem modify the plural noun millia.

Additional Enumeration: trecenti adds the remaining portion of the count, “three hundred,” completing the census total.

Elliptical Construction: The phrase functions as a numerical summary referring to the counted men from the preceding statement, with the noun for persons understood from context.

Morphology

  1. quinquaginta — Lemma: quinquaginta; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: part of the compound numeral modifying millia; Translation: fifty; Notes: Used together with novem to express the number fifty-nine.
  2. novem — Lemma: novem; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: completes the compound numeral with quinquaginta; Translation: nine; Notes: When combined with tens it forms compound numbers such as fifty-nine.
  3. millia — Lemma: mille; Part of Speech: numeral noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: head noun of the numerical expression; Translation: thousand; Notes: In the plural it functions substantively to mean “thousands.”
  4. trecenti — Lemma: trecenti; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine cardinal numeral; Function: supplies the final component of the total; Translation: three hundred; Notes: Agrees with an implied masculine plural noun referring to the counted men.

 

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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