Numeri 1:48 (Numbers 1:48)

Posted on April 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 1:48 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:

And the LORD spoke to Moyses, saying.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutusque having spoken and PTCP.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
2 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moyses ACC.SG.M
6 dicens saying PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Dominus (subject) + Locutusque est (perfect deponent verbal expression functioning as the main verb).

Indirect Object Phrase: ad Moysen — prepositional phrase indicating the recipient of the speech.

Participial Phrase: dicens — present participle modifying Dominus, introducing the content of the forthcoming speech.

Morphology

  1. Locutusque — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb participle with enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect participle nominative masculine singular deponent + enclitic conjunction -que; Function: part of the compound perfect verbal construction with est; Translation: having spoken and; Notes: the participle agrees with Dominus and forms a periphrastic perfect with est; the enclitic -que connects this clause to the preceding narrative.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: auxiliary verb completing the perfect deponent construction with Locutus; Translation: is / has; Notes: in deponent perfect formations, the participle plus a form of sum expresses the past action.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine second declension; Function: subject of the main clause; Translation: LORD; Notes: rendered as LORD here because it refers to YHWH in the biblical narrative.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative case; Function: introduces the indirect object phrase indicating direction toward a person; Translation: to; Notes: frequently used in biblical Latin to mark the recipient of speech.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine third declension; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: Moyses; Notes: Latinized form of the Hebrew name Mosheh, referring to the leader of Israel.
  6. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb participle; Form: present active participle nominative masculine singular third conjugation; Function: participial modifier of Dominus introducing the content of speech; Translation: saying; Notes: commonly used in biblical narrative as a participial bridge before direct divine speech.

 

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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