Numeri 2:17 (Numbers 2:17)

Posted on April 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 2:17 Levabitur autem tabernaculum testimonii per officia Levitarum et turmas eorum. quomodo erigetur, ita et deponetur. Singuli per loca et ordines suos proficiscentur.

But the tabernacle of the testimony shall be taken up by the duties of the Levites and their companies. As it shall be erected, so also it shall be taken down. Each one shall set out according to his place and according to his ranks.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Levabitur shall be lifted / taken up 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
2 autem however / but ADV
3 tabernaculum tabernacle NOUN.NOM.SG.N
4 testimonii of testimony NOUN.GEN.SG.N
5 per through / by PREP.ACC
6 officia duties NOUN.ACC.PL.N
7 Levitarum of Levites NOUN.GEN.PL.M
8 et and CONJ
9 turmas companies NOUN.ACC.PL.F
10 eorum their PRON.GEN.PL
11 quomodo how / in what manner ADV
12 erigetur shall be erected 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
13 ita so / thus ADV
14 et also CONJ
15 deponetur shall be taken down 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
16 Singuli each PRON.NOM.PL.M
17 per according to PREP.ACC
18 loca places NOUN.ACC.PL.N
19 et and CONJ
20 ordines ranks / orders NOUN.ACC.PL.M
21 suos their ADJ.ACC.PL.M.POSS
22 proficiscentur shall set out 3PL.FUT.DEP.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Levabitur autem tabernaculum testimonii — “But the tabernacle of the testimony shall be taken up.”
The future passive verb Levabitur governs the nominative subject tabernaculum.

Instrumental Phrase: per officia Levitarum et turmas eorum — “by the duties of the Levites and their companies.”
The preposition per with the accusative expresses the means or administrative structure through which the action occurs.

Correlative Construction:
quomodo erigetur, ita et deponetur — “as it shall be erected, so also it shall be taken down.”
This balanced structure links two passive future verbs indicating identical procedural order.

Main Clause 2: Singuli per loca et ordines suos proficiscentur — “Each shall set out according to his place and his ranks.”
The deponent future verb proficiscentur governs the subject Singuli and indicates orderly movement of the camp.

Morphology

  1. Levabitur — Lemma: levo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future passive indicative; Translation: shall be lifted / taken up; Notes: refers to the lifting and moving of the tabernacle.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb / conjunction; Form: postpositive particle; Translation: however / but; Notes: contrasts this statement with the preceding marching order.
  3. tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Translation: tabernacle; Notes: subject of Levabitur.
  4. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Translation: of testimony; Notes: dependent genitive specifying the covenantal sanctuary.
  5. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Translation: through / by; Notes: expresses agency or administrative means.
  6. officia — Lemma: officium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Translation: duties / services; Notes: refers to the assigned Levitical responsibilities.
  7. Levitarum — Lemma: Levita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Translation: of Levites; Notes: possessive genitive modifying officia.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Translation: and; Notes: links the two accusative objects.
  9. turmas — Lemma: turma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Translation: companies; Notes: indicates organizational divisions.
  10. eorum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Translation: their; Notes: refers back to the Levites.
  11. quomodo — Lemma: quomodo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative/relative adverb; Translation: how / as; Notes: introduces comparative clause.
  12. erigetur — Lemma: erigo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future passive indicative; Translation: shall be erected; Notes: refers to setting up the tabernacle.
  13. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: correlative adverb; Translation: so / thus; Notes: paired with quomodo.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Translation: also; Notes: intensifies the comparison.
  15. deponetur — Lemma: depono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future passive indicative; Translation: shall be taken down; Notes: describes dismantling of the tabernacle.
  16. Singuli — Lemma: singuli; Part of Speech: distributive adjective/pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Translation: each / each one; Notes: subject of proficiscentur.
  17. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Translation: according to; Notes: indicates arrangement.
  18. loca — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Translation: places; Notes: refers to assigned positions.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Translation: and; Notes: links two ordered categories.
  20. ordines — Lemma: ordo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Translation: ranks / orders; Notes: indicates structured marching order.
  21. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Translation: their; Notes: modifies ordines.
  22. proficiscentur — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural future deponent indicative; Translation: shall set out; Notes: deponent verb indicating departure or marching.

 

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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