Numeri 3:28 (Numbers 3:28)

Posted on April 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 3:28 omnes generis masculini ab uno mense et supra, octo millia sexcenti habebunt excubias Sanctuarii,

all of the male kind from one month and above, eight thousand six hundred shall have the watches of the Sanctuary,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 omnes all NOM.PL.M
2 generis of kind GEN.SG.N
3 masculini male GEN.SG.N
4 ab from PREP+ABL
5 uno one ABL.SG.M
6 mense month ABL.SG.M
7 et and CONJ
8 supra above ADV
9 octo eight INDECL.NUM
10 millia thousand ACC.PL.N
11 sexcenti six hundred NOM.PL.M
12 habebunt they shall have 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
13 excubias watches ACC.PL.F
14 Sanctuarii of sanctuary GEN.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: omnes (subject) + habebunt (main verb) + excubias (direct object).

Genitive Phrase: generis masculini — specifies the class of the subject, “of male kind.”

Prepositional Phrase: ab uno mense — indicates starting age.

Adverbial Modifier: supra — extends the range “and above.”

Numerical Expression: octo millia sexcenti — total number counted.

Genitive Modifier: Sanctuarii — specifies the object, “of the sanctuary.”

Morphology

  1. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: all; Notes: Refers collectively to all individuals in the specified group.
  2. generis — Lemma: genus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, third declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of kind; Notes: Specifies classification, further defined by masculini.
  3. masculini — Lemma: masculinus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies generis; Translation: male; Notes: Clarifies the gender category of those counted.
  4. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces temporal origin; Translation: from; Notes: Indicates starting point in age.
  5. uno — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies mense; Translation: one; Notes: Specifies the unit of time.
  6. mense — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, third declension; Function: object of ab; Translation: month; Notes: Expresses temporal baseline.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links; Translation: and; Notes: Connects temporal expressions.
  8. supra — Lemma: supra; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies age phrase; Translation: above; Notes: Includes those older than the stated age.
  9. octo — Lemma: octo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies millia; Translation: eight; Notes: Part of compound number.
  10. millia — Lemma: mille; Part of Speech: numeral noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of implied counting; Translation: thousand; Notes: Used with numerals for large quantities.
  11. sexcenti — Lemma: sexcenti; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: completes number; Translation: six hundred; Notes: Adds to total eight thousand six hundred.
  12. habebunt — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: shall have; Notes: Indicates assigned duty or role.
  13. excubias — Lemma: excubia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: watches; Notes: Refers to guard duties.
  14. Sanctuarii — Lemma: sanctuarium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies excubias; Translation: of sanctuary; Notes: Specifies sacred context of duties.

 

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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