Numeri 3:40 (Numbers 3:40)

Posted on April 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 3:40 Et ait Dominus ad Moysen: Numera primogenitos sexus masculini de filiis Israel ab uno mense et supra, et habebis summam eorum.

And the LORD said to Moyses: “Count the firstborn of the male kind from the sons of Israel from one month and above, and you shall have their total.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
6 Numera count 2SG.IMP.ACT
7 primogenitos firstborn ACC.PL.M
8 sexus of kind GEN.SG.M
9 masculini male GEN.SG.M
10 de from PREP+ABL
11 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
12 Israel Israel NOUN.GEN.SG.M.INDECL
13 ab from PREP+ABL
14 uno one ABL.SG.M
15 mense month ABL.SG.M
16 et and CONJ
17 supra above ADV
18 et and CONJ
19 habebis you shall have 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
20 summam total ACC.SG.F
21 eorum their GEN.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Dominus (subject) + ait (verb) + ad Moysen (indirect object).

Imperative Clause: Numera primogenitos — command issued.

Genitive Phrase: sexus masculini — specifies “of male kind.”

Prepositional Phrase: de filiis Israel — indicates source.

Prepositional Phrase: ab uno mense et supra — expresses age range.

Future Clause: habebis summam eorum — result of the command.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: connects clauses; Translation: and; Notes: Continues narrative.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: said; Notes: Irregular verb of speaking.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: Direction toward person.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: Moses; Notes: Recipient of speech.
  6. Numera — Lemma: numero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: count; Notes: Direct instruction.
  7. primogenitos — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: adjective used as noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of Numera; Translation: firstborn; Notes: Refers to eldest males.
  8. sexus — Lemma: sexus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies primogenitos; Translation: of kind; Notes: Specifies category.
  9. masculini — Lemma: masculinus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies sexus; Translation: male; Notes: Gender specification.
  10. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces origin; Translation: from; Notes: Indicates source group.
  11. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: sons; Notes: Descendants.
  12. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine indeclinable; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: Israel; Notes: Nation.
  13. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces starting point; Translation: from; Notes: Before consonant.
  14. uno — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies mense; Translation: one; Notes: Specifies age.
  15. mense — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of ab; Translation: month; Notes: Time reference.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: connects; Translation: and; Notes: Adds phrase.
  17. supra — Lemma: supra; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies age phrase; Translation: above; Notes: Indicates older.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: Introduces result.
  19. habebis — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: you shall have; Notes: Future result.
  20. summam — Lemma: summa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of habebis; Translation: total; Notes: Numerical sum.
  21. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies summam; Translation: their; Notes: Refers to counted group.

 

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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