Numeri 4:18 (Numbers 4:18)

Posted on May 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 4:18 Nolite perdere populum Caath de medio Levitarum:

“Do not destroy the people of Caath from the midst of the Levites:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nolite do not be willing / do not 2.PL.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
2 perdere to destroy INF.PRES.ACT
3 populum people ACC.SG.M
4 Caath Kohath INDECL
5 de from PREP+ABL
6 medio midst ABL.SG.N
7 Levitarum of the Levites GEN.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Nolite perdere populum Caath — Nolite forms a negative imperative with the infinitive perdere. populum Caath is the direct object, with Caath specifying the group.

Prepositional Phrase: de medio Levitarum expresses separation, indicating removal “from the midst of the Levites.” medio functions as the ablative object of de, with Levitarum as a dependent genitive.

Clause Function: The sentence is a direct prohibition, using the standard Latin construction nolite + infinitive to command restraint.

Morphology

  1. Nolite — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person plural; Function: main verb forming prohibition; Translation: “do not be willing” / “do not”; Notes: Commonly used with an infinitive to express a negative command.
  2. perdere — Lemma: perdo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with Nolite; Translation: “to destroy”; Notes: Expresses the prohibited action.
  3. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of perdere; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers to a specific clan within Israel.
  4. Caath — Lemma: Caath; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: apposition to populum; Translation: “Caath”; Notes: Identifies the Kohathite division among the Levites.
  5. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates removal from within a group.
  6. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: “midst”; Notes: Often used in the phrase “de medio” to denote internal separation.
  7. Levitarum — Lemma: Levita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive modifying medio; Translation: “of the Levites”; Notes: Specifies the larger group from which the subset is distinguished.

 

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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