Numeri 4:47 (Numbers 4:47)

Posted on May 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 4:47 a triginta annis et supra, usque ad annum quinquagesimum, ingredientes ad ministerium tabernaculi, et onera portanda,

from thirty years and above, up to the fiftieth year, those entering for the service of the tabernacle, and for the burdens to be carried,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 a from PREP+ABL
2 triginta thirty INDECL
3 annis years ABL.PL.M
4 et and CONJ
5 supra above ADV
6 usque up to ADV
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 annum year ACC.SG.M
9 quinquagesimum fiftieth ACC.SG.M
10 ingredientes entering NOM.PL.M.PTCP
11 ad for PREP+ACC
12 ministerium service ACC.SG.N
13 tabernaculi of the tabernacle GEN.SG.N
14 et and CONJ
15 onera burdens ACC.PL.N
16 portanda to be carried GERUNDV.ACC.PL.N

Syntax

Prepositional Phrase (Range): a triginta annis et supra sets the lower boundary, while usque ad annum quinquagesimum defines the upper limit.

Participial Phrase: ingredientes — nominative participle referring to those being counted, functioning substantivally.

Prepositional Phrase: ad ministerium tabernaculi — expresses purpose, indicating service in the tabernacle.

Coordinated Phrase: et onera portanda — adds a second purpose, with gerundive construction expressing obligation or necessity.

Clause Function: The sentence defines the eligible age group and their dual responsibilities: service and burden-bearing.

Morphology

  1. a — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses starting point; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks beginning of range.
  2. triginta — Lemma: triginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal; Function: modifies annis; Translation: “thirty”; Notes: Lower limit.
  3. annis — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of a; Translation: “years”; Notes: Temporal measure.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins phrase; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects elements.
  5. supra — Lemma: supra; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies range; Translation: “above”; Notes: Extends beyond minimum.
  6. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies ad; Translation: “up to”; Notes: Indicates limit.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses endpoint or purpose; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks upper boundary.
  8. annum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “year”; Notes: Upper limit.
  9. quinquagesimum — Lemma: quinquagesimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies annum; Translation: “fiftieth”; Notes: Ordinal numeral.
  10. ingredientes — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: substantive; Translation: “entering”; Notes: Refers to those who enter.
  11. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces purpose; Translation: “for”; Notes: Indicates goal.
  12. ministerium — Lemma: ministerium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: “service”; Notes: Assigned role.
  13. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifier; Translation: “of the tabernacle”; Notes: Specifies location.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds element.
  15. onera — Lemma: onus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object; Translation: “burdens”; Notes: Loads to be carried.
  16. portanda — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: gerundive; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies onera; Translation: “to be carried”; Notes: Expresses necessity.

 

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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