Numeri 5:16 (Numbers 5:16)

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 5:16 Offeret igitur eam sacerdos, et statuet coram Domino.

Therefore the priest shall offer her, and he shall set her before the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Offeret he shall offer 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 igitur therefore ADV
3 eam her ACC.SG.F
4 sacerdos priest NOM.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 statuet he shall set 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 coram before PREP+ABL
8 Domino LORD ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: sacerdos offeret eam, with sacerdos as subject and offeret as the verb, governing the object eam. igitur functions adverbially to indicate logical consequence.

Main Clause 2: et statuet eam coram Domino, coordinated by et, with the same subject implied. coram Domino expresses spatial and relational placement before YHWH.

Morphology

  1. Offeret — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative, 3rd conjugation; Function: main verb of first clause; Translation: he shall offer; Notes: expresses prescribed ritual action.
  2. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies the clause logically; Translation: therefore; Notes: marks consequence from prior instructions.
  3. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of offeret and statuet; Translation: her; Notes: refers to the woman in the ritual procedure.
  4. sacerdos — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: subject of both verbs; Translation: priest; Notes: officiant of the ritual act.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links coordinated clauses; Translation: and; Notes: connects sequential actions.
  6. statuet — Lemma: statuo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative, 3rd conjugation; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: he shall set; Notes: indicates formal positioning.
  7. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the ablative; Function: introduces spatial relation; Translation: before; Notes: implies presence before divine authority.
  8. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of coram; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH, hence capitalized.

 

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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