Numeri 5:18 (Numbers 5:18)

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 5:18 Cumque steterit mulier in conspectu Domini, discooperiet caput eius, et ponet super manus illius sacrificium recordationis, et oblationem zelotypiæ: ipse autem tenebit aquas amarissimas, in quibus cum execratione maledicta congessit.

And when the woman shall have stood in the sight of the LORD, he shall uncover her head, and he shall place upon her hands the sacrifice of remembrance, and the offering of jealousy; but he himself shall hold the most bitter waters, in which he has gathered the curse with imprecation.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 steterit shall have stood 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
3 mulier woman NOM.SG.F
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 conspectu sight ABL.SG.M
6 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
7 discooperiet he shall uncover 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
8 caput head ACC.SG.N
9 eius her GEN.SG.F
10 et and CONJ
11 ponet he shall place 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
12 super upon PREP+ACC
13 manus hands ACC.PL.F
14 illius her GEN.SG.F
15 sacrificium sacrifice ACC.SG.N
16 recordationis of remembrance GEN.SG.F
17 et and CONJ
18 oblationem offering ACC.SG.F
19 zelotypiæ of jealousy GEN.SG.F
20 ipse he himself NOM.SG.M
21 autem however CONJ
22 tenebit he shall hold 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
23 aquas waters ACC.PL.F
24 amarissimas most bitter ACC.PL.F.SUPER
25 in in PREP+ABL
26 quibus which ABL.PL.F.REL
27 cum with PREP+ABL
28 execratione imprecation ABL.SG.F
29 maledicta curse ACC.PL.N
30 congessit he has gathered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque steterit mulier introduces the sequence, with mulier as subject and steterit as the verb. in conspectu Domini expresses location before YHWH.

Main Clause 1: discooperiet caput eius, with caput as object and eius indicating possession.

Main Clause 2: ponet super manus illius sacrificium recordationis et oblationem zelotypiæ, coordinated by et, describing the placement of offerings.

Main Clause 3: ipse autem tenebit aquas amarissimas, with emphasis on ipse and autem marking contrast.

Relative Clause: in quibus cum execratione maledicta congessit modifies aquas, describing their content.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable with enclitic -que; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: and when; Notes: links sequence to previous action.
  2. steterit — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: shall have stood; Notes: indicates completed positioning.
  3. mulier — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: subject; Translation: woman; Notes: participant in ritual.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: expresses position.
  5. conspectu — Lemma: conspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 4th declension; Function: object of in; Translation: sight; Notes: indicates presence before deity.
  6. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: modifies conspectu; Translation: of the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  7. discooperiet — Lemma: discooperio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative, 4th conjugation; Function: main verb; Translation: he shall uncover; Notes: ritual uncovering.
  8. caput — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: object; Translation: head; Notes: symbolic act.
  9. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies caput; Translation: her; Notes: refers to woman.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: connects actions.
  11. ponet — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative, 3rd conjugation; Function: main verb; Translation: he shall place; Notes: ritual placement.
  12. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the accusative; Function: introduces location; Translation: upon; Notes: indicates position above.
  13. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, 4th declension; Function: object of super; Translation: hands; Notes: indicates physical placement.
  14. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies manus; Translation: her; Notes: refers to woman.
  15. sacrificium — Lemma: sacrificium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: object of ponet; Translation: sacrifice; Notes: ritual element.
  16. recordationis — Lemma: recordatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: modifies sacrificium; Translation: of remembrance; Notes: indicates memorial function.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links objects; Translation: and; Notes: connects offerings.
  18. oblationem — Lemma: oblatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object; Translation: offering; Notes: second ritual element.
  19. zelotypiæ — Lemma: zelotypia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies oblationem; Translation: of jealousy; Notes: identifies type.
  20. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: he himself; Notes: emphasizes priest’s role.
  21. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrast; Translation: however; Notes: marks contrast.
  22. tenebit — Lemma: teneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative, 2nd conjugation; Function: main verb; Translation: he shall hold; Notes: indicates possession.
  23. aquas — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, 1st declension; Function: object; Translation: waters; Notes: ritual medium.
  24. amarissimas — Lemma: amarus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine superlative; Function: modifies aquas; Translation: most bitter; Notes: emphasizes severity.
  25. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the ablative; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: in; Notes: indicates inclusion.
  26. quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: which; Notes: refers to waters.
  27. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the ablative; Function: introduces accompaniment; Translation: with; Notes: expresses association.
  28. execratione — Lemma: execratio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of cum; Translation: imprecation; Notes: curse formula.
  29. maledicta — Lemma: maledictum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, 2nd declension; Function: object of congessit; Translation: curses; Notes: plural emphasizes intensity.
  30. congessit — Lemma: congero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative, 3rd conjugation; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: he has gathered; Notes: indicates completed preparation.

 

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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