Numeri 5:29 (Numbers 5:29)

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 5:29 Ista est lex zelotypiæ. Si declinaverit mulier a viro suo, et si polluta fuerit,

“This is the law of jealousy. If the woman shall have turned aside from her husband, and if she shall have been defiled,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ista this NOM.SG.F.DEM
2 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 lex law NOM.SG.F
4 zelotypiæ of jealousy GEN.SG.F
5 Si if CONJ
6 declinaverit shall have turned aside 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
7 mulier woman NOM.SG.F
8 a from PREP+ABL
9 viro husband ABL.SG.M
10 suo her ABL.SG.M.POSS
11 et and CONJ
12 si if CONJ
13 polluta defiled PTCP.PERF.NOM.SG.F
14 fuerit shall have been 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Ista est lex zelotypiæ, with Ista as subject and lex as predicate nominative.

Conditional Clause 1: Si declinaverit mulier a viro suo, with mulier as subject and declinaverit as verb, a viro suo indicating separation.

Conditional Clause 2: et si polluta fuerit, coordinated by et, with polluta fuerit forming a passive construction.

Morphology

  1. Ista — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: this; Notes: refers to the stated regulation.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: is; Notes: links subject and predicate.
  3. lex — Lemma: lex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: law; Notes: formal regulation.
  4. zelotypiæ — Lemma: zelotypia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies lex; Translation: of jealousy; Notes: identifies type of law.
  5. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: if; Notes: sets condition.
  6. declinaverit — Lemma: declino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active indicative, 1st conjugation; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: shall have turned aside; Notes: indicates completed deviation.
  7. mulier — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: woman; Notes: participant in law.
  8. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the ablative; Function: introduces separation; Translation: from; Notes: indicates deviation.
  9. viro — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of a; Translation: husband; Notes: marital reference.
  10. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies viro; Translation: her; Notes: reflexive possession.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links conditions; Translation: and; Notes: connects clauses.
  12. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces second condition; Translation: if; Notes: parallel structure.
  13. polluta — Lemma: polluo; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate; Translation: defiled; Notes: moral impurity.
  14. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: shall have been; Notes: forms completed passive state.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Numeri. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.