Numeri 7:47 (Numbers 7:47)

Posted on May 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 7:47 et in hostias pacificorum boves duos, arietes quinque, hircos quinque, agnos anniculos quinque. hæc fuit oblatio Eliasaph filii Duel.

and for peace offerings, two bulls, five rams, five goats, five year-old lambs. This was the offering of Eliasaph, the son of Duel.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 in for PREP+ACC
3 hostias offerings ACC.PL.F
4 pacificorum of peace GEN.PL.M
5 boves bulls ACC.PL.M
6 duos two ACC.PL.M
7 arietes rams ACC.PL.M
8 quinque five INDECL
9 hircos goats ACC.PL.M
10 quinque five INDECL
11 agnos lambs ACC.PL.M
12 anniculos year-old ACC.PL.M.POS
13 quinque five INDECL
14 hæc this NOM.SG.F.DEM
15 fuit was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
16 oblatio offering NOM.SG.F
17 Eliasaph Eliasaph INDECL
18 filii of the son GEN.SG.M
19 Duel Deuel INDECL

Syntax

Main Clause: The first segment is an elliptical sacrificial listing with an implied obtulit; the second segment is a complete clause, hæc + fuit + oblatio.

Object(s): boves duos, arietes quinque, hircos quinque, and agnos anniculos quinque are the coordinated sacrificial items in the elliptical first clause.

Phrase: in hostias pacificorum functions as a purpose phrase, specifying that the animals are for peace offerings.

Phrase: hæc fuit oblatio forms an identification clause summarizing the entire gift.

Phrase: Eliasaph filii Duel is a genitival designation identifying the offerer by name and patronymic.

Clause Function: The sentence first enumerates the peace-offering animals, then closes with a formal attribution statement.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinating conjunction; Translation: and; Notes: It links this final itemized section to the preceding sacrificial list.
  2. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces purpose; Translation: for; Notes: With the accusative it expresses destination or intended use.
  3. hostias — Lemma: hostia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: offerings; Notes: The noun refers to sacrificial victims or sacrificial offerings.
  4. pacificorum — Lemma: pacificus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantivally; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive specifying the type of hostias; Translation: of peace; Notes: It designates the class of peace offerings.
  5. boves — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: coordinated direct object in the elliptical clause; Translation: bulls; Notes: This is the first animal group named in the peace-offering list.
  6. duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies boves; Translation: two; Notes: It agrees with boves in case, number, and gender.
  7. arietes — Lemma: aries; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: coordinated direct object in the elliptical clause; Translation: rams; Notes: The second sacrificial category is added without repeating the governing verb.
  8. quinque — Lemma: quinque; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies arietes; Translation: five; Notes: This indeclinable numeral gives the quantity of rams.
  9. hircos — Lemma: hircus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: coordinated direct object in the elliptical clause; Translation: goats; Notes: This is the third group of animals in the list.
  10. quinque — Lemma: quinque; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies hircos; Translation: five; Notes: The repetition preserves the formal rhythm of the offering formula.
  11. agnos — Lemma: agnus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: coordinated direct object in the elliptical clause; Translation: lambs; Notes: This is the fourth and final animal group in the sequence.
  12. anniculos — Lemma: anniculus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine positive; Function: modifies agnos; Translation: year-old; Notes: It specifies the required age of the lambs.
  13. quinque — Lemma: quinque; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies agnos anniculos; Translation: five; Notes: The numeral applies to the year-old lambs as a complete unit.
  14. hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine demonstrative; Function: subject of fuit; Translation: this; Notes: It points back to the offering just enumerated as a single complete gift.
  15. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the summary clause; Translation: was; Notes: The perfect gives the formal closing statement of the offering notice.
  16. oblatio — Lemma: oblatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative with fuit; Translation: offering; Notes: It names the whole sacrificial presentation as one offering.
  17. Eliasaph — Lemma: Eliasaph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: dependent genitival designation with oblatio; Translation: Eliasaph; Notes: The name identifies the tribal leader to whom the offering belongs.
  18. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive in patronymic identification; Translation: of the son; Notes: It forms part of the fixed genealogical expression naming Eliasaph by his father.
  19. Duel — Lemma: Duel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: completes the patronymic genitive phrase; Translation: Duel; Notes: The father’s name completes the formal identification of Eliasaph.

 

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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