Numeri 8:20 (Numbers 8:20)

Posted on May 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 8:20 Feceruntque Moyses et Aaron et omnis multitudo filiorum Israel super Levitas quæ præceperat Dominus Moysi:

And Moyses and Aaron and the whole multitude of the sons of Israel did concerning the Levites what the LORD had commanded to Moyses;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Feceruntque and they did 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
3 et and CONJ
4 Aaron Aaron INDECL
5 et and CONJ
6 omnis all NOM.SG.F
7 multitudo multitude NOM.SG.F
8 filiorum of sons GEN.PL.M
9 Israel Israel INDECL
10 super concerning PREP+ACC
11 Levitas Levites ACC.PL.M
12 quæ which things ACC.PL.N.REL
13 præceperat had commanded 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
14 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
15 Moysi to Moses DAT.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Feceruntque takes a compound subject Moyses et Aaron et omnis multitudo filiorum Israel, expressing collective action.

Object / Complement: super Levitas introduces the matter or sphere of action, indicating what was done concerning the Levites.

Relative Clause: quæ præceperat Dominus Moysi modifies the implied object of Feceruntque, specifying that the actions correspond to what had been commanded.

Verb Structure: præceperat governs Dominus as subject and Moysi as indirect object, forming a complete subordinate clause.

Morphology

  1. Feceruntque — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic conjunction; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: and they did; Notes: The enclitic joins the clause to the preceding narrative and presents a completed collective action.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: part of compound subject; Translation: Moyses; Notes: A Latinized form of the Hebrew name, functioning as one of the principal actors.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates subjects; Translation: and; Notes: Links Moyses with Aaron and the larger assembly.
  4. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable, functioning nominatively; Function: part of compound subject; Translation: Aaron; Notes: Retains Hebrew form without inflection but syntactically nominative.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: further coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Expands the subject group to include the entire community.
  6. omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies multitudo; Translation: all; Notes: Emphasizes totality of participation.
  7. multitudo — Lemma: multitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: head noun of compound subject; Translation: multitude; Notes: A collective noun taking singular form but plural sense.
  8. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive modifying multitudo; Translation: of sons; Notes: Indicates membership of the collective group.
  9. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: dependent genitive relation with filiorum; Translation: Israel; Notes: Specifies the covenant people.
  10. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces object of action; Translation: concerning; Notes: Indicates the matter upon which the action is performed.
  11. Levitas — Lemma: Levita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: Levites; Notes: Refers to the group undergoing ritual or administrative action.
  12. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: introduces relative clause referring to implied actions; Translation: which things; Notes: The neuter plural points to deeds or instructions rather than persons.
  13. præceperat — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular pluperfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: had commanded; Notes: The pluperfect situates the command prior to the completed action.
  14. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of præceperat; Translation: LORD; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the divine authority issuing the command.
  15. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of præceperat; Translation: to Moyses; Notes: Marks the recipient of the divine instruction.

 

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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