Numeri 10:1 (Numbers 10:1)

Posted on May 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 10:1 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:

And the LORD spoke to Moyses, saying:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutusque and having spoken PERF.PTCP.DEP.NOM.SG.M+CONJ
2 est he is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
6 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Dominus (subject) + Locutusque est (main verbal expression, perfect deponent sense, “and spoke”).

Object(s): No direct object appears in this clause.

Phrase: ad Moysen — prepositional phrase indicating the indirect target or addressee of the speech.

Phrase: dicens — present participial phrase introducing the content of the speech that follows.

Morphology

  1. Locutusque — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect participle deponent nominative singular masculine with enclitic conjunction -que; Function: part of the compound perfect verbal expression with est; Translation: and having spoken; Notes: Although formally participial, with est it gives the normal finite sense “spoke” in deponent usage.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: auxiliary completing the perfect tense expression with Locutusque; Translation: he is; Notes: In combination with the perfect participle of a deponent verb, it yields a past narrative sense rather than a simple present meaning.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the clause; Translation: the LORD; Notes: Here it refers to YHWH, so the English rendering is rightly capitalized as “LORD.”
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: indeclinable preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces the addressee of the speech; Translation: to; Notes: This is the regular Latin preposition for direction toward a person in speech formulas.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: Moyses; Notes: The form reflects the accusative case required by ad in this standard biblical formula.
  6. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: participial modifier of the subject, introducing the words that follow; Translation: saying; Notes: This participle is very common in scriptural narrative as a bridge into direct discourse.

 

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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