Numeri 10:36 (Numbers 10:36)

Posted on May 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 10:36 Cum autem deponeretur, aiebat: Revertere Domine, ad multitudinem exercitus Israel.

But when it was being set down, he was saying: “Return, LORD, to the multitude of the host of Israel.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cum when CONJ
2 autem however CONJ
3 deponeretur was being set down 3SG.IMP.PASS.SUBJ
4 aiebat he was saying 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
5 Revertere return 2SG.PRES.DEP.IMP.MOOD
6 Domine LORD VOC.SG.M
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 multitudinem multitude ACC.SG.F
9 exercitus of host GEN.SG.M
10 Israel Israel INDECL

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cum autem deponeretur — subordinate clause indicating time and contrast.

Main Clause: aiebat (verb) — introduces repeated speech.

Imperative Clause: Revertere Domine — direct address and command.

Phrase: ad multitudinem exercitus Israel — prepositional phrase indicating direction.

Morphology

  1. Cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: Indicates time circumstance.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective; Translation: however; Notes: Marks contrast.
  3. deponeretur — Lemma: depono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect passive subjunctive third person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: was being set down; Notes: Subjunctive after cum.
  4. aiebat — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: he was saying; Notes: Repeated or customary speech.
  5. Revertere — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present deponent imperative second person singular; Function: command; Translation: return; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning.
  6. Domine — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: direct address; Translation: LORD; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces direction; Translation: to; Notes: Movement toward.
  8. multitudinem — Lemma: multitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: multitude; Notes: Large group.
  9. exercitus — Lemma: exercitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of host; Notes: Military group.
  10. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: Israel; Notes: Identifies the people.

 

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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