Numeri 11:5 (Numbers 11:5)

Posted on May 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 11:5 Recordamur piscium quos comedebamus in Ægypto gratis: in mentem nobis veniunt cucumeres, et pepones, porrique, et cepe, et allia.

We remember the fish which we were eating in Egypt freely; into mind to us come the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlics.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Recordamur we remember 1PL.PRES.DEP.IND
2 piscium of fish GEN.PL.M
3 quos which ACC.PL.M.REL
4 comedebamus we were eating 1PL.IMP.ACT.IND
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F
7 gratis freely ADV
8 in into PREP+ACC
9 mentem mind ACC.SG.F
10 nobis to us DAT.PL.PERS.PRON
11 veniunt come 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
12 cucumeres cucumbers NOM.PL.M
13 et and CONJ
14 pepones melons NOM.PL.M
15 porrique and leeks NOM.PL.M
16 et and CONJ
17 cepe onion NOM.SG.N
18 et and CONJ
19 allia garlics NOM.PL.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Recordamur governs a genitive object piscium, expressing what is remembered.

Relative Clause: quos comedebamus in Ægypto gratis modifies piscium, with quos as object of comedebamus.

Secondary Clause: in mentem nobis veniunt forms an impersonal expression meaning “come to mind,” where cucumeres et pepones porrique et cepe et allia serve as the subject.

Phrase: in mentem expresses direction toward mental recall, while nobis is the dative of reference.

Morphology

  1. Recordamur — Lemma: recordor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person plural present deponent indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: we remember; Notes: deponent verb taking a genitive object.
  2. piscium — Lemma: piscis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, 3rd declension; Function: object of Recordamur; Translation: of fish; Notes: genitive used with verbs of remembering.
  3. quos — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of comedebamus; Translation: which; Notes: refers back to piscium.
  4. comedebamus — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: we were eating; Notes: imperfect expresses habitual past action.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: spatial usage.
  6. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: Egypt; Notes: place of past action.
  7. gratis — Lemma: gratis; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies comedebamus; Translation: freely; Notes: implies without cost.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces direction; Translation: into; Notes: indicates movement toward mental recall.
  9. mentem — Lemma: mens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: mind; Notes: idiomatic expression “come to mind.”
  10. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: dative of reference; Translation: to us; Notes: indicates experiencers.
  11. veniunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: verb of the clause; Translation: come; Notes: governs plural subject.
  12. cucumeres — Lemma: cucumis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of veniunt; Translation: cucumbers; Notes: first item in list.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects items; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  14. pepones — Lemma: pepo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of veniunt; Translation: melons; Notes: continues enumeration.
  15. porrique — Lemma: porrum; Part of Speech: noun + conjunction; Form: nominative plural masculine with enclitic -que; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: and leeks; Notes: enclitic connects closely to previous item.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: continues list.
  17. cepe — Lemma: cepa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of veniunt; Translation: onion; Notes: collective usage.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: final connector.
  19. allia — Lemma: allium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of veniunt; Translation: garlics; Notes: completes the list of remembered foods.

 

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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