Numeri 11:24 (Numbers 11:24)

Posted on May 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 11:24 Venit igitur Moyses, et narravit populo verba Domini, congregans septuaginta viros de senibus Israel, quos stare fecit circa tabernaculum.

Therefore Moyses came, and told the people the words of the LORD, gathering seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom he caused to stand around the tabernacle.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Venit came 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 igitur therefore ADV
3 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 narravit told 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 populo to the people DAT.SG.M
7 verba words ACC.PL.N
8 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
9 congregans gathering NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
10 septuaginta seventy INDECL
11 viros men ACC.PL.M
12 de from PREP+ABL
13 senibus elders ABL.PL.M
14 Israel Israel INDECL
15 quos whom ACC.PL.M.REL
16 stare to stand PRES.ACT.INF
17 fecit caused 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 circa around PREP+ACC
19 tabernaculum tabernacle ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Moyses is the subject, and Venit is the first finite verb. igitur functions adverbially, marking consequence or continuation from the previous event.

Coordinated Main Clause: et narravit populo verba Domini is joined to the first clause by et. narravit is the verb, populo is the indirect object, and verba Domini is the direct object phrase, with Domini functioning as a dependent genitive.

Participial Phrase: congregans septuaginta viros de senibus Israel modifies the implied subject Moyses. congregans is a present participle expressing attendant action, septuaginta viros is its direct object, and de senibus Israel is a prepositional phrase indicating the group from which the men are taken.

Relative Clause: quos stare fecit circa tabernaculum modifies septuaginta viros. quos is the direct object of fecit, while stare is a complementary infinitive in a causative construction. circa tabernaculum is a prepositional phrase expressing location around the tabernacle.

Morphology

  1. Venit — Lemma: veniō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the opening narrative clause; Translation: came; Notes: The perfect tense presents the action as a completed step in the narrative sequence.
  2. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: marks continuation or consequence; Translation: therefore; Notes: It connects this action logically with the LORD’s preceding command.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, proper noun; Function: subject of Venit and narravit; Translation: Moses; Notes: The same subject continues through the finite verbs and the participle.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the two main verbal actions; Translation: and; Notes: It links coming and reporting as successive acts.
  5. narravit — Lemma: narrō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the coordinated clause; Translation: told; Notes: It denotes verbal reporting or recounting to the people.
  6. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine, second declension; Function: indirect object of narravit; Translation: to the people; Notes: The dative marks the recipients of the reported words.
  7. verba — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, second declension; Function: direct object of narravit; Translation: words; Notes: In biblical style, it commonly refers to spoken divine statements.
  8. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, second declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying verba; Translation: of the LORD; Notes: Here Domini refers to YHWH and is therefore rendered “LORD.”
  9. congregans — Lemma: congregō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: participial modifier of Moyses; Translation: gathering; Notes: The participle presents attendant action happening in connection with the main reporting.
  10. septuaginta — Lemma: septuaginta; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: indeclinable numeral; Function: modifies viros; Translation: seventy; Notes: As an indeclinable numeral, its form does not change with case.
  11. viros — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, second declension; Function: direct object of congregans; Translation: men; Notes: The noun identifies adult male representatives chosen from the elders.
  12. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces the source group; Translation: from; Notes: It marks selection out of a larger body.
  13. senibus — Lemma: senex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, third declension; Function: object of de; Translation: elders; Notes: It refers to the older or leading men of the community.
  14. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: modifies senibus; Translation: Israel; Notes: It identifies the covenant people to whom the elders belong.
  15. quos — Lemma: quī; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine relative pronoun; Function: direct object of fecit in the relative clause; Translation: whom; Notes: It refers back to the seventy men just mentioned.
  16. stare — Lemma: stō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with fecit; Translation: to stand; Notes: The infinitive is part of a causative construction, “caused to stand.”
  17. fecit — Lemma: faciō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: caused; Notes: With the infinitive stare, it expresses making or causing someone to do something.
  18. circa — Lemma: circā; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces a locative phrase; Translation: around; Notes: It expresses surrounding position rather than motion.
  19. tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of circa; Translation: tabernacle; Notes: The tabernacle is the sacred focal point around which the elders are stationed.

 

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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