Numeri 11:30 (Numbers 11:30)

Posted on May 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 11:30 Reversusque est Moyses, et maiores natu Israel in castra.

And Moyses returned, and the elders of Israel, into the camp.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Reversusque and having returned NOM.SG.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
2 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 maiores elders NOM.PL.M
6 natu by birth / in age ABL.SG.M
7 Israel Israel INDECL
8 in into PREP+ACC
9 castra camp ACC.PL.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Moyses is the subject, and Reversus est is the verb, forming a perfect deponent construction meaning “returned.” The enclitic -que connects this clause with the previous narrative.

Coordinated Subject: et maiores natu Israel is joined to Moyses, forming a compound subject. maiores natu is an idiomatic expression meaning “elders in age,” and Israel specifies the group.

Prepositional Phrase: in castra expresses motion toward a place, indicating the destination of their return.

Morphology

  1. Reversusque — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect deponent participle with enclitic conjunction; Function: forms part of the compound verb with est; Translation: and having returned; Notes: The enclitic -que links this action closely to the previous verse.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary forming perfect tense; Translation: is; Notes: With Reversus, it forms “has returned.”
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the verb; Translation: Moses; Notes: Central leader returning to the camp.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins compound subject; Translation: and; Notes: Links Moses with the elders.
  5. maiores — Lemma: maior; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine comparative; Function: substantive subject; Translation: elders; Notes: Comparative form used substantively to mean “older men.”
  6. natu — Lemma: natus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of respect in idiom maiores natu; Translation: by birth / in age; Notes: Forms idiomatic phrase indicating seniority.
  7. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: modifies maiores; Translation: Israel; Notes: Specifies the nation to which the elders belong.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: into; Notes: Indicates direction.
  9. castra — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: camp; Notes: Regular plural form for a military encampment.

 

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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