Numeri 11:32 (Numbers 11:32)

Posted on May 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 11:32 Surgens ergo populus toto die illo, et nocte, ac die altero, congregavit coturnicum, qui parum, decem coros: et siccaverunt eas per gyrum castrorum.

Therefore the people rising up that whole day, and night, and the next day, gathered quails; the one who gathered little, ten cors; and they dried them around the camp.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Surgens rising NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 populus people NOM.SG.M
4 toto whole ABL.SG.M
5 die day ABL.SG.M
6 illo that ABL.SG.M.DEM
7 et and CONJ
8 nocte night ABL.SG.F
9 ac and CONJ
10 die day ABL.SG.M
11 altero next ABL.SG.M
12 congregavit gathered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 coturnicum of quails GEN.PL.F
14 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
15 parum little ACC.SG.N
16 decem ten INDECL
17 coros cors ACC.PL.M
18 et and CONJ
19 siccaverunt they dried 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
20 eas them ACC.PL.F
21 per around PREP+ACC
22 gyrum circle ACC.SG.M
23 castrorum of the camp GEN.PL.N

Syntax

Main Clause: populus is the subject, and congregavit is the verb. Surgens is a participle modifying populus, indicating accompanying action.

Temporal Phrases: toto die illo et nocte ac die altero are ablative expressions of time, describing the duration of the gathering.

Object Phrase: coturnicum is a partitive genitive depending on the implied quantity gathered.

Relative Clause: qui parum, decem coros explains quantity, implying “he who gathered little gathered ten cors.”

Coordinated Clause: et siccaverunt eas per gyrum castrorum adds a subsequent action. siccaverunt is the verb, eas is the object, and per gyrum castrorum indicates location.

Morphology

  1. Surgens — Lemma: surgō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: modifies populus; Translation: rising; Notes: Indicates beginning of action.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clause; Translation: therefore; Notes: Logical transition.
  3. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: people; Notes: Collective noun.
  4. toto — Lemma: totus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies die; Translation: whole; Notes: Emphasis on duration.
  5. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: time expression; Translation: day; Notes: Duration.
  6. illo — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine demonstrative; Function: modifies die; Translation: that; Notes: Specifies time.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins; Translation: and; Notes: Adds duration.
  8. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: time expression; Translation: night; Notes: Continues duration.
  9. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins; Translation: and; Notes: Variant of et.
  10. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: time expression; Translation: day; Notes: Continues duration.
  11. altero — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies die; Translation: next; Notes: Indicates sequence.
  12. congregavit — Lemma: congregō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: gathered; Notes: Completed action.
  13. coturnicum — Lemma: coturnix; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: partitive genitive; Translation: of quails; Notes: Indicates quantity.
  14. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine relative; Function: subject of clause; Translation: who; Notes: Refers to gatherer.
  15. parum — Lemma: parum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies implied verb; Translation: little; Notes: Minimal amount.
  16. decem — Lemma: decem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies coros; Translation: ten; Notes: Quantity.
  17. coros — Lemma: corus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object; Translation: cors; Notes: Large measure.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins clauses; Translation: and; Notes: Sequence.
  19. siccaverunt — Lemma: siccō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they dried; Notes: Preservation action.
  20. eas — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object; Translation: them; Notes: Refers to quails.
  21. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: location; Translation: around; Notes: Distribution.
  22. gyrum — Lemma: gyrus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of per; Translation: circle; Notes: Surrounding area.
  23. castrorum — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the camp; Notes: Specifies area.

 

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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