Numeri 16:37 (Numbers 16:37)

Posted on May 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 16:37 Præcipe Eleazaro filio Aaron sacerdoti ut tollat thuribula quæ iacent in incendio, et ignem huc illucque dispergat: quoniam sanctificata sunt

“Command Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers which lie in the burning, and that he scatter the fire here and there, because they have been sanctified

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Præcipe command 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
2 Eleazaro Eleazar DAT.SG.M
3 filio son DAT.SG.M
4 Aaron Aaron GEN.SG.M.INDECL
5 sacerdoti priest DAT.SG.M
6 ut that CONJ
7 tollat he take up 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
8 thuribula censers ACC.PL.N
9 quæ which ACC.PL.N.REL
10 iacent lie 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 incendio burning ABL.SG.N
13 et and CONJ
14 ignem fire ACC.SG.M
15 huc here ADV
16 illucque and there ADV
17 dispergat he scatter 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
18 quoniam because CONJ
19 sanctificata sanctified NOM.PL.N.PTCP.PERF.PASS
20 sunt they are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Command: Præcipe — imperative verb addressed to Moyses.

Indirect Object Phrase: Eleazaro filio Aaron sacerdoti — identifies the recipient of the command, “to Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest.”

Subordinate Command Clause: ut tollat thuribula — expresses the commanded action.

Relative Clause: quæ iacent in incendio — modifies thuribula, specifying which censers.

Coordinated Subordinate Clause: et ignem huc illucque dispergat — adds a second commanded action.

Causal Clause: quoniam sanctificata sunt — gives the reason for the command.

Morphology

  1. Præcipe — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: main command; Translation: command; Notes: introduces a directive from the LORD to be passed on.
  2. Eleazaro — Lemma: Eleazarus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: Eleazar; Notes: recipient of the command.
  3. filio — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Eleazaro; Translation: son; Notes: identifies Eleazar by family relation.
  4. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine indeclinable; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: Aaron; Notes: specifies whose son Eleazar is.
  5. sacerdoti — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Eleazaro; Translation: priest; Notes: identifies Eleazar’s priestly office.
  6. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces subordinate command clause; Translation: that; Notes: governs the subjunctive after a command verb.
  7. tollat — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of subordinate command clause; Translation: he take up; Notes: expresses the action Eleazar is commanded to perform.
  8. thuribula — Lemma: thuribulum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: censers; Notes: ritual vessels connected with the offering of incense.
  9. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter relative; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: refers back to thuribula.
  10. iacent — Lemma: iaceo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: lie; Notes: describes the censers as lying amid the burning.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: in; Notes: marks the place where the censers are found.
  12. incendio — Lemma: incendium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of preposition; Translation: burning; Notes: refers to the fiery destruction just described.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links subordinate commands; Translation: and; Notes: joins the taking of the censers with the scattering of the fire.
  14. ignem — Lemma: ignis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: fire; Notes: the remaining fire is to be dispersed.
  15. huc — Lemma: huc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: modifies dispergat; Translation: here; Notes: indicates direction toward one place.
  16. illucque — Lemma: illuc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb with enclitic -que; Function: modifies dispergat; Translation: and there; Notes: paired with huc to express scattering in different directions.
  17. dispergat — Lemma: dispergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of coordinated subordinate command clause; Translation: he scatter; Notes: continues the commanded actions assigned to Eleazar.
  18. quoniam — Lemma: quoniam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: because; Notes: explains why the censers must be treated specially.
  19. sanctificata — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: nominative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: part of perfect passive verb; Translation: sanctified; Notes: agrees with the understood neuter plural subject referring to the censers.
  20. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: they are; Notes: completes the perfect passive construction with sanctificata.

 

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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