Numeri 17:2 (Numbers 17:2)

Posted on May 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 17:2 Loquere ad filios Israel, et accipe ab eis virgas singulas per cognationes suas, a cunctis principibus tribuum, virgas duodecim, et uniuscuiusque nomen superscribes virgæ suæ.

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and take from them rods, one for each according to their clans, from all the chiefs of the tribes, twelve rods, and you shall write the name of each one upon his rod.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Loquere speak 2SG.PRES.IMP.MOOD.DEP
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 filios sons ACC.PL.M
4 Israel Israel INDECL
5 et and CONJ
6 accipe take 2SG.PRES.IMP.MOOD.ACT
7 ab from PREP+ABL
8 eis them ABL.PL
9 virgas rods ACC.PL.F
10 singulas each ACC.PL.F
11 per through PREP+ACC
12 cognationes clans ACC.PL.F
13 suas their ACC.PL.F.POSS
14 a from PREP+ABL
15 cunctis all ABL.PL.M
16 principibus chiefs ABL.PL.M
17 tribuum of tribes GEN.PL.F
18 virgas rods ACC.PL.F
19 duodecim twelve INDECL
20 et and CONJ
21 uniuscuiusque of each one GEN.SG.M/F
22 nomen name NOM.SG.N
23 superscribes you shall write upon 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
24 virgæ to the rod DAT.SG.F
25 suæ his DAT.SG.F.POSS

Syntax

Main Imperative Clause 1: Loquere (verb) + ad filios Israel (prepositional object indicating audience)
Main Imperative Clause 2: accipe (verb) + virgas (direct object)
Distribution Phrase: singulas per cognationes suas — indicates one rod per clan
Source Phrase: ab eis and a cunctis principibus tribuum — specify origin
Apposition/Specification: virgas duodecim — clarifies total number
Coordinated Clause: et superscribes — future action command
Object Clause: uniuscuiusque nomen — object of writing
Indirect Object Phrase: virgæ suæ — recipient/location of inscription

Morphology

  1. Loquere — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: present imperative, second person singular; Function: main command; Translation: speak; Notes: deponent verb with active meaning used for direct instruction.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces direction; Translation: to; Notes: marks the audience addressed.
  3. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, second declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: sons; Notes: denotes members of a people group.
  4. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies filios; Translation: Israel; Notes: retains Hebrew form without inflection.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links commands; Translation: and; Notes: connects sequential instructions.
  6. accipe — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative, second person singular active; Function: second command; Translation: take; Notes: denotes receiving or collecting.
  7. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source; Translation: from; Notes: used before vowels or voiced consonants.
  8. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: object of ab; Translation: them; Notes: refers back to the sons of Yisraʾel.
  9. virgas — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: direct object of accipe; Translation: rods; Notes: signifies staffs representing tribal authority.
  10. singulas — Lemma: singulus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies virgas; Translation: each; Notes: distributive adjective emphasizing one per group.
  11. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates distribution; Translation: through; Notes: expresses division among groups.
  12. cognationes — Lemma: cognatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, third declension; Function: object of per; Translation: clans; Notes: denotes extended family groupings.
  13. suas — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies cognationes; Translation: their; Notes: reflexive, referring to the same subject group.
  14. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source; Translation: from; Notes: variant of ab before consonants.
  15. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies principibus; Translation: all; Notes: emphasizes totality.
  16. principibus — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, third declension; Function: object of a; Translation: chiefs; Notes: denotes leaders of tribes.
  17. tribuum — Lemma: tribus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine, fourth declension; Function: modifies principibus; Translation: of tribes; Notes: indicates possession or association.
  18. virgas — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: appositional specification; Translation: rods; Notes: repeats object for emphasis.
  19. duodecim — Lemma: duodecim; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies virgas; Translation: twelve; Notes: cardinal number specifying total.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: introduces final instruction.
  21. uniuscuiusque — Lemma: unusquisque; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine/feminine; Function: modifies nomen; Translation: of each one; Notes: distributive pronoun emphasizing individuality.
  22. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter, third declension; Function: direct object of superscribes; Translation: name; Notes: refers to identifying inscription.
  23. superscribes — Lemma: superscribo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb of coordinated clause; Translation: you shall write upon; Notes: expresses commanded future action.
  24. virgæ — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine, first declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the rod; Notes: indicates surface or recipient.
  25. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: modifies virgæ; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive possession referring to each individual.

 

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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