Numeri 17:6 (Numbers 17:6)

Posted on May 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 17:6 Locutusque est Moyses ad filios Israel: et dederunt ei omnes principes virgas per singulas tribus: fueruntque virgæ duodecim absque virga Aaron.

Then Moyses spoke to the sons of Israel, and all the chiefs gave to him rods, one for each tribe; and the rods were twelve, apart from the rod of Aaron.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutusque and having spoken PTCP.NOM.SG.M.PERF.DEP+CONJ
2 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 filios sons ACC.PL.M
6 Israel Israel INDECL
7 et and CONJ
8 dederunt they gave 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
9 ei to him DAT.SG
10 omnes all NOM.PL.M
11 principes chiefs NOM.PL.M
12 virgas rods ACC.PL.F
13 per through PREP+ACC
14 singulas each ACC.PL.F
15 tribus tribes ACC.PL.F
16 fueruntque and they were 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
17 virgæ rods NOM.PL.F
18 duodecim twelve INDECL
19 absque without PREP+ABL
20 virga rod ABL.SG.F
21 Aaron Aaron INDECL

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Moyses (subject) + locutus est (perfect deponent verb)
Prepositional Phrase: ad filios Israel — indicates audience

Main Clause 2: omnes principes (subject) + dederunt (verb)
Indirect Object: ei — recipient
Direct Object: virgas
Distribution Phrase: per singulas tribus — one per tribe

Main Clause 3: virgæ (subject) + fuerunt (verb)
Predicate: duodecim — numerical complement
Prepositional Phrase: absque virga Aaron — exception clause

Morphology

  1. Locutusque — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine with enclitic conjunction -que; Function: forms periphrastic perfect with est and links clause; Translation: and having spoken; Notes: deponent verb expressing completed speech, with -que connecting to prior narrative.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: auxiliary verb forming perfect tense; Translation: is; Notes: combines with participle for completed past action.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, third declension; Function: subject; Translation: Moyses; Notes: Latinized form of the Hebrew name.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces audience; Translation: to; Notes: marks direction toward persons.
  5. 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.
  6. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies filios; Translation: Israel; Notes: retains Hebrew form without inflection.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple connective.
  8. dederunt — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: they gave; Notes: denotes completed action of giving.
  9. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: to him; Notes: refers to Moyses.
  10. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies principes; Translation: all; Notes: indicates entirety.
  11. principes — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine, third declension; Function: subject; Translation: chiefs; Notes: leaders of tribes.
  12. virgas — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: direct object; Translation: rods; Notes: symbolic staffs.
  13. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces distribution; Translation: through; Notes: expresses division by groups.
  14. singulas — Lemma: singulus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies tribus; Translation: each; Notes: distributive emphasis.
  15. tribus — Lemma: tribus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, fourth declension; Function: object of per; Translation: tribes; Notes: divisions of Israel.
  16. fueruntque — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person plural with enclitic conjunction -que; Function: main verb linking clause; Translation: and they were; Notes: -que connects result statement.
  17. virgæ — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: rods; Notes: plural form indicating total count.
  18. duodecim — Lemma: duodecim; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: predicate numeral; Translation: twelve; Notes: cardinal number.
  19. absque — Lemma: absque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses exception; Translation: without; Notes: indicates exclusion.
  20. virga — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of absque; Translation: rod; Notes: refers to the excluded rod.
  21. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies virga; Translation: Aaron; Notes: identifies ownership.

 

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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