Nm 17:11 Fecitque Moyses sicut præceperat Dominus.
Then Moyses did just as the LORD had commanded.
| # |
Latin |
Gloss |
Grammar Tag |
| 1 |
Fecitque |
and he did |
3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ |
| 2 |
Moyses |
Moses |
NOM.SG.M |
| 3 |
sicut |
just as |
CONJ |
| 4 |
præceperat |
he had commanded |
3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND |
| 5 |
Dominus |
LORD |
NOM.SG.M |
Syntax
Main Clause: Moyses (subject) + fecit (verb)
Comparative Clause: sicut præceperat Dominus — manner clause explaining how the action was done
→ Dominus (subject) + præceperat (verb)
Morphology
- Fecitque — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular with enclitic conjunction -que; Function: main verb linking to previous narrative; Translation: and he did; Notes: -que connects the action closely to the preceding events.
- 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.
- sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces comparative clause; Translation: just as; Notes: expresses conformity.
- præceperat — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: he had commanded; Notes: indicates prior completed command.
- Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: subject of subordinate clause; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
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.