Numeri 18:3 (Numbers 18:3)

Posted on May 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 18:3 Excubabuntque Levitæ ad præcepta tua, et ad cuncta opera tabernaculi: ita dumtaxat, ut ad vasa Sanctuarii et ad altare non accedant, ne et illi moriantur, et vos pereatis simul.

And the Levites shall keep watch over your commands, and over all the works of the tabernacle; only in this way, that they do not approach the vessels of the Sanctuary and the altar, lest both they die, and you perish together.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Excubabuntque and they shall keep watch 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 Levitæ Levites NOM.PL.M
3 ad over PREP+ACC
4 præcepta commands ACC.PL.N
5 tua your ACC.PL.N.POSS
6 et and CONJ
7 ad over PREP+ACC
8 cuncta all ACC.PL.N
9 opera works ACC.PL.N
10 tabernaculi of tabernacle GEN.SG.N
11 ita thus ADV
12 dumtaxat only ADV
13 ut that CONJ
14 ad to PREP+ACC
15 vasa vessels ACC.PL.N
16 Sanctuarii of Sanctuary GEN.SG.N
17 et and CONJ
18 ad to PREP+ACC
19 altare altar ACC.SG.N
20 non not ADV
21 accedant they may approach 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
22 ne lest CONJ
23 et also ADV
24 illi they NOM.PL.M
25 moriantur they may die 3PL.PRES.DEP.SUBJ
26 et and CONJ
27 vos you NOM.PL
28 pereatis you may perish 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
29 simul together ADV

Syntax

Main Clause: Levitæ (subject) + excubabunt (verb)
Prepositional Phrase 1: ad præcepta tua — object of responsibility
Prepositional Phrase 2: ad cuncta opera tabernaculi — extended scope

Restriction Clause: ita dumtaxat — limits condition

Subordinate Clause: ut … non accedant — negative purpose or result
→ ad vasa Sanctuarii et ad altare — objects of approach

Negative Purpose Clause: ne … moriantur et … pereatis
→ illi (subject) + moriantur
→ vos (subject) + pereatis
Adverb: simul — indicates joint consequence

Morphology

  1. Excubabuntque — Lemma: excubo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, third person plural with enclitic conjunction -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and they shall keep watch; Notes: expresses vigilant guarding.
  2. Levitæ — Lemma: Levita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine, first declension; Function: subject; Translation: Levites; Notes: members of priestly tribe.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces object; Translation: over; Notes: expresses direction of responsibility.
  4. præcepta — Lemma: præceptum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, second declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: commands; Notes: instructions or duties.
  5. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies præcepta; Translation: your; Notes: refers to addressee.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links phrases; Translation: and; Notes: continuation.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces second object; Translation: over; Notes: parallel structure.
  8. cuncta — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies opera; Translation: all; Notes: totality.
  9. opera — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, third declension; Function: object; Translation: works; Notes: duties or tasks.
  10. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, second declension; Function: modifies opera; Translation: of tabernacle; Notes: indicates association.
  11. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies clause; Translation: thus; Notes: introduces condition.
  12. dumtaxat — Lemma: dumtaxat; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: limits scope; Translation: only; Notes: restrictive emphasis.
  13. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces clause; Translation: that; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  14. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces object; Translation: to; Notes: directional.
  15. vasa — Lemma: vas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, third declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: vessels; Notes: sacred objects.
  16. Sanctuarii — Lemma: sanctuarium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, second declension; Function: modifies vasa; Translation: of Sanctuary; Notes: holy place.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links objects; Translation: and; Notes: simple connection.
  18. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces second object; Translation: to; Notes: directional.
  19. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, third declension; Function: object; Translation: altar; Notes: central ritual site.
  20. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates verb; Translation: not; Notes: negation.
  21. accedant — Lemma: accedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, third person plural; Function: verb of clause; Translation: they may approach; Notes: expresses prohibition.
  22. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces negative purpose; Translation: lest; Notes: prevention.
  23. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifies; Translation: also; Notes: emphasis.
  24. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: they; Notes: refers to Levites.
  25. moriantur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: present subjunctive, third person plural; Function: verb; Translation: they may die; Notes: deponent verb.
  26. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: continuation.
  27. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural second person; Function: subject; Translation: you; Notes: refers to addressees.
  28. pereatis — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive, second person plural; Function: verb; Translation: you may perish; Notes: expresses possible outcome.
  29. simul — Lemma: simul; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies verbs; Translation: together; Notes: joint consequence.

 

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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