Numeri 18:8 (Numbers 18:8)

Posted on May 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 18:8 Locutusque est Dominus ad Aaron: Ecce dedi tibi custodiam primitiarum mearum. Omnia quæ sanctificantur a filiis Israel, tradidi tibi et filiis tuis pro officio sacerdotali legitima sempiterna.

Then the LORD spoke to Aaron: “Behold, I have given to you the charge of my firstfruits. All things which are sanctified by the sons of Israel I have delivered to you and to your sons as a priestly duty, an everlasting ordinance.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutusque and having spoken PTCP.NOM.SG.M.PERF.DEP+CONJ
2 est he is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Aaron Aaron INDECL
6 Ecce behold INTJ
7 dedi I have given 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 tibi to you DAT.SG
9 custodiam charge ACC.SG.F
10 primitiarum of firstfruits GEN.PL.F
11 mearum my GEN.PL.F.POSS
12 Omnia all things ACC.PL.N
13 quæ which ACC.PL.N.REL
14 sanctificantur are sanctified 3PL.PRES.PASS.IND
15 a by PREP+ABL
16 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
17 Israel Israel INDECL
18 tradidi I have delivered 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
19 tibi to you DAT.SG
20 et and CONJ
21 filiis to sons DAT.PL.M
22 tuis your DAT.PL.M.POSS
23 pro as PREP+ABL
24 officio duty ABL.SG.N
25 sacerdotali priestly ABL.SG.N
26 legitima ordinance ACC.PL.N
27 sempiterna everlasting ACC.PL.N

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Dominus (subject) + locutus est (verb) + ad Aaron (indirect object)

Exclamatory Clause: Ecce dedi tibi custodiam primitiarum mearum
→ dedi (verb)
→ tibi (indirect object)
→ custodiam (direct object)
→ primitiarum mearum (dependent genitive)

Main Clause 2: Omnia … tradidi
→ Omnia (direct object)
→ quæ sanctificantur a filiis Israel (relative clause modifying Omnia)
→ tibi et filiis tuis (indirect objects)

Prepositional Phrase: pro officio sacerdotali — role or purpose

Predicate Complement: legitima sempiterna — describes the enduring legal status of the gifts

Morphology

  1. Locutusque — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine with enclitic conjunction -que; Function: part of compound verb; Translation: and having spoken; Notes: deponent participle used with est.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: he is; Notes: forms perfect tense with participle.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: directional relation.
  5. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: object of ad; Translation: Aaron; Notes: recipient of speech.
  6. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces declaration; Translation: behold; Notes: emphatic attention marker.
  7. dedi — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: I have given; Notes: completed act of granting.
  8. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular second person; Function: indirect object; Translation: to you; Notes: recipient of the charge.
  9. custodiam — Lemma: custodia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, first declension; Function: direct object; Translation: charge; Notes: responsibility or guardianship.
  10. primitiarum — Lemma: primitiae; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine, first declension; Function: modifies custodiam; Translation: of firstfruits; Notes: sacred offerings from earliest produce.
  11. mearum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: modifies primitiarum; Translation: my; Notes: divine ownership.
  12. Omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: all things; Notes: comprehensive reference.
  13. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object within relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: refers back to Omnia.
  14. sanctificantur — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive indicative, third person plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: are sanctified; Notes: ritual consecration.
  15. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces agent; Translation: by; Notes: passive agency.
  16. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, second declension; Function: object of a; Translation: sons; Notes: refers to Israelites.
  17. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: Israel; Notes: retains Hebrew form.
  18. tradidi — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: I have delivered; Notes: formal handing over.
  19. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular second person; Function: indirect object; Translation: to you; Notes: recipient.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins indirect objects; Translation: and; Notes: additive connection.
  21. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine, second declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: to sons; Notes: descendants sharing priestly rights.
  22. tuis — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: your; Notes: possessive relation.
  23. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses role; Translation: as; Notes: indicates purpose or function.
  24. officio — Lemma: officium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of pro; Translation: duty; Notes: official responsibility.
  25. sacerdotali — Lemma: sacerdotalis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies officio; Translation: priestly; Notes: pertaining to priesthood.
  26. legitima — Lemma: legitimum; Part of Speech: noun/adjective used substantively; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: predicate complement; Translation: ordinance; Notes: established legal regulation.
  27. sempiterna — Lemma: sempiternus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies legitima; Translation: everlasting; Notes: enduring permanence.

 

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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