Numeri 18:16 (Numbers 18:16)

Posted on May 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 18’16 cuius redemptio erit post unum mensem, siclis argenti quinque, pondere Sanctuarii. Siclus viginti obolos habet.

its redemption shall be after one month, for five shekels of silver, by the weight of the Sanctuary. A shekel has twenty obols.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 cuius whose GEN.SG.REL
2 redemptio redemption NOM.SG.F
3 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
4 post after PREP+ACC
5 unum one ACC.SG.M
6 mensem month ACC.SG.M
7 siclis shekels ABL.PL.M
8 argenti of silver GEN.SG.N
9 quinque five INDECL.NUM
10 pondere by weight ABL.SG.N
11 Sanctuarii of Sanctuary GEN.SG.N
12 Siclus shekel NOM.SG.M
13 viginti twenty INDECL.NUM
14 obolos obols ACC.PL.M
15 habet has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1: redemptio (subject) + erit (verb)

Relative Genitive: cuius — dependent on redemptio

Prepositional Phrase: post unum mensem — time reference

Ablative Phrase: siclis argenti quinque — price or means
Ablative Phrase: pondere Sanctuarii — standard of measurement

Main Clause 2: Siclus (subject) + habet (verb)
Direct Object: viginti obolos — quantity expression

Morphology

  1. cuius — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: whose; Notes: refers back to the firstborn or redeemable subject.
  2. redemptio — Lemma: redemptio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, third declension; Function: subject; Translation: redemption; Notes: act of buying back or ransom.
  3. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, third person singular; Function: copulative verb; Translation: shall be; Notes: future obligation or arrangement.
  4. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces temporal phrase; Translation: after; Notes: time relation.
  5. unum — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies mensem; Translation: one; Notes: numerical quantity.
  6. mensem — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, third declension; Function: object of post; Translation: month; Notes: unit of time.
  7. siclis — Lemma: siclus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, second declension; Function: ablative of price; Translation: shekels; Notes: monetary measurement.
  8. argenti — Lemma: argentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, second declension; Function: modifies siclis; Translation: of silver; Notes: material of currency.
  9. quinque — Lemma: quinque; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: modifies siclis; Translation: five; Notes: numerical quantity.
  10. pondere — Lemma: pondus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, third declension; Function: ablative of standard; Translation: by weight; Notes: measurement standard.
  11. Sanctuarii — Lemma: sanctuarium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, second declension; Function: modifies pondere; Translation: of Sanctuary; Notes: sacred official standard.
  12. Siclus — Lemma: siclus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: subject; Translation: shekel; Notes: unit of weight and currency.
  13. viginti — Lemma: viginti; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: modifies obolos; Translation: twenty; Notes: numerical quantity.
  14. obolos — Lemma: obolus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, second declension; Function: direct object; Translation: obols; Notes: smaller monetary unit.
  15. habet — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: has; Notes: expresses contained quantity.

 

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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