Numeri 18:26 (Numbers 18:26)

Posted on May 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 18:26 Præcipe Levitis, atque denuncia: Cum acceperitis a filiis Israel decimas, quas dedi vobis, primitias earum offerte Domino, id est, decimam partem decimæ,

“Command the Levites, and declare: ‘When you shall receive from the sons of Israel the tithes which I have given to you, offer their firstfruits to the LORD, that is, a tenth part of the tithe,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Præcipe command 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
2 Levitis to Levites DAT.PL.M
3 atque and CONJ
4 denuncia declare 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
5 Cum when CONJ
6 acceperitis you shall receive 2PL.FUTP.ACT.IND
7 a from PREP+ABL
8 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
9 Israel Israel INDECL
10 decimas tithes ACC.PL.F
11 quas which ACC.PL.F.REL
12 dedi I have given 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 vobis to you DAT.PL
14 primitias firstfruits ACC.PL.F
15 earum of them GEN.PL.F
16 offerte offer 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
17 Domino to LORD DAT.SG.M
18 id that NOM.SG.N.DEM
19 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
20 decimam tenth ACC.SG.F
21 partem part ACC.SG.F
22 decimæ of tithe GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Præcipe and denuncia (imperative verbs) + Levitis (dative indirect object)

Temporal Clause: Cum acceperitis a filiis Israel decimas
→ acceperitis (verb)
→ decimas (direct object)
→ a filiis Israel (source)

Relative Clause: quas dedi vobis
→ quas (direct object)
→ dedi (verb)
→ vobis (indirect object)

Main Command Clause: primitias earum offerte Domino
→ offerte (imperative verb)
→ primitias earum (direct object with dependent genitive)
→ Domino (indirect object)

Explanatory Clause: id est, decimam partem decimæ
→ defines the meaning of primitias

Morphology

  1. Præcipe — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person singular; Function: imperative command; Translation: command; Notes: authoritative instruction given to Moyses.
  2. Levitis — Lemma: Levita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine, first declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: to Levites; Notes: recipients of the command.
  3. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins imperative verbs; Translation: and; Notes: emphatic connective.
  4. denuncia — Lemma: denuncio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person singular; Function: imperative command; Translation: declare; Notes: public proclamation or instruction.
  5. Cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: marks time circumstance.
  6. acceperitis — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, second person plural; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: you shall receive; Notes: completed future action prior to offering.
  7. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces source; Translation: from; Notes: origin of the tithes.
  8. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, second declension; Function: object of a; Translation: sons; Notes: Israelites.
  9. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: Israel; Notes: covenant people.
  10. decimas — Lemma: decima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: direct object of acceperitis; Translation: tithes; Notes: sacred tenth-portions.
  11. quas — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object in relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: refers to decimas.
  12. dedi — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, first person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: I have given; Notes: divine assignment.
  13. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural second person; Function: indirect object; Translation: to you; Notes: refers to Levites.
  14. primitias — Lemma: primitiae; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: direct object of offerte; Translation: firstfruits; Notes: consecrated first portion.
  15. earum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: dependent genitive modifying primitias; Translation: of them; Notes: refers to the tithes.
  16. offerte — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person plural; Function: imperative verb; Translation: offer; Notes: command to dedicate a portion to the LORD.
  17. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine, second declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: to LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  18. id — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of explanatory clause; Translation: that; Notes: introduces clarification.
  19. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: copulative verb; Translation: is; Notes: explanatory definition.
  20. decimam — Lemma: decimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies partem; Translation: tenth; Notes: fractional designation.
  21. partem — Lemma: pars; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, third declension; Function: predicate accusative in explanatory phrase; Translation: part; Notes: proportional division.
  22. decimæ — Lemma: decima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, first declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying partem; Translation: of tithe; Notes: tithe from the tithe itself.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Numeri. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.