Numeri 18:30 (Numbers 18:30)

Posted on May 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 18:30 Dicesque ad eos: Si præclara et meliora quæque obtuleritis ex decimis, reputabitur vobis quasi de area et torculari dederitis primitias:

And you shall say to them: ‘If you shall offer the excellent and better things from the tithes, it shall be reckoned to you as though you had given firstfruits from the threshing floor and the winepress;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dicesque and you shall say 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 eos them ACC.PL.M
4 Si if CONJ
5 præclara excellent things ACC.PL.N
6 et and CONJ
7 meliora better things ACC.PL.N.CMPR
8 quæque each ACC.PL.N.INDEF
9 obtuleritis you shall offer 2PL.FUTP.ACT.IND
10 ex from PREP+ABL
11 decimis tithes ABL.PL.F
12 reputabitur it shall be reckoned 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
13 vobis to you DAT.PL
14 quasi as though CONJ
15 de from PREP+ABL
16 area threshing floor ABL.SG.F
17 et and CONJ
18 torculari winepress ABL.SG.N
19 dederitis you had given 2PL.FUTP.ACT.IND
20 primitias firstfruits ACC.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Dicesque ad eos
→ Dicesque (main verb with enclitic conjunction)
→ ad eos (prepositional indirect object)

Conditional Clause: Si præclara et meliora quæque obtuleritis ex decimis
→ obtuleritis (verb)
→ præclara et meliora quæque (direct object)
→ ex decimis (source)

Main Result Clause: reputabitur vobis
→ reputabitur (passive verb)
→ vobis (dative of reference)

Comparative Clause: quasi de area et torculari dederitis primitias
→ dederitis (verb)
→ primitias (direct object)
→ de area et torculari (source comparison)

Morphology

  1. Dicesque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person singular with enclitic conjunction -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and you shall say; Notes: introduces instruction to be delivered publicly.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces recipient; Translation: to; Notes: directional relation.
  3. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: them; Notes: refers to the Levites.
  4. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: if; Notes: sets condition for favorable reckoning.
  5. præclara — Lemma: præclarus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object with meliora quæque; Translation: excellent things; Notes: denotes distinguished or outstanding offerings.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins objects; Translation: and; Notes: additive connection.
  7. meliora — Lemma: melior; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative plural neuter comparative degree; Function: modifies implied offerings; Translation: better things; Notes: comparative quality expression.
  8. quæque — Lemma: quisque; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun/adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: intensifies comprehensiveness of meliora; Translation: each; Notes: distributive emphasis.
  9. obtuleritis — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, second person plural; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: you shall offer; Notes: completed future act of presentation.
  10. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces source; Translation: from; Notes: origin of the offering.
  11. decimis — Lemma: decima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine, first declension; Function: object of ex; Translation: tithes; Notes: sacred tenth-portions.
  12. reputabitur — Lemma: reputo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future passive indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb of result clause; Translation: it shall be reckoned; Notes: accounting or evaluative terminology.
  13. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural second person; Function: dative of reference; Translation: to you; Notes: refers to Levites receiving credit.
  14. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces comparative clause; Translation: as though; Notes: comparison of equivalent value.
  15. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces source; Translation: from; Notes: agricultural source reference.
  16. area — Lemma: area; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, first declension; Function: object of de; Translation: threshing floor; Notes: place where grain is processed.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins ablative nouns; Translation: and; Notes: additive connection.
  18. torculari — Lemma: torcular; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of de by implied continuation; Translation: winepress; Notes: place where grapes are pressed.
  19. dederitis — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, second person plural; Function: verb of comparative clause; Translation: you had given; Notes: completed future action used comparatively.
  20. primitias — Lemma: primitiae; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: direct object of dederitis; Translation: firstfruits; Notes: sacred first produce offered to the LORD.

 

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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