Numeri 18:31 (Numbers 18:31)

Posted on May 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 18:31 et comedetis eas in omnibus locis vestris, tam vos quam familiæ vestræ: quia pretium est pro ministerio, quo servitis in tabernaculo testimonii.

and you shall eat them in all your places, both you and your households, because it is a payment for the ministry by which you serve in the tabernacle of the testimony.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 comedetis you shall eat 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
3 eas them ACC.PL.F
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 omnibus all ABL.PL.M
6 locis places ABL.PL.M
7 vestris your ABL.PL.M.POSS
8 tam both ADV
9 vos you NOM.PL
10 quam and CONJ
11 familiæ households NOM.PL.F
12 vestræ your NOM.PL.F.POSS
13 quia because CONJ
14 pretium payment NOM.SG.N
15 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
16 pro for PREP+ABL
17 ministerio ministry ABL.SG.N
18 quo by which ABL.SG.N.REL
19 servitis you serve 2PL.PRES.ACT.IND
20 in in PREP+ABL
21 tabernaculo tabernacle ABL.SG.N
22 testimonii of testimony GEN.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: comedetis eas
→ comedetis (main verb)
→ eas (direct object)

Prepositional Phrase: in omnibus locis vestris — location of eating

Correlative Expression: tam vos quam familiæ vestræ
→ coordinated subjects participating in the action

Causal Clause: quia pretium est pro ministerio
→ pretium (subject)
→ est (copulative verb)
→ pro ministerio (prepositional phrase expressing compensation)

Relative Clause: quo servitis in tabernaculo testimonii
→ quo refers to ministerio
→ servitis (verb)
→ in tabernaculo testimonii (location of service)

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: additive connective.
  2. comedetis — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “you shall eat”; Notes: denotes lawful consumption of sacred provisions.
  3. eas — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of comedetis; Translation: “them”; Notes: refers to the sacred portions previously mentioned.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: spatial setting.
  5. omnibus — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies locis; Translation: “all”; Notes: totality of permitted locations.
  6. locis — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, second declension; Function: object of in; Translation: places; Notes: dwelling or habitation areas.
  7. vestris — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies locis; Translation: “your”; Notes: refers to Levitical households.
  8. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: first part of correlative expression; Translation: both; Notes: paired with quam.
  9. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural second person; Function: subject; Translation: “you”; Notes: Levites themselves.
  10. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: second part of correlative expression; Translation: “and”; Notes: completes balanced construction.
  11. familiæ — Lemma: familia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine, first declension; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “households”; Notes: family members of the Levites.
  12. vestræ — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: modifies familiæ; Translation: “your”; Notes: possessive relation.
  13. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: gives reason for lawful consumption.
  14. pretium — Lemma: pretium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter, second declension; Function: subject; Translation: “payment”; Notes: compensation or wage.
  15. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: copulative verb; Translation: is; Notes: links subject and complement.
  16. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces exchange or compensation; Translation: “for”; Notes: expresses equivalence or payment.
  17. ministerio — Lemma: ministerium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of pro; Translation: “ministry”; Notes: sacred service performed by Levites.
  18. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: refers to ministerio; Translation: by which; Notes: indicates means or sphere of service.
  19. servitis — Lemma: servio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, second person plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “you serve”; Notes: denotes sacred service rendered to the LORD.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: spatial setting.
  21. tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “tabernacle”; Notes: sacred dwelling place.
  22. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, second declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying tabernaculo; Translation: “of testimony”; Notes: refers to covenant witness contained within the sanctuary.

 

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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