Numeri 19:2 (Numbers 19:2)

Posted on May 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 19:2 Ista est religio victimæ, quam constituit Dominus. Præcipe filiis Israel, ut adducant ad te vaccam rufam ætatis integræ, in qua nulla sit macula, nec portaverit iugum:

“This is the regulation of the sacrifice which the LORD established. Command the sons of Israel that they bring to you a red cow of complete age, in which there may be no blemish, nor has it borne a yoke;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ista this NOM.SG.F.DEM
2 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 religio regulation NOM.SG.F
4 victimæ of the sacrifice GEN.SG.F
5 quam which ACC.SG.F.REL
6 constituit established 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
8 Præcipe command 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
9 filiis to the sons DAT.PL.M
10 Israel of Israel GEN.INDECL
11 ut that CONJ
12 adducant they may bring 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
13 ad to PREP+ACC
14 te you ACC.SG.2.PERS
15 vaccam a cow ACC.SG.F
16 rufam red ACC.SG.F.ADJ
17 ætatis of age GEN.SG.F
18 integræ complete GEN.SG.F.ADJ
19 in in PREP+ABL
20 qua which ABL.SG.F.REL
21 nulla no NOM.SG.F.INDEF
22 sit may be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
23 macula blemish NOM.SG.F
24 nec nor CONJ
25 portaverit has borne 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
26 iugum yoke ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Ista est religio victimæ forms the principal declaration, with Ista as the subject and religio as the predicate nominative.

Relative Clause: quam constituit Dominus modifies religio, explaining that the LORD established this regulation.

Imperative Clause: Præcipe filiis Israel introduces a direct command addressed to Moyses.

Purpose/Substantive Clause: ut adducant ad te vaccam rufam expresses the commanded action using the subjunctive after ut.

Description Phrase: vaccam rufam ætatis integræ describes the required animal with adjectival and genitival qualification.

Relative Clause of Characteristic: in qua nulla sit macula describes the animal’s required purity.

Coordinated Negative Clause: nec portaverit iugum adds a second requirement, namely that the animal has never carried a yoke.

Morphology

  1. Ista — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of the main clause; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers emphatically to the specific ritual regulation being introduced.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copulative verb linking subject and predicate; Translation: “is”; Notes: Establishes the formal definition statement.
  3. religio — Lemma: religio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, third declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “regulation”; Notes: In biblical Latin, the word can denote sacred observance or ritual ordinance.
  4. victimæ — Lemma: victima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, first declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying religio; Translation: “of the sacrifice”; Notes: Specifies the sacrificial context of the ordinance.
  5. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object within the relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to religio.
  6. constituit — Lemma: constituo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “established”; Notes: Indicates a completed divine decree.
  7. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Represents YHWH in the Vulgate tradition.
  8. Præcipe — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: main imperative command; Translation: “command”; Notes: Direct instruction addressed to Moyses.
  9. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine, second declension; Function: indirect object of the imperative; Translation: “to the sons”; Notes: Refers collectively to the covenant people.
  10. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable genitive; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: The name remains indeclinable in Latin biblical usage.
  11. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces a substantive clause of command; Translation: “that”; Notes: Governs the following subjunctive verb.
  12. adducant — Lemma: adduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the subordinate command clause; Translation: “they may bring”; Notes: The subjunctive reflects indirect command after ut.
  13. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative case; Function: introduces direction toward a recipient; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates movement toward Moyses.
  14. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular second person; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers specifically to Moyses.
  15. vaccam — Lemma: vacca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, first declension; Function: direct object of adducant; Translation: “a cow”; Notes: Refers to the sacrificial red heifer.
  16. rufam — Lemma: rufus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine positive degree; Function: modifies vaccam; Translation: “red”; Notes: The color requirement is ritually significant.
  17. ætatis — Lemma: ætas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, third declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of age”; Notes: Specifies maturity or completeness.
  18. integræ — Lemma: integer; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine positive degree; Function: modifies ætatis; Translation: “complete”; Notes: Expresses wholeness and suitability for sacred use.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the ablative case; Function: introduces the relative descriptive clause; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates the sphere in which the quality is found.
  20. qua — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to the red cow.
  21. nulla — Lemma: nullus; Part of Speech: indefinite adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies macula; Translation: “no”; Notes: Strengthens the requirement of ritual perfection.
  22. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the relative clause of characteristic; Translation: “may be”; Notes: The subjunctive expresses the desired qualifying condition.
  23. macula — Lemma: macula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, first declension; Function: subject of sit; Translation: “blemish”; Notes: Denotes physical defect or impurity.
  24. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates a second negative condition; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Continues the list of ritual qualifications.
  25. portaverit — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the coordinated negative clause; Translation: “has borne”; Notes: Indicates that the animal must never previously have carried labor.
  26. iugum — Lemma: iugum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: direct object of portaverit; Translation: “yoke”; Notes: Symbolizes agricultural service and prior use.

 

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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