Numeri 19:6 (Numbers 19:6)

Posted on May 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 19:6 Lignum quoque cedrinum, et hyssopum, coccumque bis tinctum sacerdos mittet in flammam, quæ vaccam vorat.

The priest shall also cast cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet twice-dyed thread into the flame which consumes the cow.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Lignum wood ACC.SG.N
2 quoque also ADV
3 cedrinum cedar ACC.SG.N.ADJ
4 et and CONJ
5 hyssopum hyssop ACC.SG.M
6 coccumque and scarlet ACC.SG.N+CONJ
7 bis twice ADV
8 tinctum dyed PERF.PASS.PTCP.ACC.SG.N
9 sacerdos the priest NOM.SG.M
10 mittet shall cast 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
11 in into PREP+ACC
12 flammam the flame ACC.SG.F
13 quæ which NOM.SG.F.REL
14 vaccam the cow ACC.SG.F
15 vorat consumes 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: sacerdos mittet forms the principal statement, with sacerdos as the subject and mittet as the governing verb.

Compound Direct Object: Lignum cedrinum et hyssopum coccumque bis tinctum functions as the collection of ritual materials being cast into the fire.

Prepositional Phrase: in flammam expresses movement into the consuming fire.

Relative Clause: quæ vaccam vorat modifies flammam and describes the active consuming action of the flame.

Morphology

  1. Lignum — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: part of the compound direct object of mittet; Translation: “wood”; Notes: Refers specifically to ritual fuel material used in purification ceremonies.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds emphasis and continuation to the ritual sequence; Translation: “also”; Notes: Indicates an additional ceremonial action following the previous steps.
  3. cedrinum — Lemma: cedrinus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter positive degree; Function: modifies lignum; Translation: “cedar”; Notes: Cedar wood carried symbolic associations of durability and purification.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates ritual elements; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the materials used in the ceremony.
  5. hyssopum — Lemma: hyssopus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, second declension; Function: coordinated direct object; Translation: “hyssop”; Notes: Hyssop frequently appears in biblical purification rites.
  6. coccumque — Lemma: coccum; Part of Speech: noun with enclitic conjunction; Form: accusative singular neuter with enclitic -que; Function: coordinated direct object; Translation: “and scarlet”; Notes: Refers to scarlet material associated with ritual symbolism and purification.
  7. bis — Lemma: bis; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies tinctum; Translation: “twice”; Notes: Specifies repeated dyeing to intensify the scarlet color.
  8. tinctum — Lemma: tingo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies coccum; Translation: “dyed”; Notes: Describes the prepared ritual material as fully colored.
  9. sacerdos — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, third declension; Function: subject of the main clause; Translation: “the priest”; Notes: Refers to the officiating priest responsible for the ritual act.
  10. mittet — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: principal verb of the sentence; Translation: “shall cast”; Notes: The future tense continues the legal and ceremonial instruction pattern.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative case; Function: introduces movement toward the fire; Translation: “into”; Notes: With the accusative, it expresses motion into the flames.
  12. flammam — Lemma: flamma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, first declension; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: “the flame”; Notes: Refers to the active sacrificial fire consuming the offering.
  13. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to flammam.
  14. vaccam — Lemma: vacca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, first declension; Function: direct object of vorat; Translation: “the cow”; Notes: Identifies the sacrificial animal being consumed.
  15. vorat — Lemma: voro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “consumes”; Notes: The vivid verb emphasizes the total consuming action of the fire.

 

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.