Numeri 19:10 (Numbers 19:10)

Posted on May 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 19:10 Cumque laverit qui vaccæ portaverat cineres, vestimenta sua, immundus erit usque ad vesperum. Habebunt hoc filii Israel et advenæ, qui habitant inter eos, sanctum iure perpetuo.

And when the one who had carried the ashes of the cow has washed his garments, he shall remain unclean until evening. The sons of Israel and the strangers who dwell among them shall have this as a holy perpetual ordinance.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ+CONJ
2 laverit has washed 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
3 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
4 vaccæ of the cow GEN.SG.F
5 portaverat had carried 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
6 cineres ashes ACC.PL.M
7 vestimenta garments ACC.PL.N
8 sua his ACC.PL.N.POSS
9 immundus unclean NOM.SG.M.ADJ
10 erit he shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
11 usque until ADV
12 ad to PREP+ACC
13 vesperum evening ACC.SG.M
14 Habebunt they shall have 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
15 hoc this ACC.SG.N.DEM
16 filii the sons NOM.PL.M
17 Israel of Israel GEN.INDECL
18 et and CONJ
19 advenæ the strangers NOM.PL.M
20 qui who NOM.PL.M.REL
21 habitant dwell 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
22 inter among PREP+ACC
23 eos them ACC.PL.M.PERS
24 sanctum holy ACC.SG.N.ADJ
25 iure ordinance ABL.SG.N
26 perpetuo perpetual ABL.SG.N.ADJ

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque laverit … vestimenta sua introduces the circumstance under which ritual impurity continues.

Relative Clause: qui vaccæ portaverat cineres identifies the individual responsible for carrying the ashes.

Main Clause: immundus erit usque ad vesperum states the resulting temporary impurity condition.

Temporal Phrase: usque ad vesperum specifies the duration of the impurity.

Main Declarative Clause: Habebunt hoc filii Israel et advenæ establishes the perpetual legal obligation.

Relative Clause: qui habitant inter eos modifies advenæ and describes the resident foreigners living among Israel.

Predicate Expression: sanctum iure perpetuo defines the ordinance as holy and perpetual.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + -que; Part of Speech: conjunction with enclitic conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces a temporal subordinate clause connected to the preceding narrative; Translation: “and when”; Notes: The enclitic -que tightly links this regulation with the prior ritual instructions.
  2. laverit — Lemma: lavo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the temporal clause; Translation: “has washed”; Notes: Expresses completed future action prior to the resulting impurity condition.
  3. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to the individual handling the ashes.
  4. vaccæ — Lemma: vacca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, first declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying cineres; Translation: “of the cow”; Notes: Specifies the source of the ashes.
  5. portaverat — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular pluperfect active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “had carried”; Notes: Indicates prior completed handling of the ashes before washing.
  6. cineres — Lemma: cinis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, third declension; Function: direct object of portaverat; Translation: “ashes”; Notes: Refers to the ritual ashes preserved for purification.
  7. vestimenta — Lemma: vestimentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, second declension; Function: direct object of laverit; Translation: “garments”; Notes: Refers to clothing contaminated through ritual contact.
  8. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter positive degree; Function: modifies vestimenta; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexively refers back to the subject.
  9. immundus — Lemma: immundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine positive degree; Function: predicate adjective linked with erit; Translation: “unclean”; Notes: Describes ritual impurity rather than moral corruption.
  10. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “he shall be”; Notes: States the future resulting condition.
  11. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: marks temporal duration; Translation: “until”; Notes: Defines the extent of impurity.
  12. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative case; Function: introduces the temporal endpoint; Translation: “to”; Notes: Used temporally with vesperum.
  13. vesperum — Lemma: vesper; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, second declension; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “evening”; Notes: Evening marks the completion of the impurity period.
  14. Habebunt — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative; Function: principal verb of the declarative clause; Translation: “they shall have”; Notes: Establishes continuing covenant obligation.
  15. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of Habebunt; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the ritual regulation being described.
  16. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine, second declension; Function: subject of Habebunt; Translation: “the sons”; Notes: Forms part of the covenant designation of Israel.
  17. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable genitive; Function: modifies filii; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: The biblical name remains indeclinable in Latin usage.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates the two groups under the ordinance; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links Israelites and resident foreigners.
  19. advenæ — Lemma: advena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine, first declension; Function: coordinated subject of Habebunt; Translation: “the strangers”; Notes: Refers to resident foreigners dwelling among Israel.
  20. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to advenæ.
  21. habitant — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “dwell”; Notes: Indicates ongoing residence within the Israelite community.
  22. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative case; Function: introduces relational location; Translation: “among”; Notes: Indicates coexistence within the covenant community.
  23. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of the preposition inter; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the Israelites.
  24. sanctum — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter positive degree; Function: predicate adjective modifying hoc; Translation: “holy”; Notes: Describes the sacred character of the ordinance.
  25. iure — Lemma: ius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, third declension; Function: ablative of specification or manner; Translation: “ordinance”; Notes: Refers to binding legal or ritual statute.
  26. perpetuo — Lemma: perpetuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter positive degree; Function: modifies iure; Translation: “perpetual”; Notes: Emphasizes the enduring validity of the command.

 

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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