Numeri 19:12 (Numbers 19:12)

Posted on May 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 19:12 aspergetur ex hac aqua die tertio et septimo, et sic mundabitur. Si die tertio aspersus non fuerit, septimo non poterit emundari.

he shall be sprinkled from this water on the third day and on the seventh, and in this way he shall be cleansed. If he shall not have been sprinkled on the third day, on the seventh he shall not be able to be cleansed.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 aspergetur he shall be sprinkled 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
2 ex from PREP+ABL
3 hac this ABL.SG.F.DEM
4 aqua water ABL.SG.F
5 die day ABL.SG.M
6 tertio third ABL.SG.M.ADJ
7 et and CONJ
8 septimo seventh ABL.SG.M.ADJ
9 et and CONJ
10 sic thus ADV
11 mundabitur he shall be cleansed 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
12 Si if CONJ
13 die day ABL.SG.M
14 tertio third ABL.SG.M.ADJ
15 aspersus having been sprinkled PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
16 non not ADV
17 fuerit shall have been 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
18 septimo on the seventh ABL.SG.M.ADJ
19 non not ADV
20 poterit he shall be able 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
21 emundari to be cleansed PRES.PASS.INF

Syntax

Main Clause: aspergetur ex hac aqua establishes the required purification action using the water of sprinkling.

Temporal Expressions: die tertio et septimo specifies the appointed days for ritual sprinkling.

Result Clause: et sic mundabitur expresses the consequence of proper ritual performance.

Conditional Clause: Si die tertio aspersus non fuerit introduces the condition of failing to receive sprinkling on the third day.

Main Clause of Condition: septimo non poterit emundari states the consequence that cleansing will not be possible on the seventh day.

Morphology

  1. aspergetur — Lemma: aspergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future passive indicative; Function: principal verb of the opening clause; Translation: “he shall be sprinkled”; Notes: Refers to ritual application of the purification water.
  2. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the ablative case; Function: introduces the source or means of sprinkling; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates the ritual substance used for purification.
  3. hac — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies aqua; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the specially prepared purification water.
  4. aqua — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, first declension; Function: object of the preposition ex; Translation: “water”; Notes: Refers to the water mixed with the ashes of the cow.
  5. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, fifth declension; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: “day”; Notes: Specifies the appointed time for the rite.
  6. tertio — Lemma: tertius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine positive degree; Function: modifies die; Translation: “third”; Notes: Marks the first required purification day.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates the temporal expressions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the two required purification days.
  8. septimo — Lemma: septimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine positive degree; Function: elliptical modifier of implied die; Translation: “seventh”; Notes: Refers to the final required day of purification.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces the result clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects ritual action with its consequence.
  10. sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies mundabitur; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Indicates the prescribed manner by which cleansing occurs.
  11. mundabitur — Lemma: mundo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future passive indicative; Function: verb of the result clause; Translation: “he shall be cleansed”; Notes: Expresses restoration to ritual purity.
  12. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces the conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Establishes the condition governing the following consequence.
  13. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, fifth declension; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: “day”; Notes: Specifies the required ritual day.
  14. tertio — Lemma: tertius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine positive degree; Function: modifies die; Translation: “third”; Notes: Refers again to the first appointed purification day.
  15. aspersus — Lemma: aspergo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate participle linked with fuerit; Translation: “having been sprinkled”; Notes: Describes the completed ritual action required for cleansing.
  16. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates fuerit; Translation: “not”; Notes: Denies the fulfillment of the required ritual act.
  17. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb in the conditional clause; Translation: “shall have been”; Notes: Forms the future perfect passive idea together with aspersus.
  18. septimo — Lemma: septimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine positive degree; Function: elliptical modifier of implied die; Translation: “on the seventh”; Notes: Refers to the second required day of purification.
  19. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates poterit; Translation: “not”; Notes: Expresses impossibility of ritual cleansing under the stated condition.
  20. poterit — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: principal verb of the conditional consequence; Translation: “he shall be able”; Notes: Indicates legal and ritual impossibility.
  21. emundari — Lemma: emundo; Part of Speech: infinitive; Form: present passive infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with poterit; Translation: “to be cleansed”; Notes: Refers to restoration from ritual impurity.

 

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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