Numeri 19:14 (Numbers 19:14)

Posted on May 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 19:14 Ista est lex hominis qui moritur in tabernaculo: Omnes qui ingrediuntur tentorium illius, et universa vasa quæ ibi sunt, polluta erunt septem diebus.

This is the law concerning a man who dies in a tent: all who enter his dwelling and all the vessels which are there shall be unclean for seven days.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ista this NOM.SG.F.DEM
2 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 lex law NOM.SG.F
4 hominis concerning a man GEN.SG.M
5 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
6 moritur dies 3SG.PRES.DEP.IND
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 tabernaculo tent ABL.SG.N
9 Omnes all NOM.PL.M
10 qui who NOM.PL.M.REL
11 ingrediuntur enter 3PL.PRES.DEP.IND
12 tentorium dwelling ACC.SG.N
13 illius his GEN.SG.M.DEM
14 et and CONJ
15 universa all NOM.PL.N
16 vasa vessels NOM.PL.N
17 quæ which NOM.PL.N.REL
18 ibi there ADV
19 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
20 polluta unclean NOM.PL.N.PERF.PASS.PTCP
21 erunt shall be 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
22 septem seven INDECL.NUM
23 diebus days ABL.PL.M

Syntax

Main Declarative Clause: Ista est lex hominis introduces the legal regulation concerning corpse impurity.

Relative Clause: qui moritur in tabernaculo modifies hominis and specifies the situation of death occurring within a tent.

Substantive Relative Clause: Omnes qui ingrediuntur tentorium illius functions as the subject of the impurity declaration.

Coordinated Subject Phrase: et universa vasa quæ ibi sunt adds all objects within the tent to the impurity condition.

Main Predicate: polluta erunt septem diebus declares the duration and state of ritual contamination.

Morphology

  1. Ista — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of the opening clause; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers emphatically to the legal regulation being introduced.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: Establishes the formal legal definition.
  3. lex — Lemma: lex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, third declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “law”; Notes: Refers to binding ritual legislation.
  4. hominis — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, third declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying lex; Translation: “concerning a man”; Notes: Specifies the subject matter of the law.
  5. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to hominis.
  6. moritur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person singular present deponent indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “dies”; Notes: Though passive in form, the verb carries active meaning.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the ablative case; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates the place where death occurs.
  8. tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: “tent”; Notes: Refers to a dwelling or temporary habitation.
  9. Omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective used substantivally; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of erunt; Translation: “all”; Notes: Refers collectively to all persons entering the tent.
  10. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to Omnes.
  11. ingrediuntur — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person plural present deponent indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “enter”; Notes: Indicates movement into the contaminated dwelling.
  12. tentorium — Lemma: tentorium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: direct object of ingrediuntur; Translation: “dwelling”; Notes: Another term for tent or habitation.
  13. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies tentorium; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to the deceased person.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates the compound subject; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links persons and objects under the same impurity condition.
  15. universa — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural neuter positive degree; Function: modifies vasa; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes total inclusion of the objects present.
  16. vasa — Lemma: vas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter, third declension; Function: coordinated subject of erunt; Translation: “vessels”; Notes: Refers to containers or household objects within the tent.
  17. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to vasa.
  18. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies sunt; Translation: “there”; Notes: Indicates location within the tent.
  19. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “are”; Notes: Describes the presence of the vessels inside the dwelling.
  20. polluta — Lemma: polluo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: predicate participle linked with erunt; Translation: “unclean”; Notes: Indicates ritual contamination resulting from corpse impurity.
  21. erunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb completing the passive expression; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Declares the future state of impurity.
  22. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: modifies diebus; Translation: “seven”; Notes: Specifies the complete ritual impurity period.
  23. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, fifth declension; Function: ablative of duration of time; Translation: “days”; Notes: Indicates the length of the contamination period.

 

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.