Exodus 38:25

Posted on March 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

25 Oblatum est autem ab his qui transierunt ad numerum a viginti annis et supra, de sexcentis tribus millibus, et quingentis quinquaginta, armatorum.

But it was offered by those who were counted from twenty years old and above, from six hundred three thousand and five hundred fifty men fit for war.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Oblatum was offered NOM.SG.N PTCP.PERF.PASS
2 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 autem however ADV
4 ab by PREP+ABL
5 his those ABL.PL.M PRON.DEM
6 qui who NOM.PL.M PRON.REL
7 transierunt passed over 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
8 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
9 numerum the numbering ACC.SG.M NOUN
10 a from PREP+ABL
11 viginti twenty INDECL.NUM
12 annis years ABL.PL.M NOUN
13 et and CONJ
14 supra above ADV
15 de from PREP+ABL
16 sexcentis six hundred ABL.PL.M NUM
17 tribus three ABL.PL.M NUM (distributive)
18 millibus thousands ABL.PL.N NOUN
19 et and CONJ
20 quingentis five hundred ABL.PL.M NUM
21 quinquaginta fifty INDECL.NUM
22 armatorum of warriors GEN.PL.M NOUN

Syntax

Main clause:
Oblatum est autem — passive periphrastic indicating what was donated.

Agent phrase:
ab his — “by those.”

Relative clause modifying his:
qui transierunt ad numerum — “who passed over into the numbering,” i.e. were enrolled.

Age qualification:
a viginti annis et supra — “from twenty years and upward.”

Source/quantity phrase:
de sexcentis tribus millibus et quingentis quinquaginta armatorum
• ablative of origin/count
• armatorum = warriors, men of military age.

Morphology

  1. Oblatum — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter perfect passive; Function: predicate in passive periphrasis; Translation: offered; Notes: refers to census-based tribute.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: was; Notes: forms perfect passive.
  3. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: transitional marker; Translation: however; Notes: introduces contrast.
  4. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks agent in passive; Translation: by; Notes: standard for personal agency.
  5. his — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: agent complement; Translation: those; Notes: refers to men included in census.
  6. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: who; Notes: refers to his.
  7. transierunt — Lemma: transeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: passed over; Notes: idiom for “being enrolled.”
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: goal; Translation: to; Notes: directional meaning “into the number.”
  9. numerum — Lemma: numerus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: complement of ad; Translation: number; Notes: census roll.
  10. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses starting point; Translation: from; Notes: marks minimum age.
  11. viginti — Lemma: viginti; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: invariable; Function: modifies annis; Translation: twenty; Notes: threshold age for military service.
  12. annis — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: complement of a; Translation: years; Notes: denotes age category.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: connects with supra.
  14. supra — Lemma: supra; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: extension; Translation: above; Notes: includes all older men.
  15. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: source; Translation: from; Notes: marks total number contributing.
  16. sexcentis — Lemma: sescenti; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: partitive source; Translation: six hundred; Notes: part of large census numeral.
  17. tribus — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: completes numeral; Translation: three; Notes: yields 603.
  18. millibus — Lemma: mille; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: partitive measure; Translation: thousands; Notes: in census totals.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: addition; Translation: and; Notes: links hundreds.
  20. quingentis — Lemma: quingenti; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: part of total; Translation: five hundred; Notes: continues number.
  21. quinquaginta — Lemma: quinquaginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: invariable; Function: completes compound number; Translation: fifty; Notes: together 550.
  22. armatorum — Lemma: armatus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of class; Translation: of armed men / warriors; Notes: technical military-age classification.

 

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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