Numeri 1:1 (Numbers 1:1)

Posted on April 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 1:1 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen in deserto Sinai in tabernaculo fœderis, prima die mensis secundi, anno altero egressionis eorum ex Ægypto, dicens:

And the LORD spoke to Moyses in the wilderness of Sinai in the tabernacle of the covenant, on the first day of the second month, in the second year of their going out from Egypt, saying:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutusque and having spoken / and spoke PERF.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
2 est is / was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 deserto wilderness ABL.SG.N
8 Sinai Sinai INDECL
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 tabernaculo tabernacle ABL.SG.N
11 fœderis of covenant GEN.SG.N
12 prima first ABL.SG.F
13 die day ABL.SG.F
14 mensis of month GEN.SG.M
15 secundi second GEN.SG.M
16 anno year ABL.SG.M
17 altero second / other ABL.SG.M
18 egressionis of going out GEN.SG.F
19 eorum of them / their GEN.PL.M
20 ex out of PREP+ABL
21 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F
22 dicens saying PRES.PTCP.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Dominus (subject) + Locutusque est (main verbal expression, deponent perfect meaning “spoke”).

Recipient Phrase: ad Moysen — prepositional phrase marking the one addressed.

Place Phrases: in deserto Sinai — locative phrase specifying the wilderness setting; in tabernaculo fœderis — more precise locative phrase identifying the tabernacle as the setting of revelation.

Time Phrases: prima die mensis secundi — ablative expression of time when; anno altero egressionis eorum ex Ægypto — ablative of time with a dependent genitive construction marking the chronological framework.

Participial Clause: dicens — present participle referring back to Dominus, introducing the speech that follows.

Morphology

  1. Locutusque — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle with enclitic conjunction); Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine with enclitic -que; Function: part of the compound perfect verbal expression with est; Translation: and having spoken / and spoke; Notes: The participle belongs to the deponent verb loquor and, with est, yields the finite sense “spoke,” while -que links the clause to what precedes.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: auxiliary completing the perfect tense sense with Locutusque; Translation: is / was; Notes: In this construction it serves as the auxiliary for a deponent perfect, producing the narrative sense “has spoken” or simply “spoke.”
  3. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the main clause; Translation: LORD; Notes: Here Dominus refers to YHWH, so “LORD” is the appropriate rendering.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: introduces the recipient of the speech; Translation: to; Notes: With verbs of speaking, ad regularly marks the person addressed.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: Moses; Notes: The form follows the expected accusative after ad in a phrase indicating direction toward the hearer.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: introduces a locative phrase; Translation: in; Notes: With the ablative, in marks location rather than motion.
  7. deserto — Lemma: desertum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: wilderness; Notes: The word identifies the broad setting in which the revelation occurs.
  8. Sinai — Lemma: Sinai; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: dependent identifier specifying deserto; Translation: Sinai; Notes: The indeclinable form narrows the location to the wilderness associated with Sinai.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: introduces a second locative phrase; Translation: in; Notes: This phrase adds a more exact spatial setting within the wider wilderness.
  10. tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: tabernacle; Notes: The noun points to the sacred tent as the place from which the divine speech proceeds.
  11. fœderis — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: dependent genitive modifying tabernaculo; Translation: of the covenant; Notes: The genitive qualifies the tabernacle by its covenantal identity and purpose.
  12. prima — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine positive degree; Function: adjectival modifier of die; Translation: first; Notes: It agrees with die and helps form an ablative expression of time when.
  13. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: day; Notes: Together with prima, it marks the specific day on which the speech occurred.
  14. mensis — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive modifying die; Translation: of the month; Notes: The genitive specifies which day is meant by relating it to a month.
  15. secundi — Lemma: secundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine positive degree; Function: adjectival modifier of mensis; Translation: second; Notes: It agrees with mensis and identifies the month numerically.
  16. anno — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: year; Notes: This begins a second temporal phrase that situates the event within a longer historical span.
  17. altero — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine positive degree; Function: adjectival modifier of anno; Translation: second / other; Notes: In this context it has the ordinal force “second,” agreeing with anno.
  18. egressionis — Lemma: egressio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive linked to anno altero; Translation: of going out; Notes: The noun expresses the exodus as a reference point for reckoning time.
  19. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying egressionis; Translation: of them / their; Notes: It identifies the departure as belonging to the people just mentioned in the broader narrative context.
  20. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: introduces the point of departure; Translation: out of; Notes: The preposition naturally accompanies verbs or nouns of movement from a place.
  21. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of the preposition ex; Translation: Egypt; Notes: The ablative marks the land from which the departure took place.
  22. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: participial modifier of Dominus introducing the forthcoming speech; Translation: saying; Notes: This participle is a common narrative device in biblical Latin for leading into direct discourse.

 

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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