Numeri 1:20 (Numbers 1:20)

Posted on April 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 1:20 De Ruben primogenito Israelis per generationes et familias ac domos suas, et nomina capitum singulorum, omne quod sexus est masculini a vigesimo anno et supra, procedentium ad bellum,

From Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, by their generations and families and their households, and the names of the heads of each one, every one who is of the male sex from the twentieth year and above, of those proceeding to war,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 De from PREP+ABL
2 Ruben Reuben INDECL
3 primogenito firstborn ABL.SG.M
4 Israelis of Israel GEN.SG.M
5 per by PREP+ACC
6 generationes generations ACC.PL.F
7 et and CONJ
8 familias families ACC.PL.F
9 ac and CONJ
10 domos houses ACC.PL.F
11 suas their ACC.PL.F.POSS
12 et and CONJ
13 nomina names ACC.PL.N
14 capitum of heads GEN.PL.N
15 singulorum of each GEN.PL.M.INDEF
16 omne every NOM.SG.N
17 quod which NOM.SG.N.REL
18 sexus sex NOM.SG.M
19 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
20 masculini masculine GEN.SG.M.POS
21 a from PREP+ABL
22 vigesimo twentieth ABL.SG.M.POS
23 anno year ABL.SG.M
24 et and CONJ
25 supra above ADV
26 procedentium of those proceeding GEN.PL.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
27 ad to PREP+ACC
28 bellum war ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Source Phrase: De Ruben primogenito Israelis is a prepositional phrase identifying the tribal source of the census group, with Ruben governed by De and further described by primogenito and the genitive Israelis.

Distribution Phrase: per generationes et familias ac domos suas expresses the organizational divisions used for the enumeration.

Additional Identification: nomina capitum singulorum specifies the listing of individual heads.

Relative Clause: omne quod sexus est masculini defines the class of individuals included, referring to every person who is male.

Age Phrase: a vigesimo anno et supra marks the qualifying age threshold.

Participial Phrase: procedentium ad bellum functions as a descriptive genitive phrase referring to those capable of going out to war.

Morphology

  1. De — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces the tribal source; Translation: from; Notes: Indicates origin or belonging to a group.
  2. Ruben — Lemma: Ruben; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: object of the preposition De; Translation: Reuben; Notes: The name of the eldest son of Israel and the tribe descended from him.
  3. primogenito — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: appositional descriptor of Ruben; Translation: firstborn; Notes: Highlights the primacy of Reuben among the sons of Israel.
  4. Israelis — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive modifier of primogenito; Translation: of Israel; Notes: Indicates lineage from the patriarch Israel.
  5. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces organizational divisions; Translation: by; Notes: Suggests distribution according to administrative units.
  6. generationes — Lemma: generatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: generations; Notes: Indicates genealogical lines.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: links items in the series; Translation: and; Notes: Standard additive conjunction.
  8. familias — Lemma: familia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: coordinated object of per; Translation: families; Notes: Denotes extended household groups.
  9. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: links another element in the enumeration; Translation: and; Notes: A stylistic variant of et.
  10. domos — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: coordinated object in the series; Translation: households; Notes: Refers to domestic units within the tribe.
  11. suas — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies domos; Translation: their; Notes: Indicates possession by members of the tribe.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: continues the enumeration; Translation: and; Notes: Maintains the additive structure.
  13. nomina — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: coordinated object in the listing; Translation: names; Notes: Indicates formal identification of individuals.
  14. capitum — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: modifies nomina; Translation: of heads; Notes: Refers to leaders or heads of households.
  15. singulorum — Lemma: singuli; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies capitum; Translation: of each; Notes: Emphasizes individual enumeration.
  16. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: every; Notes: Introduces a general category.
  17. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: connects the relative clause to omne; Translation: which; Notes: Refers back to the indefinite subject.
  18. sexus — Lemma: sexus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: sex; Notes: Defines the gender classification.
  19. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copulative verb linking subject and predicate; Translation: is; Notes: Establishes identity within the clause.
  20. masculini — Lemma: masculinus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies sexus; Translation: masculine; Notes: Specifies male gender.
  21. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces the age phrase; Translation: from; Notes: Indicates the starting point of an age range.
  22. vigesimo — Lemma: vicesimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies anno; Translation: twentieth; Notes: Specifies the minimum qualifying age.
  23. anno — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of a; Translation: year; Notes: Used in chronological expressions.
  24. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: connects the age phrase with the following adverb; Translation: and; Notes: Forms the idiom “and above.”
  25. supra — Lemma: supra; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: completes the age-range expression; Translation: above; Notes: Includes individuals older than the stated age.
  26. procedentium — Lemma: procedo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: genitive plural masculine present active participle; Function: modifies the implied group of eligible men; Translation: of those proceeding; Notes: Describes those going forth to military duty.
  27. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces the goal of action; Translation: to; Notes: Indicates purpose or direction.
  28. bellum — Lemma: bellum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: war; Notes: Refers to participation in military campaigns.

 

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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