Nm 1:21 quadraginta sex millia quingenti.
forty-six thousand five hundred.
| # |
Latin |
Gloss |
Grammar Tag |
| 1 |
quadraginta |
forty |
NUM.INDECL |
| 2 |
sex |
six |
NUM.INDECL |
| 3 |
millia |
thousand |
NOM.PL.N |
| 4 |
quingenti |
five hundred |
NOM.PL.M |
Syntax
Numerical Phrase: quadraginta sex millia forms a compound numeral meaning “forty-six thousand,” where quadraginta and sex modify the plural noun millia.
Additional Enumeration: quingenti adds “five hundred,” completing the census total.
Elliptical Construction: The phrase functions as a numerical summary referring to the counted men from the preceding clause, with the noun for persons understood from context.
Morphology
- quadraginta — Lemma: quadraginta; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: part of the compound numeral modifying millia; Translation: forty; Notes: Used with sex to produce the combined number forty-six.
- sex — Lemma: sex; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: completes the compound numeral with quadraginta; Translation: six; Notes: Together with quadraginta forms the number forty-six.
- millia — Lemma: mille; Part of Speech: numeral noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: head noun of the numerical expression; Translation: thousand; Notes: In plural usage it functions as a substantive meaning “thousands.”
- quingenti — Lemma: quingenti; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine cardinal numeral; Function: adds the final part of the total; Translation: five hundred; Notes: Agrees with an implied masculine plural noun referring to the counted men.
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.