Numeri 1:43 (Numbers 1:43)

Posted on April 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 1:43 quinquaginta tria millia quadringenti.

fifty-three thousand four hundred.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quinquaginta fifty ADJ.INDECL
2 tria three ADJ.ACC.PL.N
3 millia thousands NOUN.ACC.PL.N
4 quadringenti four hundred ADJ.NOM.PL.M

Syntax

Numerical Expression: quinquaginta tria millia quadringenti forms a compound numerical phrase expressing the census total.

Primary Quantity: quinquaginta tria millia establishes the principal number of thousands.

Head Noun: millia serves as the central counting noun and is modified by the compound numeral quinquaginta tria.

Additional Quantity: quadringenti adds the remaining hundreds, with an implied masculine plural noun such as “men” supplied by context.

Clause Type: The expression functions as a nominal census total rather than a complete verbal clause.

Morphology

  1. quinquaginta — Lemma: quinquaginta; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: part of the compound numeral modifying millia; Translation: fifty; Notes: This numeral remains unchanged in form and contributes the tens element of the total number.
  2. tria — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter cardinal numeral; Function: agrees with millia in case, number, and gender; Translation: three; Notes: Completes the compound number modifying the neuter plural noun millia.
  3. millia — Lemma: mille; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter used as a substantive numeral; Function: head of the numerical phrase representing thousands; Translation: thousands; Notes: When plural, mille functions as a noun and usually governs a genitive of the counted entity, which is implied in this census context.
  4. quadringenti — Lemma: quadringenti; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine cardinal numeral; Function: adds the remaining hundreds to the total; Translation: four hundred; Notes: The masculine plural form points to an implied masculine plural noun such as “men” in the surrounding census narrative.

 

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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