Numeri 1:52 (Numbers 1:52)

Posted on April 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 1:52 Metabuntur autem castra filii Israel unusquisque per turmas et cuneos atque exercitum suum.

But the sons of Israel shall encamp, each one according to his companies and divisions and his army.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Metabuntur they will encamp 3PL.FUT.DEP.IND
2 autem however CONJ
3 castra camp ACC.PL.N
4 filii sons NOM.PL.M
5 Israel Israel INDECL
6 unusquisque each one NOM.SG.M
7 per according to PREP+ACC
8 turmas companies ACC.PL.F
9 et and CONJ
10 cuneos divisions ACC.PL.M
11 atque and also CONJ
12 exercitum army ACC.SG.M
13 suum his own ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: filii Israel (subject) + Metabuntur (main verb).

Object: castra — accusative object indicating the establishment of camp.

Distributive Expression: unusquisque — distributive pronoun emphasizing individual arrangement.

Prepositional Phrase: per turmas et cuneos atque exercitum suum — describes organization by military groups and formations.

Morphology

  1. Metabuntur — Lemma: metor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future deponent indicative third person plural third conjugation; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: they will encamp; Notes: deponent verb meaning to measure out or arrange a camp.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: postpositive connective linking this statement with the previous instruction; Translation: however; Notes: frequently used in narrative transitions.
  3. castra — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter second declension (pluralia tantum); Function: object associated with encampment; Translation: camp; Notes: a plural noun referring collectively to a military encampment.
  4. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine second declension; Function: subject of Metabuntur; Translation: sons; Notes: refers to the tribes descended from Israel.
  5. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: genitival relationship with filii; Translation: Israel; Notes: identifies the covenant people.
  6. unusquisque — Lemma: unusquisque; Part of Speech: distributive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: distributive subject emphasis; Translation: each one; Notes: emphasizes individual arrangement within the larger camp.
  7. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces a distributive phrase; Translation: according to; Notes: indicates arrangement or grouping.
  8. turmas — Lemma: turma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine first declension; Function: object of per; Translation: companies; Notes: refers to military units or divisions.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinating conjunction; Translation: and; Notes: joins coordinated objects.
  10. cuneos — Lemma: cuneus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine second declension; Function: second object governed by per; Translation: divisions; Notes: originally meaning wedge-shaped military formations.
  11. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective conjunction; Translation: and also; Notes: stylistic variant emphasizing addition.
  12. exercitum — Lemma: exercitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine fourth declension; Function: additional object within the distributive phrase; Translation: army; Notes: denotes the organized military host.
  13. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine agreeing with exercitum; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: his own; Notes: refers to the respective army belonging to each tribal group.

 

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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