Numeri 1:54 (Numbers 1:54)

Posted on April 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 1:54 Fecerunt ergo filii Israel iuxta omnia quæ præceperat Dominus Moysi.

Therefore the sons of Israel did according to all things which the LORD had commanded to Moyses.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fecerunt they did 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 filii sons NOM.PL.M
4 Israel Israel INDECL
5 iuxta according to PREP+ACC
6 omnia all things ACC.PL.N
7 quæ which REL.ACC.PL.N
8 præceperat had commanded 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
9 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
10 Moysi to Moyses DAT.SG.M

Syntax

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

Adverbial Connector: ergo — marks the result or conclusion of the preceding commands.

Prepositional Phrase: iuxta omnia — expresses conformity or accordance.

Relative Clause: quæ præceperat Dominus Moysi — modifies omnia and specifies the commands given by the LORD to Moyses.

Morphology

  1. Fecerunt — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person plural third conjugation; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: they did; Notes: summarizes obedience to the previously given instructions.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective adverb marking logical consequence; Translation: therefore; Notes: signals the outcome following the divine command.
  3. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine second declension; Function: subject of Fecerunt; Translation: sons; Notes: refers to the tribal members of the covenant people.
  4. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: genitival relationship with filii; Translation: Israel; Notes: identifies the descendants of the patriarch Israel.
  5. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative; Function: introduces a phrase indicating conformity; Translation: according to; Notes: expresses alignment with instructions.
  6. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative plural neuter third declension; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: all things; Notes: refers to the entirety of the commands.
  7. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: introduces the relative clause modifying omnia; Translation: which; Notes: agrees with its antecedent omnia.
  8. præceperat — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative third person singular third conjugation; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: had commanded; Notes: refers to prior instructions given through Moyses.
  9. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine second declension; Function: subject of præceperat; Translation: LORD; Notes: rendered as LORD because it refers to YHWH.
  10. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine third declension; Function: indirect object of præceperat; Translation: to Moyses; Notes: recipient of the divine command.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Numeri. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.