Numeri 10:30 (Numbers 10:30)

Posted on May 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 10:30 Cui ille respondit: Non vadam tecum, sed revertar in terram meam, in qua natus sum.

To him he answered: “I will not go with you, but I will return into my land, in which I was born.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cui to whom DAT.SG.M.REL
2 ille he NOM.SG.M.DEM
3 respondit answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 Non not ADV
5 vadam I will go 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
6 tecum with you ABL.SG
7 sed but CONJ
8 revertar I will return 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 in into PREP+ACC
10 terram land ACC.SG.F
11 meam my ACC.SG.F.POSS
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 qua which ABL.SG.F.REL
14 natus having been born PERF.PTCP.PASS.NOM.SG.M
15 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: ille (subject) + respondit (verb) + Cui (indirect object placed first for emphasis).

Direct Speech (1): Non vadam tecum — negated clause with subjunctive expressing resolve.

Direct Speech (2): sed revertar in terram meam — contrasted future action.

Relative Clause: in qua natus sum — modifies terram.

Morphology

  1. Cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to whom; Notes: Refers to previous speaker. In Latin, Cui is the dative singular form of the relative pronoun qui, quae, quod. When it appears at the very beginning of a sentence (a “relative connective”), it is usually translated as a demonstrative or personal pronoun to sound natural in English. The most accurate way to translate Cui in this specific sentence is: “To him…” or “And to him…”
    Why “To Him”? Latin often starts sentences with a relative pronoun to link back to the person mentioned in the previous sentence. While a literal translation might be “To whom he responded,” that sounds like a question in English. In Biblical Latin:
    Cui (Dative): Indicates the person being spoken to.
    Ille (Nominative): The subject doing the responding (“he”).
  2. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: he; Notes: Refers to Hobab.
  3. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: answered; Notes: Introduces response.
  4. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Negates verb.
  5. vadam — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive first person singular; Function: verb of direct speech; Translation: I will go; Notes: Subjunctive used with volitional nuance.
  6. tecum — Lemma: tu cum; Part of Speech: pronoun phrase; Form: ablative singular; Function: accompaniment; Translation: with you; Notes: Compound form.
  7. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrast; Translation: but; Notes: Introduces contrast.
  8. revertar — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future deponent indicative first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: I will return; Notes: Deponent verb with active meaning.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces motion; Translation: into; Notes: Indicates movement.
  10. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: land; Notes: Destination.
  11. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies terram; Translation: my; Notes: Possession.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: Indicates place.
  13. qua — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: which; Notes: Refers to terram.
  14. natus — Lemma: nascor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect participle deponent nominative singular masculine; Function: part of compound verb; Translation: having been born; Notes: Deponent with passive form but active meaning.
  15. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative first person singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: I am; Notes: Forms perfect with participle.

 

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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