Numeri 12:2 (Numbers 12:2)

Posted on May 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

2 et dixerunt: Num per solum Moysen locutus est Dominus? nonne et nobis similiter est locutus? Quod cum audisset Dominus,

and they said, “Has the LORD spoken through Moyses alone? Has He not also spoken similarly to us?” And when the LORD had heard this,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Num whether ADV
4 per through PREP+ACC
5 solum alone ACC.SG.M ADJ
6 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
7 locutus spoken NOM.SG.M PERF.PTCP.DEP
8 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
10 nonne has not ADV
11 et also ADV
12 nobis to us DAT.PL 1 PERS
13 similiter similarly ADV
14 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
15 locutus spoken NOM.SG.M PERF.PTCP.DEP
16 Quod which ACC.SG.N REL
17 cum when CONJ
18 audisset had heard 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
19 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: et dixerunt introduces the speech report, with the subject understood from the previous context. The verb dixerunt governs the following direct questions.

Question 1: Dominus is the subject, and locutus est is the finite verbal expression. per solum Moysen is a prepositional phrase expressing instrument or agency, with solum modifying Moysen. Num introduces a question expecting a negative answer.

Question 2: Dominus remains the understood subject of est locutus. nobis is a dative complement, and similiter modifies the verbal idea. nonne introduces a question expecting an affirmative answer, while et has the sense “also.”

Subordinate Clause: Quod cum audisset Dominus is a temporal clause. Quod refers back to the preceding statement as the thing heard, cum introduces the subordinate clause, audisset is the verb, and Dominus is its subject.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: links this clause to the previous narrative; Translation: and; Notes: It advances the sequence of events without adding contrast.
  2. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb introducing direct speech; Translation: they said; Notes: The perfect tense presents the speech as a completed narrative act.
  3. Num — Lemma: num; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable interrogative particle; Function: introduces a question expecting a negative reply; Translation: whether; Notes: In context it sharpens the challenge and implies doubt about the claim being posed.
  4. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces the phrase of means or agency; Translation: through; Notes: It marks Moyses as the human channel of divine speech.
  5. solum — Lemma: solus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine positive; Function: modifies Moysen within the prepositional phrase; Translation: alone; Notes: It emphasizes exclusivity, which is the point being disputed.
  6. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of the preposition per; Translation: Moses; Notes: He is presented as the alleged sole mediator of revelation.
  7. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle deponent; Function: forms a periphrastic perfect with est; Translation: spoken; Notes: Though deponent in form, it carries active meaning.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary completing the perfect verbal expression; Translation: has; Notes: Combined with locutus, it yields the sense “has spoken.”
  9. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine second declension; Function: subject of locutus est; Translation: the LORD; Notes: Here Dominus refers to YHWH and is therefore rendered “LORD.”
  10. nonne — Lemma: nonne; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable interrogative particle; Function: introduces a question expecting an affirmative answer; Translation: has not; Notes: It signals rhetorical confidence rather than uncertainty.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable adverbial particle; Function: adds the sense “also” to the dative phrase that follows; Translation: also; Notes: Here it is best understood intensively rather than merely coordinatively.
  12. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural first person personal pronoun; Function: indirect object of est locutus; Translation: to us; Notes: The dative marks those who claim to have likewise received divine speech.
  13. similiter — Lemma: similiter; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable adverb; Function: modifies est locutus; Translation: similarly; Notes: It places their claim on a level parallel to Moyses’ experience.
  14. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary in the second periphrastic perfect; Translation: has; Notes: As before, it works with the participle to express completed speaking.
  15. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle deponent; Function: participial part of the verbal phrase est locutus; Translation: spoken; Notes: The masculine singular form agrees with the implied subject Dominus.
  16. Quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter relative pronoun; Function: object of audisset referring to the preceding statement; Translation: which; Notes: It gathers up the whole prior utterance as the content heard.
  17. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces a temporal subordinate clause; Translation: when; Notes: With the subjunctive, it situates the hearing as a background circumstance.
  18. audisset — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the temporal cum clause; Translation: had heard; Notes: The pluperfect marks the hearing as prior to the next narrative action.
  19. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine second declension; Function: subject of audisset; Translation: the LORD; Notes: Again the term refers to YHWH and is rendered with reverential capitalization.

 

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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