Numeri 12:4 (Numbers 12:4)

Posted on May 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 12:4 statim locutus est ad eum, et ad Aaron et Mariam: Egredimini vos tantum tres ad tabernaculum fœderis. Cumque fuissent egressi,

immediately He spoke to him, and to Aaron and Mariam: “Go out, you three alone, to the tabernacle of the covenant.” And when they had gone out,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 statim immediately ADV
2 locutus spoken NOM.SG.M PERF.PTCP.DEP
3 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 eum him ACC.SG.M PERS
6 et and CONJ
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 Aaron Aaron ACC.SG.M INDECL
9 et and CONJ
10 Mariam Mariam ACC.SG.F INDECL
11 Egredimini go out 2PL.PRES.DEP.IMP.MOOD
12 vos you NOM.PL 2 PERS
13 tantum only ADV
14 tres three NOM.PL C
15 ad to PREP+ACC
16 tabernaculum tabernacle ACC.SG.N
17 fœderis of covenant GEN.SG.N
18 Cumque and when CONJ
19 fuissent they had been 3PL.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
20 egressi gone out NOM.PL.M PERF.PTCP.DEP

Syntax

Main Clause 1: locutus est is the main verb with Dominus understood as the subject. statim modifies the verb. The phrases ad eum and ad Aaron et Mariam function as indirect objects indicating the recipients of speech.

Imperative Clause: Egredimini is the main verb in the imperative, with vos as the explicit subject. tres stands in apposition to vos, while tantum limits the group. ad tabernaculum fœderis is a directional phrase indicating destination.

Subordinate Clause: Cumque fuissent egressi is a temporal clause. egressi forms a periphrastic pluperfect with fuissent, describing prior action before the next event.

Morphology

  1. statim — Lemma: statim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable adverb; Function: modifies locutus est; Translation: immediately; Notes: It emphasizes the urgency and immediacy of the divine response.
  2. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle deponent; Function: forms the perfect tense with est; Translation: spoken; Notes: Deponent in form but active in meaning.
  3. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary forming the perfect tense; Translation: has; Notes: With locutus, expresses completed action.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces indirect object phrase; Translation: to; Notes: Indicates direction toward persons addressed.
  5. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine personal pronoun; Function: object of ad; Translation: him; Notes: Refers to Moyses as recipient of speech.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: connects parallel prepositional phrases; Translation: and; Notes: Maintains equal syntactic weight between recipients.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces second indirect object phrase; Translation: to; Notes: Repetition emphasizes separate recipients.
  8. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: object of ad; Translation: Aaron; Notes: Hebrew proper noun used without declension change.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: connects Aaron and Mariam; Translation: and; Notes: Simple coordination of names.
  10. Mariam — Lemma: Mariam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine indeclinable; Function: object of ad; Translation: Mariam; Notes: Another Hebrew name preserved without Latin inflection.
  11. Egredimini — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present imperative deponent; Function: main verb of command; Translation: go out; Notes: Deponent verb used in imperative form for direct command.
  12. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural second person personal pronoun; Function: explicit subject of Egredimini; Translation: you; Notes: Adds emphasis to the addressed group.
  13. tantum — Lemma: tantum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable adverb; Function: modifies tres; Translation: only; Notes: Restricts the number to exactly three.
  14. tres — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: nominative plural common gender; Function: in apposition to vos; Translation: three; Notes: Specifies the exact group commanded.
  15. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces destination phrase; Translation: to; Notes: Indicates movement toward a place.
  16. tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter second declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: tabernacle; Notes: Refers to the sacred meeting place.
  17. fœderis — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter third declension; Function: genitive modifying tabernaculum; Translation: of covenant; Notes: Specifies the covenantal nature of the tabernacle.
  18. Cumque — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction with enclitic -que; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: and when; Notes: Combines temporal relation with narrative continuation.
  19. fuissent — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: auxiliary in pluperfect periphrastic construction; Translation: they had been; Notes: With egressi, forms a completed prior action.
  20. egressi — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: verb; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect participle deponent; Function: completes pluperfect periphrastic verb; Translation: gone out; Notes: Deponent participle agreeing with the plural subject implied.

 

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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