Numeri 13:3 (Numbers 13:3)

Posted on May 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 13:3 Mitte viros, qui considerent Terram Chanaan, quam daturus sum filiis Israel, singulos de singulis tribubus, ex principibus.

Send men, who may examine the Land of Chanaan, which I am about to give to the sons of Israel, one each from each tribe, from the leaders.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Mitte send 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
2 viros men ACC.PL.M
3 qui who NOM.PL.M REL
4 considerent may examine 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
5 Terram the Land ACC.SG.F
6 Chanaan Canaan GEN.SG.INDECL
7 quam which ACC.SG.F REL
8 daturus about to give NOM.SG.M FUT.PTCP.ACT
9 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 filiis to the sons DAT.PL.M
11 Israel Israel GEN.SG.INDECL
12 singulos each one ACC.PL.M
13 de from PREP+ABL
14 singulis each ABL.PL.F
15 tribubus tribes ABL.PL.F
16 ex from PREP+ABL
17 principibus leaders ABL.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Mitte is the imperative verb, with viros as its direct object.

Relative Clause: qui considerent Terram Chanaan describes the men, expressing purpose or characteristic.

Relative Clause: quam daturus sum filiis Israel further defines Terram, indicating divine intention.

Phrase: filiis Israel is a dative phrase indicating recipients.

Phrase: singulos de singulis tribubus expresses distribution, “one from each tribe.”

Phrase: ex principibus specifies that the men are taken from the leaders.

Clause Function: The sentence issues a command, elaborated by relative clauses and distributive expressions.

Morphology

  1. Mitte — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative second person singular; Function: main verb issuing command; Translation: send; Notes: Direct command addressed to Moyses.
  2. viros — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine third declension; Function: direct object of Mitte; Translation: men; Notes: Refers to selected representatives.
  3. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of considerent; Translation: who; Notes: Introduces descriptive relative clause.
  4. considerent — Lemma: considero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third person plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: may examine; Notes: Subjunctive expresses purpose or intended action.
  5. Terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine first declension; Function: object of considerent; Translation: the land; Notes: Central object of exploration.
  6. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular indeclinable; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of Chanaan; Notes: Specifies the land by name.
  7. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of daturus sum; Translation: which; Notes: Refers back to Terram.
  8. daturus — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: part of periphrastic future with sum; Translation: about to give; Notes: Expresses intended future action.
  9. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative first person singular; Function: auxiliary with daturus; Translation: I am; Notes: Forms periphrastic future construction.
  10. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine second declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the sons; Notes: Recipients of the promised land.
  11. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular indeclinable; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of Israel; Notes: Specifies the group.
  12. singulos — Lemma: singuli; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: distributive modifier of viros; Translation: each one; Notes: Emphasizes one per group.
  13. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces source; Translation: from; Notes: Marks distribution.
  14. singulis — Lemma: singuli; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies tribubus; Translation: each; Notes: Reinforces distributive sense.
  15. tribubus — Lemma: tribus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine fourth declension; Function: object of de; Translation: tribes; Notes: Refers to divisions of Israel.
  16. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces origin; Translation: from; Notes: Indicates selection from a group.
  17. principibus — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine third declension; Function: object of ex; Translation: leaders; Notes: Specifies that representatives are chiefs.

 

Numeri 13:3 (Numbers 13:3) = Numeri 13:2 (Numbers 13:2)

 

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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