Numeri 14:27 (Numbers 14:27)

Posted on May 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 14:27 Usquequo multitudo hæc pessima murmurat contra me? querelas filiorum Israel audivi.

Until when does this most wicked multitude murmur against me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Usquequo until when ADV
2 multitudo multitude NOM.SG.F
3 hæc this DEM.NOM.SG.F
4 pessima most wicked ADJ.NOM.SG.F.SUPER
5 murmurat murmurs 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 contra against PREP+ACC
7 me me ACC.SG.1P.PERS
8 querelas complaints ACC.PL.F
9 filiorum of sons GEN.PL.M
10 Israel Israel GEN.SG.INDECL
11 audivi I have heard 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Interrogative Clause: Usquequo introduces a temporal question modifying the main clause.
multitudo hæc pessima functions as the subject, with hæc (demonstrative) and pessima (superlative adjective) modifying multitudo.
murmurat is the main verb, with contra me forming a prepositional phrase indicating opposition.

Main Clause: audivi is the main verb of the second clause, with first person subject implied.
Object: querelas is the direct object.
Genitive Phrase: filiorum Israel modifies querelas, specifying whose complaints are heard.

Morphology

  1. Usquequo — Lemma: usquequo; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable interrogative adverb; Function: Introduces temporal question; Translation: until when; Notes: Expresses impatience or rhetorical questioning about duration.
  2. multitudo — Lemma: multitudo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative feminine singular, third declension; Function: Subject of murmurat; Translation: multitude; Notes: Collective noun referring to a large group acting as a single unit.
  3. hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Nominative feminine singular; Function: Modifies multitudo; Translation: this; Notes: Points to a specific, present group.
  4. pessima — Lemma: malus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative feminine singular superlative; Function: Attributive modifier of multitudo; Translation: most wicked; Notes: Superlative intensifies moral condemnation.
  5. murmurat — Lemma: murmuro; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular present active indicative, first conjugation; Function: Main verb of interrogative clause; Translation: murmurs; Notes: Denotes ongoing or habitual complaining.
  6. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Preposition governing accusative; Function: Introduces object of opposition; Translation: against; Notes: Indicates hostility directed toward a target.
  7. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Accusative singular first person; Function: Object of contra; Translation: me; Notes: Directly refers to the speaker receiving the complaint.
  8. querelas — Lemma: querela; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative feminine plural, first declension; Function: Direct object of audivi; Translation: complaints; Notes: Emphasizes repeated or multiple grievances.
  9. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive masculine plural, second declension; Function: Genitive modifier of querelas; Translation: of sons; Notes: Indicates possession or source of the complaints.
  10. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular indeclinable; Function: Completes the genitive phrase with filiorum; Translation: Israel; Notes: Indeclinable form used across cases but governed syntactically here as genitive.
  11. audivi — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: First person singular perfect active indicative, fourth conjugation; Function: Main verb of second clause; Translation: I have heard; Notes: Perfect tense indicates completed action with present relevance.

 

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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