Numeri 14:3 (Numbers 14:3)

Posted on May 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 14:3 Utinam mortui essemus in Ægypto: et in hac vasta solitudine utinam pereamus, et non inducat nos Dominus in Terram istam, ne cadamus gladio, et uxores ac liberi nostri ducantur captivi. Nonne melius est reverti in Ægyptum?

Would that we had died in Egypt; and in this vast wilderness would that we perish, and let not the LORD lead us into this Land, lest we fall by the sword, and our wives and children be led away captive. Is it not better to return into Egypt?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Utinam would that ADV
2 mortui dead NOM.PL.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
3 essemus we might have been 1PL.IMP.SUBJ.ACT
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F.PROPN
6 et and CONJ
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 hac this ABL.SG.F.DEM.PRON
9 vasta vast ABL.SG.F.ADJ
10 solitudine wilderness ABL.SG.F.NOUN
11 utinam would that ADV
12 pereamus we may perish 1PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
13 et and CONJ
14 non not ADV
15 inducat may lead 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
16 nos us ACC.PL.PERS.PRON
17 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M.NOUN
18 in into PREP+ACC
19 Terram Land ACC.SG.F.NOUN
20 istam this ACC.SG.F.DEM.PRON
21 ne lest CONJ
22 cadamus we fall 1PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
23 gladio by the sword ABL.SG.M.NOUN
24 et and CONJ
25 uxores wives NOM.PL.F.NOUN
26 ac and CONJ
27 liberi children NOM.PL.M.NOUN
28 nostri our NOM.PL.M.POSS.PRON
29 ducantur may be led 3PL.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
30 captivi captive NOM.PL.M.ADJ
31 Nonne is it not ADV
32 melius better COMP.ADV
33 est it is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
34 reverti to return PRES.ACT.INF
35 in into PREP+ACC
36 Ægyptum Egypt ACC.SG.F.PROPN

Syntax

Optative Clause: Utinam mortui essemus in Ægypto expresses a wish contrary to reality, with mortui essemus forming a pluperfect subjunctive sense.

Parallel Wish: in hac vasta solitudine utinam pereamus continues the lament with a present subjunctive expressing desire.

Negative Purpose Clause: non inducat nos Dominus in Terram istam shows a prohibition or wish, with Dominus as subject.

Purpose Clause: ne cadamus gladio expresses feared result, “lest we fall by the sword.”

Coordinated Clause: uxores ac liberi nostri ducantur captivi presents a passive result affecting dependents.

Interrogative Clause: Nonne melius est reverti in Ægyptum introduces a rhetorical question expecting affirmation.

Morphology

  1. Utinam — Lemma: utinam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces optative clause; Translation: would that; Notes: Signals a strong wish or regret.
  2. mortui — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect participle; Function: predicate with essemus; Translation: dead; Notes: From a deponent verb with active meaning.
  3. essemus — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural imperfect subjunctive; Function: auxiliary forming pluperfect subjunctive sense; Translation: we might have been; Notes: Used with perfect participle to express unreal past wish.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes ablative; Function: locative phrase; Translation: in; Notes: Indicates location.
  5. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: Egypt; Notes: Place where the wished event would have occurred.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Links clauses.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes ablative; Function: locative phrase; Translation: in; Notes: Introduces location.
  8. hac — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies solitudine; Translation: this; Notes: Refers to present wilderness.
  9. vasta — Lemma: vastus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies solitudine; Translation: vast; Notes: Emphasizes desolation.
  10. solitudine — Lemma: solitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: wilderness; Notes: Setting of the lament.
  11. utinam — Lemma: utinam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces wish; Translation: would that; Notes: Repetition intensifies desire.
  12. pereamus — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural present subjunctive active; Function: verb of wish; Translation: we may perish; Notes: Expresses desired outcome.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Connects clauses.
  14. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Negates verb.
  15. inducat — Lemma: induco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive active; Function: verb of prohibition/wish; Translation: may lead; Notes: Subjunctive following wish.
  16. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object; Translation: us; Notes: Object of action.
  17. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes accusative; Function: direction; Translation: into; Notes: Indicates motion.
  19. Terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: Land; Notes: Destination.
  20. istam — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies Terram; Translation: this; Notes: Slightly pejorative nuance.
  21. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces negative purpose clause; Translation: lest; Notes: Expresses feared result.
  22. cadamus — Lemma: cado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural present subjunctive active; Function: verb in purpose clause; Translation: we fall; Notes: Subjunctive after ne.
  23. gladio — Lemma: gladius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: by the sword; Notes: Indicates instrument.
  24. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Links clauses.
  25. uxores — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: wives; Notes: First element of compound subject.
  26. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Variant of et.
  27. liberi — Lemma: liberi; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: children; Notes: Second element of compound subject.
  28. nostri — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies liberi; Translation: our; Notes: Indicates possession.
  29. ducantur — Lemma: duco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present subjunctive passive; Function: verb of feared result; Translation: may be led; Notes: Passive voice emphasizes victimization.
  30. captivi — Lemma: captivus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: captive; Notes: Completes passive sense.
  31. Nonne — Lemma: nonne; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: interrogative particle; Translation: is it not; Notes: Introduces rhetorical question expecting “yes.”
  32. melius — Lemma: bene; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: comparative; Function: predicate complement; Translation: better; Notes: Comparative form.
  33. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative; Function: copula; Translation: it is; Notes: Links subject and complement.
  34. reverti — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive deponent; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: to return; Notes: Deponent verb with active meaning.
  35. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes accusative; Function: direction; Translation: into; Notes: Indicates motion.
  36. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: Egypt; Notes: Destination.

 

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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