Numeri 14:45 (Numbers 14:45)

Posted on May 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 14:45 Descenditque Amalecites et Chananæus, qui habitabat in monte: et percutiens eos atque concidens, persecutus est eos usque Horma.

And the Amalekite and the Chananite came down, who dwelt in the mountain, and striking them and cutting them down, he pursued them as far as Horma.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Descenditque and he came down 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 Amalecites Amalekite NOM.SG.M
3 et and CONJ
4 Chananæus Canaanite NOM.SG.M
5 qui who REL.NOM.SG.M
6 habitabat he dwelt 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 monte mountain ABL.SG.M
9 et and CONJ
10 percutiens striking PTCP.NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT
11 eos them ACC.PL.3P.PERS
12 atque and also CONJ
13 concidens cutting down PTCP.NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT
14 persecutus having pursued PTCP.NOM.SG.M.PERF.DEP
15 est he is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
16 eos them ACC.PL.3P.PERS
17 usque as far as ADV
18 Horma Horma ACC.SG.F.INDECL

Syntax

Main Clause: Descenditque Amalecites et Chananæus introduces the action, with a compound subject functioning collectively and a singular verb highlighting the unified action.

Relative Clause: qui habitabat in monte modifies the compound subject, with habitabat describing ongoing past dwelling.

Participial Sequence: percutiens eos atque concidens expresses accompanying actions.

Periphrastic Verb: persecutus est forms the main completed action.

Adverbial Phrase: usque Horma indicates extent of pursuit.

Morphology

  1. Descenditque — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: Verb with enclitic conjunction; Form: Third person singular perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: Main verb; Translation: and he came down; Notes: -que links this clause to the previous narrative.
  2. Amalecites — Lemma: Amalecites; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative masculine singular, Greek-derived declension; Function: Part of compound subject; Translation: Amalekite; Notes: Greek-derived form in -ites marks nominative singular, not plural. The expected Latin plural would be Amalecitae. Here it functions as a collective singular referring to the Amalekite people.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects subjects; Translation: and; Notes: Joins coordinated elements.
  4. Chananæus — Lemma: Chananæus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative masculine singular, second declension; Function: Part of compound subject; Translation: Chananite; Notes: Singular ethnonym used collectively for the Canaanite people.
  5. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative masculine singular; Function: Subject of relative clause; Translation: who; Notes: Refers collectively to the combined subject.
  6. habitabat — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: he dwelt; Notes: Describes continuous past action.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing ablative; Function: Introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: Indicates position.
  8. monte — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative masculine singular, third declension; Function: Object of in; Translation: mountain; Notes: Specifies location.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects actions; Translation: and; Notes: Links participial phrases.
  10. percutiens — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: Verb participle; Form: Present active participle nominative masculine singular; Function: Describes accompanying action; Translation: striking; Notes: Indicates simultaneous action.
  11. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Accusative masculine plural; Function: Object of percutiens; Translation: them; Notes: Refers to those attacked.
  12. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects actions; Translation: and also; Notes: Strengthens coordination.
  13. concidens — Lemma: concido; Part of Speech: Verb participle; Form: Present active participle nominative masculine singular; Function: Describes additional action; Translation: cutting down; Notes: Indicates violent action.
  14. persecutus — Lemma: persequor; Part of Speech: Verb participle; Form: Perfect deponent participle nominative masculine singular; Function: Part of periphrastic verb; Translation: having pursued; Notes: Deponent with active meaning.
  15. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular present active indicative; Function: Auxiliary; Translation: he is; Notes: Forms perfect tense with persecutus.
  16. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Accusative masculine plural; Function: Object of persecutus est; Translation: them; Notes: Refers to those pursued.
  17. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Indicates extent; Translation: as far as; Notes: Marks limit of action.
  18. Horma — Lemma: Horma; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative feminine singular indeclinable; Function: Object of usque; Translation: Horma; Notes: Place name marking endpoint.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Numeri. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.