Numeri 14:7 (Numbers 14:7)

Posted on May 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 15:7 et ad omnem multitudinem filiorum Israel locuti sunt: Terra, quam circuivimus, valde bona est.

and they spoke to all the multitude of the sons of Israel: “The Land which we went around is very good.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 omnem all ACC.SG.F.ADJ
4 multitudinem multitude ACC.SG.F.NOUN
5 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M.NOUN
6 Israel Israel GEN.SG.INDECL.PROPN
7 locuti spoken NOM.PL.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
8 sunt they are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
9 Terra Land NOM.SG.F.NOUN
10 quam which ACC.SG.F.REL.PRON
11 circuivimus we went around 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
12 valde very ADV
13 bona good NOM.SG.F.ADJ
14 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1: locuti sunt is the main verb; the implied subject is the previously mentioned speakers; ad omnem multitudinem filiorum Israel is a prepositional phrase indicating the audience.

Prepositional Phrase: ad omnem multitudinem filiorum Israel — direction toward the whole assembly, with filiorum Israel as a genitive of specification.

Main Clause 2 (Direct Speech): Terra … est — Terra is the subject; est is the copula; bona is the predicate adjective.

Relative Clause: quam circuivimus modifies Terra, with quam as object of circuivimus.

Adverbial Modifier: valde intensifies bona.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable conjunction; Function: connective; Translation: and; Notes: Links this statement with the preceding narrative.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes accusative; Function: introduces indirect object of speech; Translation: to; Notes: Indicates direction toward hearers.
  3. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine third declension; Function: modifies multitudinem; Translation: all; Notes: Emphasizes totality of the audience.
  4. multitudinem — Lemma: multitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine third declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: multitude; Notes: Refers to the assembled people.
  5. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine second declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the sons; Notes: Specifies the group identity.
  6. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular indeclinable; Function: modifies filiorum; Translation: Israel; Notes: Denotes the nation.
  7. locuti — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect deponent participle; Function: part of periphrastic perfect with sunt; Translation: having spoken; Notes: Deponent verb with active meaning.
  8. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: they are; Notes: Forms perfect tense with participle.
  9. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine first declension; Function: subject; Translation: Land; Notes: Introduces the statement.
  10. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of circuivimus; Translation: which; Notes: Refers back to Terra.
  11. circuivimus — Lemma: circumeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural perfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: we went around; Notes: Describes completed exploration.
  12. valde — Lemma: valde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies bona; Translation: very; Notes: Intensifies quality.
  13. bona — Lemma: bonus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine first and second declension; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: good; Notes: Describes the land.
  14. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: Links subject and predicate.

 

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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