Numeri 15:15 (Numbers 15:15)

Posted on May 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 15:15 Unum præceptum erit atque iudicium tam vobis quam advenis terræ.

One precept shall be and one judgment, both for you and for the strangers of the land.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Unum one NOM.SG.N.NUM
2 præceptum precept NOM.SG.N.2ND DECL
3 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
4 atque and also CONJ
5 iudicium judgment NOM.SG.N.2ND DECL
6 tam both ADV
7 vobis for you DAT.PL.2ND.PERS.PRON
8 quam as CONJ
9 advenis for strangers DAT.PL.M.3RD DECL
10 terræ of the land GEN.SG.F.1ST DECL

Syntax

Main Clause: Unum præceptum and iudicium serve as coordinated predicate nominatives with erit.

Correlative Construction: tam … quam expresses equality, “both … and.”

Indirect Objects: vobis and advenis terræ indicate those to whom the single law applies.

Morphology

  1. Unum — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies præceptum; Translation: one; Notes: Emphasizes unity and singularity of the law.
  2. præceptum — Lemma: præceptum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter second declension; Function: subject/predicate nominative; Translation: precept; Notes: Refers to a prescribed command or rule.
  3. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: shall be; Notes: Expresses an established future condition or rule.
  4. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links præceptum and iudicium; Translation: and also; Notes: Adds emphasis to the connection between the two terms.
  5. iudicium — Lemma: iudicium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter second declension; Function: coordinated predicate nominative; Translation: judgment; Notes: Refers to legal decision or judicial standard.
  6. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: first element of correlative pair; Translation: both; Notes: Introduces an equal comparison.
  7. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative plural second person; Function: indirect object; Translation: for you; Notes: Refers to the addressed community.
  8. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: second element of correlative pair; Translation: as; Notes: Completes the comparison begun by tam.
  9. advenis — Lemma: advena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine third declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: for strangers; Notes: Refers to non-native residents within the land.
  10. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine first declension; Function: modifies advenis; Translation: of the land; Notes: Specifies the domain in which the strangers reside.

 

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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