Numeri 15:32 (Numbers 15:32)

Posted on May 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 15:32 Factum est autem, cum essent filii Israel in solitudine, et invenissent hominem colligentem ligna in die Sabbati,

Then it happened, when the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, and they found a man gathering wood on the day of the Sabbath,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Factum having been done PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.N
2 est it is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 autem however then CONJ
4 cum when CONJ
5 essent they were 3PL.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
6 filii sons NOM.PL.M
7 Israel of Israel GEN.SG.M.INDECL
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 solitudine wilderness ABL.SG.F
10 et and CONJ
11 invenissent they had found 3PL.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
12 hominem a man ACC.SG.M
13 colligentem gathering PTCP.PRES.ACT.ACC.SG.M
14 ligna wood ACC.PL.N
15 in on PREP+ABL
16 die day ABL.SG.M
17 Sabbati of Sabbath GEN.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Factum est — impersonal construction introducing the narrative (“it happened”).

Discourse Marker: autem — connective shifting the narrative forward in sequence (“then”).

Temporal Clause: cum essent filii Israel in solitudine — “when the sons of Israel were in the wilderness,” with essent in the imperfect subjunctive.

Coordinate Clause: et invenissent hominem colligentem ligna — “and they found a man gathering wood,” with invenissent in pluperfect subjunctive.

Object Phrase: hominem colligentem ligna — accusative object with participial modifier describing the man.

Prepositional Phrase: in die Sabbati — temporal specification, “on the day of the Sabbath.”

Morphology

  1. Factum — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate element in impersonal construction; Translation: having been done; Notes: used with est to form the idiomatic “it happened.”
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: auxiliary verb in impersonal clause; Translation: it is; Notes: completes the periphrastic expression indicating occurrence.
  3. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: discourse connector; Translation: however then; Notes: often lightly adversative or transitional, here advancing the narrative.
  4. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: governs subjunctive verb in narrative context.
  5. essent — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive third person plural; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: they were; Notes: subjunctive used after cum for background circumstance.
  6. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of essent; Translation: sons; Notes: plural subject referring to the people collectively.
  7. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular indeclinable; Function: genitive modifier of filii; Translation: of Israel; Notes: Hebrew name treated as indeclinable in Latin.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: indicates spatial setting.
  9. solitudine — Lemma: solitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition in; Translation: wilderness; Notes: denotes isolated or desert region.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: and; Notes: coordinates the temporal and following clause.
  11. invenissent — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive third person plural; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: they had found; Notes: expresses completed action within the temporal framework.
  12. hominem — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of invenissent; Translation: a man; Notes: generic reference to an individual.
  13. colligentem — Lemma: colligo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies hominem; Translation: gathering; Notes: describes the ongoing action of the man.
  14. ligna — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of colligentem; Translation: wood; Notes: plural often used collectively for firewood.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: introduces temporal phrase; Translation: on; Notes: indicates time when.
  16. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: day; Notes: temporal specification.
  17. Sabbati — Lemma: sabbatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive modifier of die; Translation: of the Sabbath; Notes: indicates sacred rest day in Jewish law.

 

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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