Numeri 15:38 (Numbers 15:38)

Posted on May 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 15:38 Loquere filiis Israel, et dices ad eos ut faciant sibi fimbrias per angulos palliorum, ponentes in eis vittas hyacinthinas:

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them that they should make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments, placing in them cords of blue;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Loquere speak 2SG.PRES.IMP.MOOD.DEP
2 filiis to sons DAT.PL.M.2ND DECL
3 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M.INDECL
4 et and CONJ
5 dices you shall say 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
6 ad to PREP+ACC
7 eos them ACC.PL.M.PERS.PRON
8 ut that CONJ
9 faciant they should make 3PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
10 sibi for themselves DAT.PL.REFL.PRON
11 fimbrias fringes ACC.PL.F.1ST DECL.OBJ
12 per through PREP+ACC
13 angulos corners ACC.PL.M.2ND DECL
14 palliorum of garments GEN.PL.N.2ND DECL
15 ponentes placing NOM.PL.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
16 in in PREP+ABL
17 eis them ABL.PL.M/N.PERS.PRON
18 vittas cords ACC.PL.F.1ST DECL.OBJ
19 hyacinthinas blue ACC.PL.F.ADJ

Syntax

Imperative Clause: Loquere filiis Israel commands speech directed to the people.

Main Clause: et dices ad eos continues the directive of communication.

Purpose Clause: ut faciant sibi fimbrias expresses what is to be commanded.

Locative Phrase: per angulos palliorum specifies location, “on the corners of garments.”

Participial Phrase: ponentes in eis vittas hyacinthinas describes accompanying action.

Morphology

  1. Loquere — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present imperative deponent; Function: imperative verb; Translation: speak; Notes: Deponent verb with active meaning.
  2. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine second declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: to sons; Notes: Indicates recipients of speech.
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular indeclinable; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: Israel; Notes: Identifies the people group.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: connects clauses; Translation: and; Notes: Continues instruction.
  5. dices — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: you shall say; Notes: Expresses command in future form.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: Marks direction.
  7. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: them; Notes: Refers to the people.
  8. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: that; Notes: Indicates intended result.
  9. faciant — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present subjunctive active; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: they should make; Notes: Subjunctive required after ut.
  10. sibi — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: for themselves; Notes: Reflexive referring to subject.
  11. fimbrias — Lemma: fimbria; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine first declension; Function: direct object; Translation: fringes; Notes: Refers to garment tassels.
  12. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: introduces location; Translation: through; Notes: Distributive sense over corners.
  13. angulos — Lemma: angulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine second declension; Function: object of per; Translation: corners; Notes: Refers to edges of garments.
  14. palliorum — Lemma: pallium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter second declension; Function: modifies angulos; Translation: of garments; Notes: Specifies type of clothing.
  15. ponentes — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active; Function: modifies subject; Translation: placing; Notes: Indicates accompanying action.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: Indicates placement.
  17. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine/neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: them; Notes: Refers to fringes.
  18. vittas — Lemma: vitta; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine first declension; Function: direct object; Translation: cords; Notes: Decorative or symbolic bands.
  19. hyacinthinas — Lemma: hyacinthinus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies vittas; Translation: blue; Notes: Refers to blue or violet color.

 

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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