Numeri 16:41 (Numbers 16:41)

Posted on May 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 16:41 Murmuravit autem omnis multitudo filiorum Israel sequenti die contra Moysen et Aaron, dicens: Vos interfecistis populum Domini.

But on the following day all the multitude of the sons of Israel murmured against Moyses and Aaron, saying: You have killed the people of the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Murmuravit murmured 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but CONJ
3 omnis all NOM.SG.F
4 multitudo multitude NOM.SG.F
5 filiorum of sons GEN.PL.M
6 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M.INDECL
7 sequenti following ABL.SG.M.PTCP.PRES
8 die day ABL.SG.M
9 contra against PREP+ACC
10 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
11 et and CONJ
12 Aaron Aaron ACC.SG.M.INDECL
13 dicens saying NOM.SG.F.PTCP.PRES
14 Vos you NOM.PL.PERS
15 interfecistis you killed 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
16 populum people ACC.SG.M
17 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: omnis multitudo filiorum Israel (subject) + Murmuravit (verb)

Temporal Phrase: sequenti die — gives the time of the murmuring, “on the following day.”

Prepositional Phrase: contra Moysen et Aaron — identifies the persons against whom the complaint is directed.

Participial Phrase: dicens — introduces the direct speech of the multitude.

Direct Speech Clause: Vos interfecistis populum Domini — accusation made by the multitude.

Subject of Direct Speech: Vos — emphatic expressed subject.

Object of Direct Speech: populum Domini — the accused victim group, “the people of the LORD.”

Morphology

  1. Murmuravit — Lemma: murmuro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: murmured; Notes: describes collective complaint or grumbling.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: marks contrast or narrative transition; Translation: but; Notes: shifts from the memorial command to renewed opposition.
  3. omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies multitudo; Translation: all; Notes: emphasizes the breadth of the collective reaction.
  4. multitudo — Lemma: multitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of Murmuravit; Translation: multitude; Notes: grammatically singular though semantically collective.
  5. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive modifying multitudo; Translation: of the sons; Notes: identifies the people as descendants of Israel.
  6. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine indeclinable; Function: dependent genitive modifying filiorum; Translation: Israel; Notes: Latin form retained according to the Vulgate tradition.
  7. sequenti — Lemma: sequor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: ablative singular masculine present deponent participle; Function: modifies die; Translation: following; Notes: deponent participle with active meaning, marking the next day.
  8. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: day; Notes: gives the time at which the murmuring occurred.
  9. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces object of opposition; Translation: against; Notes: marks hostile direction of speech.
  10. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: Moyses; Notes: Latin accusative form of the name.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links objects of contra; Translation: and; Notes: joins Moyses and Aaron as targets of complaint.
  12. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: object of preposition; Translation: Aaron; Notes: indeclinable Latin form functioning as accusative by syntax.
  13. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: nominative singular feminine present active participle; Function: modifies multitudo; Translation: saying; Notes: singular feminine agrees with the collective subject multitudo.
  14. Vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative plural second person; Function: subject of interfecistis; Translation: you; Notes: explicit pronoun gives emphatic accusation.
  15. interfecistis — Lemma: interficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural perfect active indicative; Function: verb of direct speech; Translation: you killed; Notes: completed action wrongly attributed to Moyses and Aaron by the multitude.
  16. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of interfecistis; Translation: people; Notes: identifies those allegedly killed.
  17. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive modifying populum; Translation: of the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH and frames the accusation in sacred terms.

 

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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