Numeri 17:10 (Numbers 17:10)

Posted on May 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 17:10 Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Refer virgam Aaron in tabernaculum testimonii, ut servetur ibi in signum rebellium filiorum Israel, et quiescant querelæ eorum a me, ne moriantur.

Then the LORD said to Moyses: “Return the rod of Aaron into the tabernacle of the testimony, so that it may be kept there as a sign for the rebellious sons of Israel, and their complaints may cease from me, lest they die.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
5 Refer return 2SG.PRES.IMP.MOOD.ACT
6 virgam rod ACC.SG.F
7 Aaron Aaron INDECL
8 in into PREP+ACC
9 tabernaculum tabernacle ACC.SG.N
10 testimonii of testimony GEN.SG.N
11 ut so that CONJ
12 servetur it may be kept 3SG.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
13 ibi there ADV
14 in as PREP+ACC
15 signum sign ACC.SG.N
16 rebellium of rebellious GEN.PL.M
17 filiorum of sons GEN.PL.M
18 Israel Israel INDECL
19 et and CONJ
20 quiescant they may cease 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
21 querelæ complaints NOM.PL.F
22 eorum their GEN.PL
23 a from PREP+ABL
24 me me ABL.SG
25 ne lest CONJ
26 moriantur they may die 3PL.PRES.DEP.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Dominus (subject) + dixit (verb) + ad Moysen (indirect object)

Imperative Clause: Refer (verb) + virgam Aaron (direct object)
Prepositional Phrase: in tabernaculum testimonii — destination

Purpose Clause 1: ut servetur — passive subjunctive expressing purpose
Adverbial Phrase: ibi — location
Predicate Phrase: in signum rebellium filiorum Israel — function of the rod

Purpose Clause 2: et quiescant querelæ eorum — coordinated purpose
Prepositional Phrase: a me — source of cessation

Negative Purpose Clause: ne moriantur — prevention of outcome

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular with enclitic conjunction -que; Function: main verb introducing speech; Translation: and he said; Notes: -que links this statement to the preceding narrative.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: marks direction toward a person.
  4. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, third declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: Moyses; Notes: recipient of speech.
  5. Refer — Lemma: refero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative, second person singular active; Function: command; Translation: return; Notes: directive action.
  6. virgam — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, first declension; Function: direct object; Translation: rod; Notes: symbolic staff.
  7. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies virgam; Translation: Aaron; Notes: indicates possession.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion; Translation: into; Notes: expresses movement to location.
  9. tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of in; Translation: tabernacle; Notes: sacred structure.
  10. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, second declension; Function: modifies tabernaculum; Translation: of testimony; Notes: covenant reference.
  11. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: so that; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  12. servetur — Lemma: servo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive subjunctive, third person singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: it may be kept; Notes: expresses intended preservation.
  13. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies servetur; Translation: there; Notes: indicates location.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses result or function; Translation: as; Notes: indicates purpose/result.
  15. signum — Lemma: signum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of in; Translation: sign; Notes: symbolic indicator.
  16. rebellium — Lemma: rebellis; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies filiorum; Translation: of rebellious; Notes: describes disobedient group.
  17. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, second declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of sons; Notes: indicates group identity.
  18. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies filiorum; Translation: Israel; Notes: retains Hebrew form.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: introduces second purpose.
  20. quiescant — Lemma: quiesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, third person plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: they may cease; Notes: expresses intended cessation.
  21. querelæ — Lemma: querela; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine, first declension; Function: subject; Translation: complaints; Notes: refers to grievances.
  22. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: modifies querelæ; Translation: their; Notes: refers to the sons of Israel.
  23. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: from; Notes: indicates removal.
  24. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of a; Translation: me; Notes: refers to the speaker.
  25. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces negative purpose clause; Translation: lest; Notes: expresses prevention.
  26. moriantur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: present subjunctive, third person plural; Function: verb of negative purpose clause; Translation: they may die; Notes: deponent verb expressing potential outcome.

 

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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