Numeri 17:12 (Numbers 17:12)

Posted on May 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 17:12 Dixerunt autem filii Israel ad Moysen: Ecce consumpti sumus, omnes perivimus.

Now the sons of Israel said to Moyses: “Behold, we are consumed, we have all perished.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem now CONJ
3 filii sons NOM.PL.M
4 Israel Israel INDECL
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 Moysen Moyses ACC.SG.M
7 Ecce behold INTJ
8 consumpti consumed PTCP.NOM.PL.M.PERF.PASS
9 sumus we are 1PL.PRES.ACT.IND
10 omnes all NOM.PL.M
11 perivimus we have perished 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: filii Israel (subject) + dixerunt (verb) + ad Moysen (indirect object)

Exclamatory Clause 1: Ecce consumpti sumus — predicate participle with auxiliary verb expressing state
Exclamatory Clause 2: omnes perivimus — subject omnes + verb perivimus

Morphology

  1. Dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: they said; Notes: introduces direct speech.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction (indeclinable); Function: transitional connector; Translation: now; Notes: marks continuation or contrast.
  3. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine, second declension; Function: subject; Translation: sons; Notes: denotes members of a people.
  4. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies filii; Translation: Israel; Notes: retains Hebrew form.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: marks direction toward a person.
  6. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, third declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: Moyses; Notes: recipient of speech.
  7. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces exclamation; Translation: behold; Notes: draws attention to the statement.
  8. consumpti — Lemma: consumo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate with sumus; Translation: consumed; Notes: expresses completed destruction.
  9. sumus — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative first person plural; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: we are; Notes: forms perfect passive construction.
  10. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of perivimus; Translation: all; Notes: emphasizes totality.
  11. perivimus — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative first person plural; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: we have perished; Notes: expresses completed ruin or death.

 

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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