Numeri 18:23 (Numbers 18:23)

Posted on May 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 18:23 solis filiis Levi mihi in tabernaculo servientibus, et portantibus peccata populi. legitimum sempiternum erit in generationibus vestris. Nihil aliud possidebunt,

with only the sons of Levi serving me in the tabernacle and bearing the sins of the people. It shall be an everlasting ordinance throughout your generations. They shall possess nothing else,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 solis only ABL.PL.M
2 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
3 Levi Levi INDECL
4 mihi me DAT.SG
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 tabernaculo tabernacle ABL.SG.N
7 servientibus serving PTCP.ABL.PL.M.PRES.ACT
8 et and CONJ
9 portantibus bearing PTCP.ABL.PL.M.PRES.ACT
10 peccata sins ACC.PL.N
11 populi of people GEN.SG.M
12 legitimum ordinance NOM.SG.N
13 sempiternum everlasting NOM.SG.N
14 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
15 in throughout PREP+ABL
16 generationibus generations ABL.PL.F
17 vestris your ABL.PL.F.POSS
18 Nihil nothing ACC.SG.N.INDEF
19 aliud else ACC.SG.N
20 possidebunt they shall possess 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Ablative Absolute Construction: solis filiis Levi mihi in tabernaculo servientibus et portantibus peccata populi
→ filiis Levi (ablative subject of participles)
→ servientibus and portantibus (present active participles)
→ mihi (dative object of service)
→ in tabernaculo (location of service)
→ peccata populi (direct object with dependent genitive)

Main Clause 1: legitimum sempiternum (subject and predicate adjective combination) + erit (verb)

Prepositional Phrase: in generationibus vestris — duration across generations

Main Clause 2: Nihil aliud (direct object) + possidebunt (verb)

Morphology

  1. solis — Lemma: solus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies filiis in ablative absolute construction; Translation: only; Notes: emphasizes exclusivity of Levitical service.
  2. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, second declension; Function: ablative subject of participles; Translation: sons; Notes: refers to Levites.
  3. Levi — Lemma: Levi; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: Levi; Notes: identifies tribal lineage.
  4. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular first person; Function: dative object of servientibus; Translation: me; Notes: the LORD as recipient of service.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: spatial setting.
  6. tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of in; Translation: tabernacle; Notes: sacred dwelling place.
  7. servientibus — Lemma: servio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle, ablative plural masculine; Function: participle in ablative absolute; Translation: serving; Notes: ongoing sacred ministry.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins participles; Translation: and; Notes: additive connection.
  9. portantibus — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle, ablative plural masculine; Function: participle in ablative absolute; Translation: bearing; Notes: carrying responsibility or guilt.
  10. peccata — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, second declension; Function: direct object of portantibus; Translation: sins; Notes: offenses borne in priestly mediation.
  11. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, second declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying peccata; Translation: of people; Notes: refers to Israelite community.
  12. legitimum — Lemma: legitimum; Part of Speech: noun used substantively; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: ordinance; Notes: legally established statute.
  13. sempiternum — Lemma: sempiternus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies legitimum; Translation: everlasting; Notes: perpetual duration.
  14. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, third person singular; Function: copulative verb; Translation: shall be; Notes: future continuing state.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces duration or sphere; Translation: throughout; Notes: temporal extension.
  16. generationibus — Lemma: generatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine, third declension; Function: object of in; Translation: generations; Notes: successive descendants.
  17. vestris — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies generationibus; Translation: your; Notes: refers to Levitical descendants.
  18. Nihil — Lemma: nihil; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: nothing; Notes: complete negation.
  19. aliud — Lemma: alius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies Nihil; Translation: else; Notes: exclusion of additional inheritance.
  20. possidebunt — Lemma: possideo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: they shall possess; Notes: ownership or inheritance terminology.

 

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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