Numeri 18:6 (Numbers 18:6)

Posted on May 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 18:6 Ego dedi vobis fratres vestros Levitas de medio filiorum Israel, et tradidi donum Domino, ut serviant in ministeriis tabernaculi eius.

I have given to you your brothers the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and I have handed them over as a gift to the LORD, so that they may serve in the ministries of His tabernacle.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ego I NOM.SG
2 dedi have given 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 vobis to you DAT.PL
4 fratres brothers ACC.PL.M
5 vestros your ACC.PL.M.POSS
6 Levitas Levites ACC.PL.M
7 de from PREP+ABL
8 medio midst ABL.SG.N
9 filiorum of sons GEN.PL.M
10 Israel Israel INDECL
11 et and CONJ
12 tradidi I have handed over 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 donum gift ACC.SG.N
14 Domino to LORD DAT.SG.M
15 ut so that CONJ
16 serviant they may serve 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
17 in in PREP+ABL
18 ministeriis ministries ABL.PL.N
19 tabernaculi of tabernacle GEN.SG.N
20 eius his GEN.SG

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Ego (subject) + dedi (verb)
Indirect Object: vobis
Direct Object: fratres vestros Levitas
Prepositional Phrase: de medio filiorum Israel — source or separation

Main Clause 2: tradidi (verb)
Object Complement: donum — describes the Levites as a gift
Indirect Object: Domino

Purpose Clause: ut serviant — purpose expressed with subjunctive
Prepositional Phrase: in ministeriis tabernaculi eius — sphere of service

Morphology

  1. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular first person; Function: subject; Translation: I; Notes: emphatic personal pronoun.
  2. dedi — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: have given; Notes: completed act of granting.
  3. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural second person; Function: indirect object; Translation: to you; Notes: recipients of the gift.
  4. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: brothers; Notes: relational term for fellow Israelites.
  5. vestros — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: your; Notes: possessive relation.
  6. Levitas — Lemma: Levita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, first declension; Function: apposition to fratres; Translation: Levites; Notes: priestly tribe members.
  7. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source; Translation: from; Notes: separation from a group.
  8. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of de; Translation: midst; Notes: central position within a group.
  9. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, second declension; Function: modifies medio; Translation: of sons; Notes: identifies the larger community.
  10. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies filiorum; Translation: Israel; Notes: retains Hebrew form.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: continuation.
  12. tradidi — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: have handed over; Notes: denotes formal giving or entrusting.
  13. donum — Lemma: donum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object complement; Translation: gift; Notes: describes the role of the Levites.
  14. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine, second declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: to LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  15. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: so that; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  16. serviant — Lemma: servio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, third person plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: they may serve; Notes: expresses intended function.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces sphere; Translation: in; Notes: denotes domain of activity.
  18. ministeriis — Lemma: ministerium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter, second declension; Function: object of in; Translation: ministries; Notes: sacred services or duties.
  19. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, second declension; Function: modifies ministeriis; Translation: of tabernacle; Notes: indicates place of service.
  20. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies tabernaculi; Translation: his; Notes: refers to the LORD.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Numeri. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.