Numeri 19:11 (Numbers 19:11)

Posted on May 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 19:11 Qui tetigerit cadaver hominis, et propter hoc septem diebus fuerit immundus:

Whoever shall touch the corpse of a man, and because of this shall be unclean for seven days;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui whoever NOM.SG.M.REL
2 tetigerit shall touch 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
3 cadaver corpse ACC.SG.N
4 hominis of a man GEN.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 propter because of PREP+ACC
7 hoc this ACC.SG.N.DEM
8 septem seven INDECL.NUM
9 diebus days ABL.PL.M
10 fuerit shall be 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
11 immundus unclean NOM.SG.M.ADJ

Syntax

Relative Clause Used Substantivally: Qui tetigerit cadaver hominis functions as the subject of the legal statement, referring generally to any person who touches a corpse.

Main Verb Phrase: fuerit immundus expresses the resulting condition of ritual impurity.

Direct Object: cadaver hominis identifies the source of impurity through contact.

Causal Phrase: propter hoc explains the reason for the impurity condition.

Temporal Expression: septem diebus specifies the duration of ritual uncleanness.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: substantive subject of the legal clause; Translation: “whoever”; Notes: Used generically to refer to any individual under the regulation.
  2. tetigerit — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the substantive relative clause; Translation: “shall touch”; Notes: The future perfect indicates completed contact prior to the resulting impurity.
  3. cadaver — Lemma: cadaver; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, third declension; Function: direct object of tetigerit; Translation: “corpse”; Notes: Refers specifically to a dead human body as a source of ritual contamination.
  4. hominis — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, third declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying cadaver; Translation: “of a man”; Notes: Clarifies that the corpse is human.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links the touching action with the resulting condition; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinates the legal consequence with the preceding action.
  6. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative case; Function: introduces the cause of impurity; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Indicates causal relationship between contact and uncleanness.
  7. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of the preposition propter; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the act of touching the corpse.
  8. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: modifies diebus; Translation: “seven”; Notes: Seven often signifies a complete ritual period in biblical law.
  9. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, fifth declension; Function: ablative of duration of time; Translation: “days”; Notes: Specifies the duration of the impurity period.
  10. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: copulative verb expressing resulting state; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Establishes the legal condition resulting from corpse contact.
  11. immundus — Lemma: immundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine positive degree; Function: predicate adjective linked with fuerit; Translation: “unclean”; Notes: Describes ritual impurity requiring purification rites.

 

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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