Numeri 19:20 (Numbers 19:20)

Posted on May 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 19:20 Si quis hoc ritu non fuerit expiatus, peribit anima illius de medio Ecclesiæ: quia sanctuarium Domini polluit, et non est aqua lustrationis aspersus.

If anyone shall not have been purified by this rite, his soul shall perish from the midst of the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD, and he has not been sprinkled with the water of purification.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 quis anyone NOM.SG.M.INDEF
3 hoc this ABL.SG.M.DEM
4 ritu rite ABL.SG.M
5 non not ADV
6 fuerit shall have been 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
7 expiatus purified NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
8 peribit shall perish 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 anima soul NOM.SG.F
10 illius of him GEN.SG.M.DEM
11 de from PREP+ABL
12 medio midst ABL.SG.N
13 Ecclesiæ of the assembly GEN.SG.F
14 quia because CONJ
15 sanctuarium sanctuary ACC.SG.N
16 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
17 polluit he has defiled 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 et and CONJ
19 non not ADV
20 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
21 aqua with water ABL.SG.F
22 lustrationis of purification GEN.SG.F
23 aspersus been sprinkled NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP

Syntax

Conditional Clause: Si quis hoc ritu non fuerit expiatus introduces the condition of failing to receive purification according to the prescribed rite.

Main Clause: peribit anima illius de medio Ecclesiæ states the legal consequence, with anima illius as the subject and peribit as the governing verb.

Prepositional Phrase: de medio Ecclesiæ expresses removal from the midst of the covenant assembly.

Causal Clause: quia sanctuarium Domini polluit explains the reason for the penalty: the person has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD.

Coordinated Causal Explanation: et non est aqua lustrationis aspersus adds the reason that the required water of purification has not been applied.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces the conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Establishes the legal condition for the penalty that follows.
  2. quis — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the conditional clause; Translation: “anyone”; Notes: Refers generally to any person subject to the purification law.
  3. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies ritu; Translation: “this”; Notes: Points back to the prescribed purification procedure.
  4. ritu — Lemma: ritus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, fourth declension; Function: ablative of means or manner; Translation: “rite”; Notes: Refers to the established ritual process for removing impurity.
  5. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates the passive verbal expression; Translation: “not”; Notes: Marks failure to undergo the required purification.
  6. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb completing the passive expression; Translation: “shall have been”; Notes: Forms the future perfect passive sense together with expiatus.
  7. expiatus — Lemma: expio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate participle linked with fuerit; Translation: “purified”; Notes: Describes the completed ritual cleansing that the person lacks.
  8. peribit — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: principal verb of the main clause; Translation: “shall perish”; Notes: Expresses severe removal or destruction as covenant penalty.
  9. anima — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, first declension; Function: subject of peribit; Translation: “soul”; Notes: Refers to the person himself as a living individual.
  10. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies anima; Translation: “of him”; Notes: Refers back to the person who failed to be purified.
  11. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the ablative case; Function: introduces separation or removal; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates exclusion from the community.
  12. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of the preposition de; Translation: “midst”; Notes: Refers to the central place within the community.
  13. Ecclesiæ — Lemma: Ecclesia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, first declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying medio; Translation: “of the assembly”; Notes: Refers to the gathered covenant community.
  14. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces the causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Provides the reason for the penalty.
  15. sanctuarium — Lemma: sanctuarium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: direct object of polluit; Translation: “sanctuary”; Notes: Refers to the sacred dwelling place made vulnerable to ritual defilement.
  16. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, second declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying sanctuarium; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the owner of the sanctuary.
  17. polluit — Lemma: polluo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the causal clause; Translation: “he has defiled”; Notes: Describes the completed act of contaminating sacred space by remaining impure.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates the second causal explanation; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links sanctuary defilement with failure to receive purification.
  19. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates the passive expression est aspersus; Translation: “not”; Notes: Emphasizes the absence of the required sprinkling.
  20. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb completing the perfect passive construction; Translation: “has”; Notes: Forms a completed passive verbal expression with aspersus.
  21. aqua — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, first declension; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with water”; Notes: Refers to the ritual water used for sprinkling purification.
  22. lustrationis — Lemma: lustratio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, third declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying aqua; Translation: “of purification”; Notes: Specifies the ritual function of the water.
  23. aspersus — Lemma: aspergo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate participle linked with est; Translation: “been sprinkled”; Notes: Refers to the required application of purification water that was not performed.

 

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.