Numeri 19:21 (Numbers 19:21)

Posted on May 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 19:21 erit hoc præceptum legitimum sempiternum. Ipse quoque qui aspergit aquas, lavabit vestimenta sua: Omnis qui tetigerit aquas expiationis, immundus erit usque ad vesperum.

This shall be a lawful everlasting commandment. He also who sprinkles the waters shall wash his garments. Everyone who shall touch the waters of purification shall be unclean until evening.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 hoc this NOM.SG.N.DEM
3 præceptum commandment NOM.SG.N
4 legitimum lawful NOM.SG.N.ADJ
5 sempiternum everlasting NOM.SG.N.ADJ
6 Ipse he himself NOM.SG.M.DEM
7 quoque also ADV
8 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
9 aspergit sprinkles 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 aquas waters ACC.PL.F
11 lavabit shall wash 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
12 vestimenta garments ACC.PL.N
13 sua his ACC.PL.N.POSS
14 Omnis everyone NOM.SG.M
15 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
16 tetigerit shall touch 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
17 aquas waters ACC.PL.F
18 expiationis of purification GEN.SG.F
19 immundus unclean NOM.SG.M.ADJ
20 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
21 usque until ADV
22 ad to PREP+ACC
23 vesperum evening ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Declarative Clause: erit hoc præceptum legitimum sempiternum establishes the enduring legal status of the purification regulation.

Substantive Relative Clause: Ipse quoque qui aspergit aquas identifies the individual performing the ritual sprinkling.

Main Clause: lavabit vestimenta sua states the required washing of garments after handling the purification water.

Substantive Relative Clause: Omnis qui tetigerit aquas expiationis introduces anyone who comes into contact with the purification waters.

Main Predicate: immundus erit usque ad vesperum declares the temporary state of ritual impurity lasting until evening.

Morphology

  1. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: copulative verb of the opening clause; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Establishes the enduring legal force of the commandment.
  2. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies præceptum; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the purification legislation just described.
  3. præceptum — Lemma: præceptum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter, second declension; Function: subject of erit; Translation: “commandment”; Notes: Refers to an authoritative legal ordinance.
  4. legitimum — Lemma: legitimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter positive degree; Function: modifies præceptum; Translation: “lawful”; Notes: Emphasizes the binding and proper nature of the ordinance.
  5. sempiternum — Lemma: sempiternus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter positive degree; Function: modifies præceptum; Translation: “everlasting”; Notes: Indicates continuing validity across generations.
  6. Ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of lavabit; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: Emphasizes the individual performing the sprinkling rite.
  7. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies the subject phrase; Translation: “also”; Notes: Indicates that even the officiant incurs temporary impurity.
  8. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to Ipse.
  9. aspergit — Lemma: aspergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “sprinkles”; Notes: Refers to ritual application of the purification water.
  10. aquas — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: direct object of aspergit; Translation: “waters”; Notes: Refers to the prepared waters used for purification.
  11. lavabit — Lemma: lavo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: principal verb of the clause; Translation: “shall wash”; Notes: Indicates ritual cleansing after handling sacred purification materials.
  12. vestimenta — Lemma: vestimentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, second declension; Function: direct object of lavabit; Translation: “garments”; Notes: Refers to clothing requiring cleansing from ritual contact.
  13. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter positive degree; Function: modifies vestimenta; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexively refers back to the officiant.
  14. Omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective used substantivally; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of erit; Translation: “everyone”; Notes: Refers universally to any individual touching the waters.
  15. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to Omnis.
  16. tetigerit — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “shall touch”; Notes: Expresses completed contact prior to the resulting impurity.
  17. aquas — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: direct object of tetigerit; Translation: “waters”; Notes: Refers to the waters prepared for ritual cleansing.
  18. expiationis — Lemma: expiatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, third declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying aquas; Translation: “of purification”; Notes: Specifies the ritual purpose of the waters.
  19. immundus — Lemma: immundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine positive degree; Function: predicate adjective linked with erit; Translation: “unclean”; Notes: Describes temporary ritual impurity incurred through contact.
  20. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Declares the resulting ritual condition.
  21. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: indicates temporal extent; Translation: “until”; Notes: Marks the duration of impurity.
  22. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative case; Function: introduces the temporal endpoint; Translation: “to”; Notes: Used temporally with vesperum.
  23. vesperum — Lemma: vesper; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, second declension; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “evening”; Notes: Evening marks the end of the temporary uncleanness period.

 

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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