Numeri 19:3 (Numbers 19:3)

Posted on May 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 19:3 tradetisque eam Eleazaro sacerdoti. qui eductam extra castram, immolabit in conspectu omnium:

then you shall hand her over to Eleazar the priest. And he shall slaughter her before the sight of all, after she has been led outside the camp;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 tradetisque and you shall hand over 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 eam her ACC.SG.F.PERS
3 Eleazaro to Eleazar DAT.SG.M
4 sacerdoti the priest DAT.SG.M
5 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
6 eductam having been led out PERF.PASS.PTCP.ACC.SG.F
7 extra outside PREP+ACC
8 castram the camp ACC.SG.N
9 immolabit he shall slaughter 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 conspectu the sight ABL.SG.M
12 omnium of all GEN.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: tradetisque eam Eleazaro sacerdoti forms the principal command statement, with the implied second person plural subject governing the future verb.

Indirect Object Phrase: Eleazaro sacerdoti functions as the dative recipient phrase indicating to whom the animal is entrusted.

Relative Clause: qui … immolabit modifies Eleazaro sacerdoti and explains the priest’s ritual action.

Participial Phrase: eductam extra castram functions as a circumstantial modifier describing the condition of the animal before slaughter.

Prepositional Phrase: in conspectu omnium expresses public visibility and communal witness to the ritual act.

Morphology

  1. tradetisque — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic conjunction; Form: second person plural future active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb of the command statement; Translation: “and you shall hand over”; Notes: The future indicative carries imperative force in legal and ritual instructions.
  2. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of tradetisque; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to the red cow mentioned in the preceding instruction.
  3. Eleazaro — Lemma: Eleazarus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine, second declension; Function: indirect object of tradetisque; Translation: “to Eleazar”; Notes: Eleazar acts here in an official priestly role within the purification ritual.
  4. sacerdoti — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine, third declension; Function: appositional dative identifying Eleazar’s office; Translation: “the priest”; Notes: Clarifies the ritual authority of Eleazar.
  5. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to Eleazar.
  6. eductam — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies the implied object referring to the cow; Translation: “having been led out”; Notes: Expresses completed prior action before the sacrifice occurs.
  7. extra — Lemma: extra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative case; Function: introduces a spatial phrase; Translation: “outside”; Notes: Indicates separation from the sacred camp enclosure.
  8. castram — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of the preposition extra; Translation: “the camp”; Notes: The expected classical form would normally be plural castra; this reflects a textual form preserved in the tradition provided.
  9. immolabit — Lemma: immolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “he shall slaughter”; Notes: The future tense continues the ritual instruction sequence.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the ablative case; Function: introduces a locative or circumstantial phrase; Translation: “before”; Notes: With the ablative here, the phrase expresses presence within public view.
  11. conspectu — Lemma: conspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, fourth declension; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: “the sight”; Notes: Denotes visible observation or witness.
  12. omnium — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective used substantivally; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive modifying conspectu; Translation: “of all”; Notes: Emphasizes the communal and public nature of the ritual action.

 

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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