Numeri 19:8 (Numbers 19:8)

Posted on May 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 19:8 Sed et ille, qui combusserit eam, lavabit vestimenta sua, et corpus, et immundus erit usque ad vesperum.

But also the one who shall burn her shall wash his garments and body, and he shall remain unclean until evening.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sed but CONJ
2 et also ADV
3 ille that one NOM.SG.M.DEM
4 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
5 combusserit shall burn 3SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ
6 eam her ACC.SG.F.PERS
7 lavabit shall wash 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
8 vestimenta garments ACC.PL.N
9 sua his ACC.PL.N.POSS
10 et and CONJ
11 corpus body ACC.SG.N
12 et and CONJ
13 immundus unclean NOM.SG.M.ADJ
14 erit he shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
15 usque until ADV
16 ad to PREP+ACC
17 vesperum evening ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: ille … lavabit forms the principal statement, identifying the person responsible for the burning and his required purification.

Relative Clause: qui combusserit eam modifies ille and specifies the individual performing the burning of the sacrifice.

Compound Direct Object: vestimenta sua et corpus identifies the items subjected to ritual washing.

Coordinated Clause: et immundus erit usque ad vesperum describes the continuing temporary state of ritual impurity.

Temporal Phrase: usque ad vesperum defines the duration of the impurity.

Morphology

  1. Sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces contrast or continuation; Translation: “but”; Notes: Marks an additional regulation concerning another participant in the ritual.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds emphasis; Translation: “also”; Notes: Highlights that this rule applies in addition to the previous purification requirements.
  3. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the main clause; Translation: “that one”; Notes: Refers specifically to the individual who performs the burning.
  4. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Links the descriptive clause to ille.
  5. combusserit — Lemma: comburo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “shall burn”; Notes: Expresses completed future action relative to the purification requirement.
  6. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of combusserit; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to the sacrificial red cow.
  7. lavabit — Lemma: lavo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: principal verb of the sentence; Translation: “shall wash”; Notes: Continues the sequence of ritual purification instructions.
  8. vestimenta — Lemma: vestimentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, second declension; Function: direct object of lavabit; Translation: “garments”; Notes: Refers to clothing contaminated through ritual contact.
  9. 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 subject.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates the direct objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins garments and body within the washing requirement.
  11. corpus — Lemma: corpus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, third declension; Function: second direct object of lavabit; Translation: “body”; Notes: Indicates full bodily purification is required.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces the coordinated result clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the washing action with the resulting impurity condition.
  13. 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 rather than moral defilement.
  14. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “he shall be”; Notes: Establishes the future state resulting from ritual participation.
  15. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: marks duration; Translation: “until”; Notes: Defines the extent of the impurity period.
  16. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative case; Function: introduces the temporal endpoint; Translation: “to”; Notes: Used temporally with vesperum.
  17. 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 impurity period according to ritual reckoning.

 

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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