Numeri 2:14 (Numbers 2:14)

Posted on April 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 2:14 In tribu Gad princeps fuit Eliasaph filius Duel.

In the tribe of Gad the leader was Eliasaph son of Duel.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 In in PREP+ABL
2 tribu tribe NOUN.ABL.SG.F.4TH DECL
3 Gad Gad NOUN.INDECL
4 princeps leader NOUN.NOM.SG.M.3RD DECL
5 fuit was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 Eliasaph Eliasaph NOUN.NOM.SG.M.INDECL
7 filius son NOUN.NOM.SG.M.2ND DECL
8 Duel Deuel NOUN.GEN.SG.M.INDECL

Syntax

Main Clause: princeps fuit — the core predication identifying the tribal leader.

Subject: princeps.

Verb: fuit, perfect tense of sum, describing the established leadership.

Predicate Identification: Eliasaph filius Duel, naming the leader and specifying his lineage.

Prepositional Phrase: In tribu Gad — indicates the tribe within which the leadership applies.

Appositional Construction: filius Duel identifies Eliasaph by paternal descent.

Morphology

  1. In — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing ablative; Function: introduces a locative phrase; Translation: in; Notes: Used here to situate the leadership within a specific tribe.
  2. tribu — Lemma: tribus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, fourth declension; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: tribe; Notes: Refers to one of the tribal divisions of Israel.
  3. Gad — Lemma: Gad; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: apposition identifying the tribe; Translation: Gad; Notes: Hebrew tribal name retained without Latin declension.
  4. princeps — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, third declension; Function: subject of fuit; Translation: leader / chief; Notes: Indicates the appointed head of the tribe.
  5. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: was; Notes: Used to state the identified leader within the census narrative.
  6. Eliasaph — Lemma: Eliasaph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: predicate identification of princeps; Translation: Eliasaph; Notes: Personal name preserved in its Hebrew form.
  7. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: apposition to Eliasaph; Translation: son; Notes: Indicates paternal lineage.
  8. Duel — Lemma: Duel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine indeclinable; Function: dependent genitive modifying filius; Translation: of Duel; Notes: Hebrew personal name retained without Latin inflection.

 

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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