Numeri 2:18 (Numbers 2:18)

Posted on April 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 2:18 Ad occidentalem plagam erunt castra filiorum Ephraim, quorum princeps fuit Elisama filius Ammiud.

On the western side shall be the camps of the sons of Ephraim, whose prince was Elisama the son of Ammiud.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ad toward / at PREP.ACC
2 occidentalem western ADJ.ACC.SG.F
3 plagam side NOUN.ACC.SG.F
4 erunt shall be 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
5 castra camps NOUN.NOM.PL.N
6 filiorum of the sons NOUN.GEN.PL.M
7 Ephraim Ephraim PROPN.INDECL
8 quorum whose PRON.GEN.PL.REL
9 princeps prince NOUN.NOM.SG.M
10 fuit was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 Elisama Elishama PROPN.NOM.SG.M
12 filius son NOUN.NOM.SG.M
13 Ammiud Ammihud PROPN.INDECL

Syntax

Prepositional Phrase: Ad occidentalem plagam — “On the western side.”
The preposition Ad governs the accusative plagam, while occidentalem modifies it.

Main Clause: erunt castra filiorum Ephraim — “the camps of the sons of Ephraim shall be.”
The verb erunt is future indicative with subject castra.
The phrase filiorum Ephraim functions as a possessive genitive.

Relative Clause: quorum princeps fuit Elisama filius Ammiud — “whose prince was Elisama the son of Ammiud.”
The genitive relative pronoun quorum refers to filiorum Ephraim.

Predicate Structure: princeps fuit Elisama forms the identification of the tribal leader.

Morphology

  1. Ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Translation: toward / at; Notes: indicates direction or position.
  2. occidentalem — Lemma: occidentalis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Translation: western; Notes: modifies plagam.
  3. plagam — Lemma: plaga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Translation: side / region; Notes: object of ad.
  4. erunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative; Translation: shall be; Notes: main verb of the clause.
  5. castra — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Translation: camps; Notes: plural noun commonly used for a military camp.
  6. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Translation: of the sons; Notes: possessive genitive modifying castra.
  7. Ephraim — Lemma: Ephraim; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Translation: Ephraim; Notes: tribal name.
  8. quorum — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Translation: whose; Notes: refers to the sons of Ephraim.
  9. princeps — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Translation: prince / leader; Notes: subject of the relative clause.
  10. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Translation: was; Notes: identifies the leader.
  11. Elisama — Lemma: Elisama; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Translation: Elisama; Notes: predicate nominative.
  12. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Translation: son; Notes: apposition describing Elisama.
  13. Ammiud — Lemma: Ammiud; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Translation: Ammiud; Notes: father’s name.

 

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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