Numeri 20:1 (Numbers 20:1)

Posted on May 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 20:1 Veneruntque filii Israel, et omnis multitudo in desertum Sin, mense primo: et mansit populus in Cades. Mortuaque est ibi Maria, et sepulta in eodem loco.

Then the sons of Israel and the whole multitude came into the wilderness of Sin in the first month, and the people remained in Cades. And Maria died there, and was buried in the same place.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Veneruntque and came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 filii sons NOM.PL.M
3 Israel Israel INDECL
4 et and CONJ
5 omnis whole NOM.SG.F
6 multitudo multitude NOM.SG.F
7 in into PREP+ACC
8 desertum wilderness ACC.SG.N
9 Sin Zin INDECL
10 mense month ABL.SG.M
11 primo first ABL.SG.M
12 et and CONJ
13 mansit remained 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 populus people NOM.SG.M
15 in in PREP+ABL
16 Cades Kadesh INDECL
17 Mortuaque and died NOM.SG.F.PERF.PASS.PTCP
18 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
19 ibi there ADV
20 Maria Miriam NOM.SG.F
21 et and CONJ
22 sepulta buried NOM.SG.F.PERF.PASS.PTCP
23 in in PREP+ABL
24 eodem same ABL.SG.M
25 loco place ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Veneruntque functions as the primary narrative verb introducing the arrival event.

Subject: filii Israel and omnis multitudo form a compound subject describing the entire covenant community.

Phrase: in desertum Sin functions as a directional prepositional phrase indicating movement into the wilderness region.

Phrase: mense primo is an ablative of time specifying when the arrival occurred.

Main Clause 2: mansit introduces the subsequent state of settlement or encampment.

Subject: populus functions as the singular collective noun governing the verb.

Phrase: in Cades functions as a locative prepositional phrase identifying the place of encampment.

Main Clause 3: Mortua est ibi Maria forms a passive-perfect verbal construction expressing the death of Maria.

Phrase: ibi functions adverbially to emphasize the exact location of death.

Main Clause 4: sepulta with the implied auxiliary continues the narrative by describing burial.

Phrase: in eodem loco functions as a locative phrase emphasizing burial in the same location where death occurred.

Morphology

  1. Veneruntque — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “and they came”; Notes: the enclitic -que tightly joins this action to the preceding narrative flow.
  2. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of Veneruntque; Translation: “sons”; Notes: commonly used in biblical Latin for descendants or members of a people group.
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: genitival relationship with filii; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: remains unchanged across grammatical functions in Latin biblical usage.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinating conjunction; Translation: “and”; Notes: links the compound subject into a unified group.
  5. omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine positive; Function: modifies multitudo; Translation: “whole”; Notes: stresses totality and inclusiveness.
  6. multitudo — Lemma: multitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: part of compound subject; Translation: “multitude”; Notes: although singular in form, it denotes a large collective body.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces directional phrase; Translation: “into”; Notes: with the accusative it expresses motion toward a place.
  8. desertum — Lemma: desertum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “wilderness”; Notes: denotes an uncultivated or desolate region.
  9. Sin — Lemma: Sin; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies desertum; Translation: “Sin”; Notes: refers to the wilderness region named Sin, not to moral wrongdoing.
  10. mense — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “in the month”; Notes: establishes chronological setting.
  11. primo — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine positive; Function: modifies mense; Translation: “first”; Notes: marks the beginning of a yearly cycle.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins sequential clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: continues the historical progression of events.
  13. mansit — Lemma: maneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “remained”; Notes: singular agreement reflects the collective noun populus.
  14. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of mansit; Translation: “people”; Notes: collective singular frequently used for Israel as a unified nation.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: with the ablative it indicates location rather than motion.
  16. Cades — Lemma: Cades; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: object of in; Translation: “Cades”; Notes: important wilderness encampment in the Pentateuch narrative.
  17. Mortuaque — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine perfect passive participle of a deponent verb; Function: part of compound perfect construction; Translation: “and having died”; Notes: deponent morphology carries active meaning despite passive form.
  18. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: completes the perfect tense construction with Mortua.
  19. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverb of place; Translation: “there”; Notes: emphasizes the precise geographical setting.
  20. Maria — Lemma: Maria; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of the verbal construction; Translation: “Maria”; Notes: refers to the sister of Moyses and Aaron.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links related actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: coordinates death and burial within the narrative.
  22. sepulta — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine perfect passive participle; Function: part of implied compound perfect construction; Translation: “buried”; Notes: the auxiliary verb is understood from the preceding clause.
  23. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: expresses fixed location.
  24. eodem — Lemma: idem; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies loco; Translation: “same”; Notes: reinforces continuity between death and burial site.
  25. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “place”; Notes: denotes a specific geographical location within the wilderness narrative.

 

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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