Numeri 20:12 (Numbers 20:12)

Posted on May 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 20:12 Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen et Aaron: Quia non credidistis mihi, ut sanctificaretis me coram filiis Israel, non introducetis hos populos in terram, quam dabo eis.

And the LORD said to Moyses and Aaron: “Because you did not believe Me, so that you should sanctify Me before the sons of Israel, you shall not lead these peoples into the land which I will give to them.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 Aaron Aaron ACC.SG.M
7 Quia because CONJ
8 non not ADV
9 credidistis you believed 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
10 mihi Me DAT.SG
11 ut so that CONJ
12 sanctificaretis you should sanctify 2PL.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
13 me Me ACC.SG
14 coram before PREP+ABL
15 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
16 Israel Israel INDECL
17 non not ADV
18 introducetis you shall lead in 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
19 hos these ACC.PL.M
20 populos peoples ACC.PL.M
21 in into PREP+ACC
22 terram land ACC.SG.F
23 quam which ACC.SG.F.REL
24 dabo I will give 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
25 eis to them DAT.PL

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen et Aaron introduces the divine judgment directed toward the two leaders.

Subject: Dominus functions as the divine speaker and is translated as “LORD” because it refers to YHWH.

Phrase: ad Moysen et Aaron functions as a directional phrase identifying the recipients of the divine declaration.

Causal Clause: Quia non credidistis mihi states the reason for the coming punishment.

Verb: credidistis governs the dative pronoun mihi, expressing trust or belief directed toward the LORD.

Purpose Clause: ut sanctificaretis me coram filiis Israel expresses the intended purpose that Moyses and Aaron failed to fulfill.

Phrase: coram filiis Israel functions as a phrase of public witness before the covenant community.

Main Clause: non introducetis hos populos in terram declares the consequence of disobedience.

Relative Clause: quam dabo eis modifies terram and identifies the promised land destined for the people.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative with enclitic conjunction; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “and said”; Notes: the enclitic -que tightly links the divine speech with the preceding miracle.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Dixitque; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: here Dominus refers to YHWH and is therefore translated as “LORD.”
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces recipient phrase; Translation: “to”; Notes: marks the direction of the divine address.
  4. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: receives the divine rebuke as leader of the people.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinating conjunction; Translation: “and”; Notes: joins Moyses and Aaron together in shared accountability.
  6. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: second object of ad; Translation: “Aaron”; Notes: included equally in the divine judgment.
  7. Quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: explains the reason for the announced punishment.
  8. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates credidistis; Translation: “not”; Notes: directly denies faithful response.
  9. credidistis — Lemma: credo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the causal clause; Translation: “you believed”; Notes: in biblical Latin credo often governs the dative to express trust placed in someone.
  10. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular first person personal pronoun; Function: indirect object of credidistis; Translation: “Me”; Notes: refers directly to the LORD speaking.
  11. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: expresses intended result or purpose.
  12. sanctificaretis — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “you should sanctify”; Notes: refers to publicly honoring the holiness of the LORD.
  13. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular first person personal pronoun; Function: direct object of sanctificaretis; Translation: “Me”; Notes: emphasizes the LORD as the one whose holiness was at stake.
  14. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: introduces phrase of public presence; Translation: “before”; Notes: emphasizes visible testimony before the community.
  15. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: “sons”; Notes: refers collectively to the covenant descendants.
  16. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: identifies the covenant nation witnessing the event.
  17. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates introducetis; Translation: “not”; Notes: introduces the solemn denial of entry.
  18. introducetis — Lemma: introduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future active indicative; Function: main verb of judgment; Translation: “you shall lead in”; Notes: announces future exclusion from completing the mission.
  19. hos — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine demonstrative; Function: modifies populos; Translation: “these”; Notes: points specifically to the present assembled people.
  20. populos — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of introducetis; Translation: “peoples”; Notes: although unusual in the plural, it emphasizes the gathered tribes collectively.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces directional phrase; Translation: “into”; Notes: with the accusative it expresses movement toward a destination.
  22. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: refers to the promised inheritance.
  23. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine relative pronoun; Function: introduces relative clause modifying terram; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers back to the promised land.
  24. dabo — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular future active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “I will give”; Notes: expresses the LORD’s sovereign promise.
  25. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object of dabo; Translation: “to them”; Notes: refers to the covenant people who would inherit the land.

 

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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