Numeri 20:14 (Numbers 20:14)

Posted on May 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 20:14 Misit interea nuncios Moyses de Cades ad regem Edom, qui dicerent: Hæc mandat frater tuus Israel: Nosti omnem laborem qui apprehendit nos,

Meanwhile Moyses sent messengers from Cades to the king of Edom, to say: “Thus your brother Israel declares: ‘You know all the hardship which has overtaken us,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Misit sent 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 interea meanwhile ADV
3 nuncios messengers ACC.PL.M
4 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
5 de from PREP+ABL
6 Cades Kadesh ABL.SG.F
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 regem king ACC.SG.M
9 Edom Edom INDECL
10 qui who NOM.PL.M.REL
11 dicerent would say 3PL.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
12 Hæc these things ACC.PL.N
13 mandat declares 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 frater brother NOM.SG.M
15 tuus your NOM.SG.M
16 Israel Israel INDECL
17 Nosti you know 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 omnem all ACC.SG.M
19 laborem hardship ACC.SG.M
20 qui which NOM.SG.M.REL
21 apprehendit has overtaken 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
22 nos us ACC.PL

Syntax

Main Clause: Misit interea nuncios Moyses de Cades ad regem Edom narrates the diplomatic action initiated by Moyses.

Subject: Moyses functions as the sender of the messengers.

Object: nuncios functions as the direct object of Misit.

Phrase: de Cades functions as a separative phrase indicating the place from which the messengers departed.

Phrase: ad regem Edom functions as a directional phrase identifying the recipient of the embassy.

Relative Clause: qui dicerent explains the intended speech or mission of the messengers.

Main Clause of Direct Speech: Hæc mandat frater tuus Israel introduces the diplomatic message using kinship language.

Main Clause of Direct Speech: Nosti omnem laborem appeals to Edom’s awareness of Israel’s suffering.

Relative Clause: qui apprehendit nos describes the hardship as something that overtook the people.

Morphology

  1. Misit — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “sent”; Notes: introduces the diplomatic initiative of Moyses.
  2. interea — Lemma: interea; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal adverb; Translation: “meanwhile”; Notes: situates the event within the ongoing narrative sequence.
  3. nuncios — Lemma: nuncius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of Misit; Translation: “messengers”; Notes: refers to official envoys carrying diplomatic communication.
  4. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Misit; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: acts here in the role of national leader and negotiator.
  5. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: introduces separative phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: expresses origin or departure point.
  6. Cades — Lemma: Cades; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “Cades”; Notes: identifies the wilderness location from which the embassy departed.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces directional phrase; Translation: “to”; Notes: marks the destination of the messengers.
  8. regem — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “king”; Notes: refers to the ruler of Edom.
  9. Edom — Lemma: Edom; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies regem; Translation: “Edom”; Notes: identifies the neighboring nation descended from Esau.
  10. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine relative pronoun; Function: introduces relative clause modifying nuncios; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers back to the messengers.
  11. dicerent — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of relative clause expressing intended speech; Translation: “would say”; Notes: the subjunctive reflects purpose or intended message.
  12. Hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter demonstrative; Function: direct object of mandat; Translation: “these things”; Notes: introduces the formal content of the message.
  13. mandat — Lemma: mando; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of direct speech; Translation: “declares”; Notes: introduces official communication or instruction.
  14. frater — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of mandat; Translation: “brother”; Notes: emphasizes kinship between Israel and Edom.
  15. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine possessive; Function: modifies frater; Translation: “your”; Notes: personalizes the diplomatic appeal.
  16. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: apposition to frater; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: identifies the covenant nation speaking.
  17. Nosti — Lemma: nosco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular perfect active indicative with present meaning; Function: main verb of direct speech; Translation: “you know”; Notes: the perfect form functions idiomatically with present force.
  18. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine positive; Function: modifies laborem; Translation: “all”; Notes: stresses the totality of Israel’s suffering.
  19. laborem — Lemma: labor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of Nosti; Translation: “hardship”; Notes: refers to affliction, toil, and suffering endured by the people.
  20. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine relative pronoun; Function: introduces relative clause modifying laborem; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers back to the hardship.
  21. apprehendit — Lemma: apprehendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “has overtaken”; Notes: conveys the idea of suffering seizing or falling upon the people.
  22. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural first person personal pronoun; Function: direct object of apprehendit; Translation: “us”; Notes: identifies Israel collectively as the sufferers.

 

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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