Numeri 20:16 (Numbers 20:16)

Posted on May 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 20:16 et quo modo clamaverimus ad Dominum, et exaudierit nos, miseritque angelum, qui eduxerit nos de Ægypto. Ecce in urbe Cades, quæ est in extremis finibus tuis, positi,

and in what manner we cried out to the LORD, and He heard us, and sent an angel who led us out of Egypt. Behold, we are situated in the city of Cades, which is at the farthest borders of your territory.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 quo how ADV
3 modo manner, way, method ABL.SG.M
4 clamaverimus we cried out 1PL.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 Dominum LORD ACC.SG.M
7 et and CONJ
8 exaudierit He heard 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
9 nos us ACC.PL
10 miseritque and sent 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
11 angelum angel ACC.SG.M
12 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
13 eduxerit led out 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
14 nos us ACC.PL
15 de from PREP+ABL
16 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F
17 Ecce behold INTJ
18 in in PREP+ABL
19 urbe city ABL.SG.F
20 Cades Kadesh INDECL
21 quæ which NOM.SG.F.REL
22 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
23 in at PREP+ABL
24 extremis farthest ABL.PL.M.SUPER
25 finibus borders ABL.PL.M
26 tuis your ABL.PL.M
27 positi situated NOM.PL.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP

Syntax

Indirect Question: et quo modo clamaverimus ad Dominum continues the reported historical appeal begun in the previous verse.

Verb: clamaverimus functions within indirect discourse and describes Israel’s cry to the LORD.

Phrase: ad Dominum functions as the directional object of Israel’s prayer.

Coordinated Clause: et exaudierit nos describes the LORD’s response to the cry.

Object: nos functions as the direct object of exaudierit.

Coordinated Clause: miseritque angelum narrates the sending of divine assistance.

Relative Clause: qui eduxerit nos de Ægypto describes the angel as the one who led Israel out from Egypt.

Declarative Clause: Ecce in urbe Cades introduces Israel’s present geographical position.

Relative Clause: quæ est in extremis finibus tuis modifies Cades and locates it near Edom’s borders.

Participial Expression: positi functions predicatively with an implied subject “we,” describing Israel’s settled position.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinating conjunction; Translation: “and”; Notes: continues the diplomatic historical narrative.
  2. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter relative/interrogative; Function: modifies modo in interrogative expression; Translation: “how”; Notes: forms the idiomatic phrase quo modo.
  3. modo — Lemma: modus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: part of interrogative phrase; Translation: “manner”; Notes: together with quo introduces an indirect question.
  4. clamaverimus — Lemma: clamo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of indirect discourse; Translation: “we cried out”; Notes: the subjunctive reflects reported historical narration.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces directional phrase; Translation: “to”; Notes: marks the recipient of the cry.
  6. Dominum — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: here Dominus refers to YHWH and is therefore translated as “LORD.”
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinating conjunction; Translation: “and”; Notes: joins successive acts of divine response.
  8. exaudierit — Lemma: exaudio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of indirect discourse; Translation: “He heard”; Notes: describes divine response to Israel’s cry.
  9. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural first person personal pronoun; Function: direct object of exaudierit; Translation: “us”; Notes: refers collectively to Israel.
  10. miseritque — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive with enclitic conjunction; Function: coordinated verb in indirect discourse; Translation: “and sent”; Notes: the enclitic -que tightly joins this divine action with the previous one.
  11. angelum — Lemma: angelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of miseritque; Translation: “angel”; Notes: refers to the divine messenger or heavenly guide sent by the LORD.
  12. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine relative pronoun; Function: introduces relative clause modifying angelum; Translation: “who”; Notes: identifies the angel as the deliverer.
  13. eduxerit — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of relative clause in indirect discourse; Translation: “led out”; Notes: refers to the exodus from Ægypto.
  14. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural first person personal pronoun; Function: direct object of eduxerit; Translation: “us”; Notes: identifies Israel as the delivered people.
  15. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: introduces separative phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: indicates departure from a place.
  16. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: refers to Egypt as the place of bondage.
  17. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: attention marker; Translation: “behold”; Notes: draws attention to the present situation.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: with the ablative it expresses location.
  19. urbe — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “city”; Notes: identifies the inhabited settlement of Cades.
  20. Cades — Lemma: Cades; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: apposition to urbe; Translation: “Cades”; Notes: marks the present encampment of Israel.
  21. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine relative pronoun; Function: introduces relative clause modifying Cades; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers back to the city.
  22. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “is”; Notes: states the geographical location.
  23. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “at”; Notes: expresses fixed position.
  24. extremis — Lemma: extremus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine superlative; Function: modifies finibus; Translation: “farthest”; Notes: the superlative emphasizes the outermost borders.
  25. finibus — Lemma: finis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “borders”; Notes: refers to territorial boundaries.
  26. tuis — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine possessive; Function: modifies finibus; Translation: “your”; Notes: refers to the territory belonging to Edom.
  27. positi — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate participle with implied subject; Translation: “situated”; Notes: describes Israel as presently stationed at Cades.

 

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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