Numeri 20:22 (Numbers 20:22)

Posted on May 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 20:22 Cumque castra movissent de Cades, venerunt in montem Hor, qui est in finibus terræ Edom:

And after they had moved the camp from Cades, they came to mount Hor, which is at the borders of the land of Edom;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 castra camp ACC.PL.N
3 movissent they had moved 3PL.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
4 de from PREP+ABL
5 Cades Kadesh ABL.SG.F
6 venerunt they came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
7 in to PREP+ACC
8 montem mount ACC.SG.M
9 Hor Hor INDECL
10 qui which NOM.SG.M.REL
11 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 in at PREP+ABL
13 finibus borders ABL.PL.M
14 terræ land GEN.SG.F
15 Edom Edom INDECL

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque castra movissent de Cades establishes the circumstance preceding the arrival at mount Hor.

Object: castra functions as the direct object of movissent.

Phrase: de Cades functions as a separative phrase indicating the place of departure.

Main Clause: venerunt in montem Hor narrates the movement and arrival of the people.

Phrase: in montem Hor functions as a directional phrase expressing movement toward the mountain.

Relative Clause: qui est in finibus terræ Edom identifies the geographical location of mount Hor.

Phrase: in finibus terræ Edom functions as a locative phrase describing the mountain’s position near Edomite territory.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable with enclitic conjunction; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: the enclitic -que connects this movement with the preceding narrative.
  2. castra — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of movissent; Translation: “camp”; Notes: although plural in form, castra commonly refers collectively to a military or traveling camp.
  3. movissent — Lemma: moveo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “they had moved”; Notes: the pluperfect subjunctive marks completed action prior to the main event.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: introduces separative phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: indicates departure from a location.
  5. 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 Israel departed.
  6. venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “they came”; Notes: describes arrival at a new destination.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces directional phrase; Translation: “to”; Notes: with the accusative it expresses movement toward a place.
  8. montem — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “mount”; Notes: refers to the mountain destination.
  9. Hor — Lemma: Hor; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: apposition to montem; Translation: “Hor”; Notes: identifies the specific mountain associated with Aaron’s death.
  10. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine relative pronoun; Function: introduces relative clause modifying Hor; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers back to mount Hor.
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “is”; Notes: states geographical location.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “at”; Notes: with the ablative it expresses fixed position.
  13. finibus — Lemma: finis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “borders”; Notes: refers to territorial boundaries.
  14. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive modifying finibus; Translation: “land”; Notes: specifies the territory whose borders are described.
  15. Edom — Lemma: Edom; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies terræ; Translation: “Edom”; Notes: identifies the neighboring nation bordering the mountain region.

 

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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