Numeri 20:24 (Numbers 20:24)

Posted on May 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 20:24 Pergat, inquit, Aaron ad populos suos: non enim intrabit Terram, quam dedi filiis Israel, eo quod incredulus fuerit ori meo, ad Aquas contradictionis.

“Let Aaron go,” He said, “to his people, for he shall not enter the Land which I gave to the sons of Israel, because he was unbelieving toward My word at the Waters of contradiction.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Pergat let him go 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
2 inquit he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Aaron Aaron NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 populos people ACC.PL.M
6 suos his ACC.PL.M
7 non not ADV
8 enim for CONJ
9 intrabit he shall enter 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 Terram Land ACC.SG.F
11 quam which ACC.SG.F.REL
12 dedi I gave 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 filiis sons DAT.PL.M
14 Israel Israel INDECL
15 eo because ABL.SG.N
16 quod that CONJ
17 incredulus unbelieving NOM.SG.M
18 fuerit he was 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
19 ori to word DAT.SG.N
20 meo My DAT.SG.N
21 ad at PREP+ACC
22 Aquas Waters ACC.PL.F
23 contradictionis of contradiction GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Jussive Clause: Pergat Aaron ad populos suos expresses the divine command concerning Aaron’s death and gathering to his ancestors.

Verb of Speaking: inquit interrupts the quotation and identifies the divine speaker.

Phrase: ad populos suos functions as a directional phrase expressing joining one’s forefathers or people in death.

Explanatory Clause: non enim intrabit Terram gives the reason Aaron must depart.

Relative Clause: quam dedi filiis Israel modifies Terram and identifies the promised land.

Dative Phrase: filiis Israel functions as the indirect object of dedi.

Causal Clause: eo quod incredulus fuerit ori meo explains the basis for Aaron’s exclusion.

Dative Phrase: ori meo expresses the object toward which unbelief or disobedience was directed.

Phrase: ad Aquas contradictionis identifies the historical setting of the offense.

Morphology

  1. Pergat — Lemma: pergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: jussive verb expressing command; Translation: “let him go”; Notes: conveys divine decree concerning Aaron’s departure in death.
  2. inquit — Lemma: inquam; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: parenthetical verb of speaking; Translation: “he said”; Notes: commonly used within direct speech quotations.
  3. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Pergat; Translation: “Aaron”; Notes: refers to the high priest of Israel.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces directional phrase; Translation: “to”; Notes: indicates movement toward a destination.
  5. populos — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “people”; Notes: in this idiom it refers to one’s ancestors or kin in death.
  6. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine reflexive possessive; Function: modifies populos; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexively refers back to Aaron.
  7. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates intrabit; Translation: “not”; Notes: emphatically denies Aaron’s entrance into the land.
  8. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: explanatory conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: introduces the explanation for the judgment.
  9. intrabit — Lemma: intro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “he shall enter”; Notes: refers to entry into the promised land.
  10. Terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of intrabit; Translation: “Land”; Notes: refers specifically to the promised land granted to Israel.
  11. 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.
  12. dedi — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “I gave”; Notes: the speaker is the LORD granting the land.
  13. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of dedi; Translation: “sons”; Notes: refers to the covenant descendants of Israel.
  14. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: identifies the covenant nation.
  15. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter demonstrative; Function: part of causal expression; Translation: “because”; Notes: forms the idiom eo quod meaning “because.”
  16. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: together with eo forms a causal construction.
  17. incredulus — Lemma: incredulus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine positive; Function: predicate adjective with fuerit; Translation: “unbelieving”; Notes: describes Aaron’s failure of trust or obedience.
  18. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of causal clause; Translation: “he was”; Notes: the subjunctive appears within the subordinate causal clause.
  19. ori — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular neuter; Function: dative object with incredulus; Translation: “to word”; Notes: literally “to my mouth,” meaning the divine command or utterance.
  20. meo — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: dative singular neuter possessive; Function: modifies ori; Translation: “My”; Notes: refers to the LORD’s own command.
  21. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces locative-historical phrase; Translation: “at”; Notes: identifies the setting connected with the offense.
  22. Aquas — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Waters”; Notes: refers to the waters associated with the rebellion narrative.
  23. contradictionis — Lemma: contradictio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive modifying Aquas; Translation: “of contradiction”; Notes: describes the waters connected with dispute, rebellion, or contention.

 

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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