Numeri 20:26 (Numbers 20:26)

Posted on May 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 28:26 Cumque nudaveris patrem veste sua, indues ea Eleazarum filium eius: Aaron colligetur, et morietur ibi.

And when you have stripped the father of his garment, you shall clothe Eleazar his son with it. Aaron shall be gathered, and he shall die there.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 nudaveris you have stripped 2SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
3 patrem father ACC.SG.M
4 veste garment ABL.SG.F
5 sua his ABL.SG.F
6 indues you shall clothe 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 ea with it ABL.SG.F
8 Eleazarum Eleazar ACC.SG.M
9 filium son ACC.SG.M
10 eius his GEN.SG.M
11 Aaron Aaron NOM.SG.M
12 colligetur shall be gathered 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
13 et and CONJ
14 morietur he shall die 3SG.FUT.DEP.IND
15 ibi there ADV

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque nudaveris patrem veste sua establishes the action to occur before the transfer of priestly authority.

Object: patrem functions as the direct object of nudaveris.

Ablative Phrase: veste sua expresses separation, indicating the garment removed from Aaron.

Main Clause: indues ea Eleazarum filium eius commands the investiture of Eleazar with Aaron’s priestly garment.

Object: Eleazarum filium eius functions as the direct object of indues.

Instrumental Ablative: ea refers to the priestly garment by means of which Eleazar is clothed.

Main Clause: Aaron colligetur uses traditional covenantal language for death and joining one’s people.

Coordinated Clause: et morietur ibi announces Aaron’s death at the mountain location.

Adverb: ibi specifies the place where Aaron will die.

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 instruction with the preceding commands.
  2. nudaveris — Lemma: nudo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “you have stripped”; Notes: expresses an action completed before the following investiture occurs.
  3. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of nudaveris; Translation: “father”; Notes: refers to Aaron as the father of Eleazar.
  4. veste — Lemma: vestis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of separation; Translation: “garment”; Notes: refers to the priestly clothing removed from Aaron.
  5. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine reflexive possessive; Function: modifies veste; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexively refers back to Aaron.
  6. indues — Lemma: induo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of command sequence; Translation: “you shall clothe”; Notes: the future indicative functions imperativally in divine instruction.
  7. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: instrumental ablative; Translation: “with it”; Notes: refers to the priestly garment transferred to Eleazar.
  8. Eleazarum — Lemma: Eleazarus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of indues; Translation: “Eleazar”; Notes: refers to Aaron’s son and successor in the priesthood.
  9. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Eleazarum; Translation: “son”; Notes: identifies Eleazar’s relationship to Aaron.
  10. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying filium; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers back to Aaron.
  11. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of colligetur; Translation: “Aaron”; Notes: refers to the high priest nearing death.
  12. colligetur — Lemma: colligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future passive indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “shall be gathered”; Notes: idiomatically refers to being gathered to one’s people in death.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinating conjunction; Translation: “and”; Notes: joins the two future events concerning Aaron.
  14. morietur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future deponent indicative; Function: coordinated main verb; Translation: “he shall die”; Notes: the deponent form carries active meaning referring to Aaron’s death.
  15. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: locative adverb; Translation: “there”; Notes: points to mount Hor as the place of death.

 

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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