Numeri 20:30 (Numbers 20:30)

Posted on May 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 20:30 Omnis autem multitudo videns occubuisse Aaron, flevit super eo triginta diebus per cunctas familias suas.

And the whole multitude, seeing that Aaron had died, wept over him for thirty days throughout all their families.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Omnis whole NOM.SG.F
2 autem and CONJ
3 multitudo multitude NOM.SG.F
4 videns seeing NOM.SG.F.PRES.ACT.PTCP
5 occubuisse had died PERF.ACT.INF
6 Aaron Aaron ACC.SG.M
7 flevit wept 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 super over PREP+ACC
9 eo him ACC.SG.M
10 triginta thirty INDECL.NUM
11 diebus days ABL.PL.M
12 per throughout PREP+ACC
13 cunctas all ACC.PL.F
14 familias families ACC.PL.F
15 suas their ACC.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Omnis autem multitudo flevit super eo describes the communal mourning for Aaron.

Subject: Omnis multitudo functions as the collective subject representing all Israel.

Participial Phrase: videns occubuisse Aaron explains the reason for the mourning.

Infinitive Construction: occubuisse Aaron functions as the object perceived by videns.

Phrase: super eo expresses mourning directed over Aaron.

Temporal Phrase: triginta diebus indicates the duration of mourning.

Phrase: per cunctas familias suas expresses the widespread participation of all the tribal families.

Morphology

  1. Omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies multitudo; Translation: “whole”; Notes: emphasizes the entirety of the assembled people.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: transitional conjunction; Translation: “and”; Notes: introduces the communal reaction following Aaron’s death.
  3. multitudo — Lemma: multitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of flevit; Translation: “multitude”; Notes: refers collectively to the people of Israel.
  4. videns — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine present active participle; Function: circumstantial participle modifying multitudo; Translation: “seeing”; Notes: introduces the perception that prompted mourning.
  5. occubuisse — Lemma: occumbo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with videns; Translation: “had died”; Notes: expresses completed death perceived by the people.
  6. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: subject of infinitive occubuisse; Translation: “Aaron”; Notes: refers to the deceased high priest.
  7. flevit — Lemma: fleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “wept”; Notes: the singular verb agrees with the collective noun multitudo.
  8. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces mourning phrase; Translation: “over”; Notes: expresses lamentation concerning a deceased person.
  9. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers back to Aaron.
  10. triginta — Lemma: triginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: modifies diebus; Translation: “thirty”; Notes: specifies the traditional mourning period.
  11. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of duration of time; Translation: “days”; Notes: indicates the length of mourning.
  12. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces distributive phrase; Translation: “throughout”; Notes: expresses extent across the community.
  13. cunctas — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies familias; Translation: “all”; Notes: emphasizes universal participation.
  14. familias — Lemma: familia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: “families”; Notes: refers to the clan divisions of Israel.
  15. suas — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine reflexive possessive; Function: modifies familias; Translation: “their”; Notes: reflexively refers back to the people of Israel.

 

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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