Numeri 21:17 (Numbers 21:17)

Posted on May 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 21:17 Tunc cecinit Israel carmen istud: Ascendat puteus. Concinebant:

Then Israel sang this song: “Let the well rise up.” They sang together:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tunc then ADV
2 cecinit sang 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Israel Israel INDECL
4 carmen song ACC.SG.N
5 istud this ACC.SG.N
6 Ascendat let rise up 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
7 puteus well NOM.SG.M
8 Concinabant they sang together 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Israel cecinit carmen istud describes Israel singing a specific song.

Subject: Israel functions as the subject of cecinit.

Object: carmen istud serves as the direct object of cecinit.

Quoted Clause: Ascendat puteus contains a jussive subjunctive expressing a wish or exhortation.

Final Clause: Concinabant describes the communal or repeated singing response.

Morphology

  1. Tunc — Lemma: tunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: temporal adverb; Function: introduces the next narrative moment; Translation: “then”; Notes: marks transition to the song following the provision of water.
  2. cecinit — Lemma: cano; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “sang”; Notes: describes a completed act of singing or poetic recitation.
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: subject of cecinit; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: collectively refers to the covenant people.
  4. carmen — Lemma: carmen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of cecinit; Translation: “song”; Notes: refers to a poetic or liturgical composition.
  5. istud — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter demonstrative pronoun; Function: modifies carmen; Translation: “this”; Notes: points specifically to the song that follows.
  6. Ascendat — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: jussive verb in the song; Translation: “let rise up”; Notes: expresses exhortation or wish concerning the well.
  7. puteus — Lemma: puteus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Ascendat; Translation: “well”; Notes: refers to the divinely provided water source.
  8. Concinabant — Lemma: concino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: concluding narrative verb; Translation: “they sang together”; Notes: conveys collective or responsive singing among the people.

 

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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