Numeri 21:2 (Numbers 21:2)

Posted on May 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 21:2 At Israel voto se Domino obligans, ait: Si tradideris populum istum in manu mea, delebo urbes eius.

Then Israel, binding itself by a vow to the LORD, said: “If you will deliver this people into my hand, I will destroy their cities.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 At then CONJ
2 Israel Israel INDECL
3 voto by a vow ABL.SG.N
4 se itself REFL.ACC.SG
5 Domino to the LORD DAT.SG.M
6 obligans binding PRES.ACT.PTCP
7 ait said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 Si if CONJ
9 tradideris you will deliver 2SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
10 populum people ACC.SG.M
11 istum this ACC.SG.M
12 in into PREP+ACC
13 manu hand ABL.SG.F
14 mea my ABL.SG.F
15 delebo I will destroy 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
16 urbes cities ACC.PL.F
17 eius their GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Israel functions as the subject of ait.

Participial Phrase: voto se Domino obligans describes Israel binding itself to the LORD by a vow before speaking.

Dative Phrase: Domino indicates the one to whom the vow is directed.

Conditional Clause: Si tradideris populum istum in manu mea presents the condition upon which the vow depends.

Object: populum istum serves as the direct object of tradideris.

Prepositional Phrase: in manu mea expresses transfer into Israel’s control or power.

Main Response Clause: delebo urbes eius states the vowed response if victory is granted.

Object: urbes eius functions as the direct object of delebo.

Morphology

  1. At — Lemma: at; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: introduces a contrastive or transitional statement; Translation: “then”; Notes: marks a development following the previous military event.
  2. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: subject of ait; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: refers collectively to the covenant people.
  3. voto — Lemma: votum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of means or instrument; Translation: “by a vow”; Notes: indicates the formal means by which Israel binds itself.
  4. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: reflexive accusative singular; Function: direct object of obligans; Translation: “itself”; Notes: reflexively refers back to Israel.
  5. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of obligans; Translation: “to the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH as the recipient of the vow.
  6. obligans — Lemma: obligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active participle nominative singular; Function: participial modifier describing Israel; Translation: “binding”; Notes: portrays the act of placing oneself under obligation.
  7. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: a common verb introducing direct speech.
  8. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces a conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: establishes the condition of the vow.
  9. tradideris — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the conditional clause; Translation: “you will deliver”; Notes: the future perfect emphasizes completed divine action before Israel’s response.
  10. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of tradideris; Translation: “people”; Notes: refers to the opposing nation.
  11. istum — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine demonstrative; Function: modifies populum; Translation: “this”; Notes: points specifically to the enemy people in view.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces destination or control phrase; Translation: “into”; Notes: expresses movement into possession or authority.
  13. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object within idiomatic control expression; Translation: “hand”; Notes: part of the idiom for power or control.
  14. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine possessive adjective; Function: modifies manu; Translation: “my”; Notes: agrees with manu in case, gender, and number.
  15. delebo — Lemma: deleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of the vow response; Translation: “I will destroy”; Notes: expresses Israel’s pledged action after victory.
  16. urbes — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of delebo; Translation: “cities”; Notes: refers to the enemy settlements marked for destruction.
  17. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier of urbes; Translation: “their”; Notes: refers collectively to the hostile people previously mentioned.

 

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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