Numeri 21:21 (Numbers 21:21)

Posted on May 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 21:21 Misit autem Israel nuncios ad Sehon regem Amorrhæorum, dicens:

Then Israel sent messengers to Sehon king of the Amorrhites, saying:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Misit sent 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem then CONJ
3 Israel Israel INDECL
4 nuncios messengers ACC.PL.M
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 Sehon Sehon INDECL
7 regem king ACC.SG.M
8 Amorrhæorum of the Amorites GEN.PL.M
9 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Israel misit nuncios describes Israel sending representatives.

Direct Object: nuncios serves as the object of Misit.

Recipient Phrase: ad Sehon regem Amorrhæorum identifies the destination and authority receiving the messengers.

Appositional Construction: regem Amorrhæorum further identifies Sehon’s royal role and people.

Participial Phrase: dicens introduces the message or speech that follows.

Morphology

  1. Misit — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “sent”; Notes: describes a completed diplomatic action initiated by Israel.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: postpositive conjunction; Function: introduces narrative transition; Translation: “then”; Notes: marks continuation with slight contrast or development.
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: subject of Misit; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: collectively refers to the covenant people.
  4. nuncios — Lemma: nuncius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of Misit; Translation: “messengers”; Notes: refers to envoys sent for negotiation or communication.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces recipient phrase; Translation: “to”; Notes: expresses direction toward a person.
  6. Sehon — Lemma: Sehon; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Sehon”; Notes: Amorite king encountered during Israel’s journey.
  7. regem — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Sehon; Translation: “king”; Notes: identifies Sehon’s political authority.
  8. Amorrhæorum — Lemma: Amorrhæus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies regem; Translation: “of the Amorrhæans”; Notes: identifies the people ruled by Sehon.
  9. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: participial modifier referring to Israel or its representatives; Translation: “saying”; Notes: introduces the diplomatic speech that follows.

 

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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