Numeri 21:24 (Numbers 21:24)

Posted on May 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 21:24 A quo percussus est in ore gladii, et possessa est terra eius ab Arnon usque Ieboc, et filios Ammon: quia forti præsidio tenebantur termini Ammonitarum.

By whom he was struck with the edge of the sword, and his land was possessed from Arnon as far as Jeboc and the sons of Ammon; because the borders of the Ammonites were held by strong defense.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 A by PREP+ABL
2 quo whom REL.ABL.SG.M
3 percussus struck PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
4 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 in with PREP+ABL
6 ore edge ABL.SG.N
7 gladii of the sword GEN.SG.M
8 et and CONJ
9 possessa possessed PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.SG.F
10 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 terra land NOM.SG.F
12 eius his GEN.SG
13 ab from PREP+ABL
14 Arnon Arnon INDECL
15 usque as far as ADV
16 Ieboc Jabbok INDECL
17 et and CONJ
18 filios sons ACC.PL.M
19 Ammon Ammon INDECL
20 quia because CONJ
21 forti strong ABL.SG.N
22 præsidio defense ABL.SG.N
23 tenebantur were held 3PL.IMP.PASS.IND
24 termini borders NOM.PL.M
25 Ammonitarum of the Ammonites GEN.PL.M

Syntax

Relative Construction: A quo percussus est identifies the defeat inflicted by Israel upon Sehon.

Instrumental Phrase: in ore gladii expresses the means by which the defeat occurred.

Coordinate Clause: et possessa est terra eius describes the occupation of Sehon’s territory.

Territorial Range Phrase: ab Arnon usque Ieboc specifies the geographical extent of the conquered land.

Additional Boundary Phrase: et filios Ammon extends the territorial description toward the Ammonites.

Causal Clause: quia forti præsidio tenebantur termini Ammonitarum explains why the advance was limited.

Subject of Causal Clause: termini Ammonitarum functions as the subject of tenebantur.

Morphology

  1. A — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces agent phrase; Translation: “by”; Notes: marks the agent in a passive construction.
  2. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: relative ablative singular masculine; Function: object of A; Translation: “whom”; Notes: refers back to Israel collectively.
  3. percussus — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular masculine; Function: forms compound perfect with est; Translation: “struck”; Notes: describes decisive military defeat.
  4. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb with percussus; Translation: “is”; Notes: completes the perfect passive construction.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces instrumental phrase; Translation: “with”; Notes: here expresses means or instrument.
  6. ore — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “edge”; Notes: literally “mouth,” idiomatically referring to the blade edge.
  7. gladii — Lemma: gladius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies ore; Translation: “of the sword”; Notes: forms the idiom “edge of the sword.”
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the defeat and occupation clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: links military victory with territorial possession.
  9. possessa — Lemma: possideo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular feminine; Function: forms compound perfect with est; Translation: “possessed”; Notes: indicates occupation or control of territory.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb with possessa; Translation: “is”; Notes: completes the passive perfect construction.
  11. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of possessa est; Translation: “land”; Notes: refers to the conquered Amorite territory.
  12. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular demonstrative pronoun; Function: modifies terra; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers to Sehon’s territory.
  13. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces territorial range; Translation: “from”; Notes: marks the beginning point of the region.
  14. Arnon — Lemma: Arnon; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: object of ab; Translation: “Arnon”; Notes: major river boundary east of the Jordan.
  15. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverb of extent; Function: marks continuation of territorial range; Translation: “as far as”; Notes: indicates endpoint of extension.
  16. Ieboc — Lemma: Ieboc; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: endpoint of territorial range; Translation: “Ieboc”; Notes: river marking northern extent of the region.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: extends territorial description; Translation: “and”; Notes: links additional geographical limit.
  18. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object in implied territorial extension; Translation: “sons”; Notes: part of the expression referring to the Ammonites.
  19. Ammon — Lemma: Ammon; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: modifies filios; Translation: “Ammon”; Notes: refers to the people descended from Ammon.
  20. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: explains the military limitation.
  21. forti — Lemma: fortis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies præsidio; Translation: “strong”; Notes: emphasizes the strength of the defensive position.
  22. præsidio — Lemma: præsidium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “defense”; Notes: refers to military fortification or protection.
  23. tenebantur — Lemma: teneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural imperfect passive indicative; Function: main verb of causal clause; Translation: “were held”; Notes: describes continuing defensive control.
  24. termini — Lemma: terminus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of tenebantur; Translation: “borders”; Notes: refers to frontier regions or boundaries.
  25. Ammonitarum — Lemma: Ammonita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies termini; Translation: “of the Ammonites”; Notes: identifies the people whose borders were strongly defended.

 

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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