Numeri 21:28 (Numbers 21:28)

Posted on May 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 21:28 Ignis egressus est de Hesebon, flamma de oppido Sehon, et devoravit Ar Moabitarum, et habitatores excelsorum Arnon.

Fire went out from Hesebon, a flame from the town of Sehon, and it devoured Ar of the Moabites, and the inhabitants of the heights of Arnon.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ignis fire NOM.SG.M
2 egressus having gone out PERF.DEP.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
3 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 de from PREP+ABL
5 Hesebon Hesebon INDECL
6 flamma flame NOM.SG.F
7 de from PREP+ABL
8 oppido town ABL.SG.N
9 Sehon of Sihon INDECL
10 et and CONJ
11 devoravit devoured 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 Ar Ar INDECL
13 Moabitarum of the Moabites GEN.PL.M
14 et and CONJ
15 habitatores inhabitants ACC.PL.M
16 excelsorum of the heights GEN.PL.N
17 Arnon of Arnon INDECL

Syntax

Main Clause: Ignis egressus est de Hesebon introduces the imagery of destructive fire emerging from Hesebon.

Appositional Phrase: flamma de oppido Sehon parallels the first image and intensifies the destruction motif.

Main Verb Clause: et devoravit Ar Moabitarum describes the destructive effect upon Moabite territory.

Coordinate Object: et habitatores excelsorum Arnon adds the people dwelling in the heights near Arnon.

Genitive Construction: excelsorum Arnon identifies the elevated places associated with Arnon.

Morphology

  1. Ignis — Lemma: ignis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of egressus est; Translation: “fire”; Notes: symbolizes destructive military force or devastation.
  2. egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect deponent participle nominative singular masculine; Function: forms compound perfect with est; Translation: “having gone out”; Notes: deponent form with active meaning indicating emergence.
  3. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb with egressus; Translation: “is”; Notes: completes the perfect tense construction.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces source phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: marks origin or source.
  5. Hesebon — Lemma: Hesebon; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: object of de; Translation: “Hesebon”; Notes: Amorite capital city associated with Sehon.
  6. flamma — Lemma: flamma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: appositional subject parallel to Ignis; Translation: “flame”; Notes: poetic parallel intensifying the destructive imagery.
  7. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces source phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: marks origin of the flame imagery.
  8. oppido — Lemma: oppidum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: “town”; Notes: refers to a fortified settlement or stronghold.
  9. Sehon — Lemma: Sehon; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: modifies oppido; Translation: “of Sehon”; Notes: identifies the town as belonging to the Amorite king.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins imagery with result clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: links the poetic image with its destructive consequence.
  11. devoravit — Lemma: devoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “devoured”; Notes: vivid metaphor for conquest and destruction.
  12. Ar — Lemma: Ar; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: direct object of devoravit; Translation: “Ar”; Notes: principal city or territory associated with Moab.
  13. Moabitarum — Lemma: Moabita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies Ar; Translation: “of the Moabites”; Notes: identifies the people connected with Ar.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the two direct objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: extends the scope of destruction.
  15. habitatores — Lemma: habitator; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: second direct object of devoravit; Translation: “inhabitants”; Notes: refers to the people dwelling in the region.
  16. excelsorum — Lemma: excelsum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: modifies habitatores; Translation: “of the heights”; Notes: refers to elevated places or highlands.
  17. Arnon — Lemma: Arnon; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable proper noun; Function: dependent geographical identifier; Translation: “of Arnon”; Notes: identifies the region near the Arnon river valley.

 

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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