Numeri 21:6 (Numbers 21:6)

Posted on May 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 21:6 Quamobrem misit Dominus in populum ignitos serpentes, ad quorum plagas et mortes plurimorum,

For this reason the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and from their wounds and the deaths of very many,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quamobrem for this reason ADV
2 misit sent 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
4 in into PREP+ACC
5 populum the people ACC.SG.M
6 ignitos fiery ACC.PL.M
7 serpentes serpents ACC.PL.M
8 ad toward PREP+ACC
9 quorum whose REL.GEN.PL.M
10 plagas wounds ACC.PL.F
11 et and CONJ
12 mortes deaths ACC.PL.F
13 plurimorum of very many GEN.PL.M.SUPER

Syntax

Main Clause: Dominus functions as the subject of misit.

Object: ignitos serpentes serves as the direct object of misit.

Prepositional Phrase: in populum identifies the target into whom the serpents were sent.

Relative Construction: ad quorum plagas et mortes plurimorum introduces the consequences associated with the serpents.

Compound Object: plagas et mortes describes the wounds and deaths resulting from the serpent attacks.

Genitive Modifier: plurimorum specifies that the deaths affected very many people.

Morphology

  1. Quamobrem — Lemma: quamobrem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative-relative adverb; Function: introduces consequence or reason; Translation: “for this reason”; Notes: connects the divine judgment with the people’s previous complaint.
  2. misit — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the sentence; Translation: “sent”; Notes: describes a completed act of divine judgment.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of misit; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH acting in response to Israel’s rebellion.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces the target of movement; Translation: “into”; Notes: indicates penetration into the community.
  5. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “the people”; Notes: collectively refers to Israel.
  6. ignitos — Lemma: ignitus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies serpentes; Translation: “fiery”; Notes: may refer to the burning effect of the venom.
  7. serpentes — Lemma: serpens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of misit; Translation: “serpents”; Notes: the agents of punishment sent among the people.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces result or consequence phrase; Translation: “toward”; Notes: leads into the description of the resulting harm.
  9. quorum — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: relative genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies plagas and mortes; Translation: “whose”; Notes: refers back to the fiery serpents.
  10. plagas — Lemma: plaga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object governed within the consequence phrase; Translation: “wounds”; Notes: denotes injuries inflicted by the serpents.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the two consequences; Translation: “and”; Notes: links physical injury with death.
  12. mortes — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: second object in the consequence phrase; Translation: “deaths”; Notes: emphasizes the fatal outcome of the plague.
  13. plurimorum — Lemma: plurimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine superlative adjective; Function: modifies an implied group of people affected by the deaths; Translation: “of very many”; Notes: the superlative form intensifies the scale of the mortality.

 

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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