Numeri 22:11 (Numbers 22:11)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:11 dicens: Ecce populus qui egressus est de Ægypto, operuit superficiem terræ: veni, et maledic ei, siquo modo possim pugnans abigere eum.

saying: ‘Behold, the people which has gone out from Egypt has covered the surface of the land. Come, and curse it, perhaps in some way I may be able, by fighting, to drive it away.’”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dicens saying PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
2 Ecce behold INTJ
3 populus people NOM.SG.M
4 qui which NOM.SG.M.REL
5 egressus having gone out PTCP.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
6 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 de from PREP+ABL
8 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F
9 operuit has covered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 superficiem surface ACC.SG.F
11 terræ of the land GEN.SG.F
12 veni come 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
13 et and CONJ
14 maledic curse 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
15 ei it DAT.SG.M
16 siquo if by some ABL.SG.M
17 modo manner ABL.SG.M
18 possim I may be able 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
19 pugnans fighting PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
20 abigere to drive away PRES.ACT.INF
21 eum him ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Participial Introduction: dicens — participial expression introducing the content of Balac’s message.

Main Clause: Ecce populus — declarative announcement drawing attention to the threatening people.

Relative Clause: qui egressus est de Ægypto — clause identifying the origin of the people.

Main Clause: operuit superficiem terræ — statement describing the widespread presence of the people.

Imperative Clause: veni, et maledic ei — direct appeal commanding Balaam to come and pronounce a curse.

Potential Clause: siquo modo possim pugnans abigere eum — clause expressing hoped-for possibility.

Participial Modifier: pugnans — participle describing the means or circumstance of driving the people away.

Morphology

  1. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces reported speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Refers back to Balac as the speaker of the quoted message.
  2. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable interjection; Function: draws attention to the statement; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Adds emphasis and urgency to the announcement.
  3. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of egressus est and operuit; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers collectively to Israel.
  4. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to populus.
  5. egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: perfect deponent participle nominative singular masculine; Function: forms the perfect verbal expression with est; Translation: “having gone out”; Notes: Though passive in form, it carries active meaning.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “has”; Notes: Completes the perfect deponent construction.
  7. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative case; Function: indicates origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks departure away from a place.
  8. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of the preposition de; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Refers to the land from which the people departed.
  9. operuit — Lemma: operio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the statement; Translation: “has covered”; Notes: Describes overwhelming numerical spread.
  10. superficiem — Lemma: superficies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of operuit; Translation: “surface”; Notes: Refers metaphorically to the visible extent of the land.
  11. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive modifying superficiem; Translation: “of the land”; Notes: Specifies what surface is being covered.
  12. veni — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: “come”; Notes: Direct appeal addressed to Balaam.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the imperative verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the requested actions.
  14. maledic — Lemma: maledico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: “curse”; Notes: Governs a dative object in Latin usage.
  15. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of maledic; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers collectively to the people being cursed.
  16. siquo — Lemma: siqui; Part of Speech: indefinite adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies modo; Translation: “if by some”; Notes: Forms part of the idiomatic expression siquo modo.
  17. modo — Lemma: modus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: part of an adverbial phrase; Translation: “manner”; Notes: Together with siquo, means “perhaps in some way.”
  18. possim — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb expressing hoped-for possibility; Translation: “I may be able”; Notes: The subjunctive reflects uncertainty or desire.
  19. pugnans — Lemma: pugno; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: participial modifier of the implied subject; Translation: “fighting”; Notes: Describes the means by which expulsion would occur.
  20. abigere — Lemma: abigo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive dependent on possim; Translation: “to drive away”; Notes: Implies forcible removal or expulsion.
  21. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of abigere; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers collectively to the people as a single entity.

 

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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