Numeri 22:14 (Numbers 22:14)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:14 Reversi principes dixerunt ad Balac: Noluit Balaam venire nobiscum.

The princes, having returned, said to Balac: “Balaam was unwilling to come with us.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Reversi having returned PTCP.PERF.DEP.NOM.PL.M
2 principes princes NOM.PL.M
3 dixerunt said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Balac Balak INDECL
6 Noluit was unwilling 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 Balaam Balaam INDECL
8 venire to come PRES.ACT.INF
9 nobiscum with us ABL.PL

Syntax

Main Clause: Reversi principes dixerunt ad Balac — narrative clause describing the return of the envoys and their report to Balac.

Participial Phrase: Reversi principes — participial construction describing the state of the princes as returned.

Prepositional Phrase: ad Balac — phrase indicating the recipient of the report.

Quoted Clause: Noluit Balaam venire nobiscum — direct statement summarizing Balaam’s refusal.

Infinitival Construction: Balaam venire nobiscum — infinitive phrase dependent upon Noluit.

Accompaniment Phrase: nobiscum — phrase expressing association with the speakers.

Morphology

  1. Reversi — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: perfect deponent participle nominative plural masculine; Function: participial modifier of principes; Translation: “having returned”; Notes: Though passive in form, it carries active meaning because the verb is deponent.
  2. principes — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of dixerunt; Translation: “princes”; Notes: Refers to the leading envoys sent by Balac.
  3. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: Introduces the envoys’ report to Balac.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative case; Function: introduces the recipient of speech; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates direction toward Balac.
  5. Balac — Lemma: Balac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “Balac”; Notes: Foreign proper name preserved without declension.
  6. Noluit — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the quoted statement; Translation: “was unwilling”; Notes: Expresses deliberate refusal or unwillingness.
  7. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: subject of Noluit; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: Name of the diviner approached by Balac.
  8. venire — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive dependent on Noluit; Translation: “to come”; Notes: Describes the action Balaam refused to perform.
  9. nobiscum — Lemma: nos + cum; Part of Speech: pronoun with enclitic preposition; Form: ablative plural; Function: accompaniment phrase linked to venire; Translation: “with us”; Notes: The enclitic -cum is attached directly to the pronoun.

 

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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