Numeri 22:18 (Numbers 22:18)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:18 Respondit Balaam: Si dederit mihi Balac plenam domum suam argenti et auri, non potero immutare verbum Domini Dei mei, ut vel plus, vel minus loquar.

Balaam answered: “If Balac should give to me his house full of silver and gold, I shall not be able to change the word of the LORD my God, so that I might speak either more or less.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respondit answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Balaam Balaam INDECL
3 Si if CONJ
4 dederit should give 3SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ
5 mihi to me DAT.SG
6 Balac Balak INDECL
7 plenam full ACC.SG.F
8 domum house ACC.SG.F
9 suam his ACC.SG.F
10 argenti of silver GEN.SG.N
11 et and CONJ
12 auri of gold GEN.SG.N
13 non not ADV
14 potero I shall be able 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
15 immutare to change PRES.ACT.INF
16 verbum word ACC.SG.N
17 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
18 Dei of God GEN.SG.M
19 mei my GEN.SG.M
20 ut so that CONJ
21 vel either CONJ
22 plus more ACC.SG.N.CMPR
23 vel or CONJ
24 minus less ACC.SG.N.CMPR
25 loquar I may speak 1SG.PRES.DEP.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Respondit Balaam — narrative clause introducing Balaam’s response.

Conditional Clause: Si dederit mihi Balac plenam domum suam argenti et auri — hypothetical clause expressing an extravagant offer.

Direct Object Phrase: plenam domum suam argenti et auri — accusative phrase describing the wealth Balac could offer.

Main Clause: non potero immutare verbum Domini Dei mei — declaration of inability to alter the divine command.

Infinitival Complement: immutare verbum — infinitive phrase dependent upon potero.

Genitive Phrase: Domini Dei mei — possessive phrase identifying the source of the word.

Result or Purpose Clause: ut vel plus, vel minus loquar — clause expressing deviation from the divine word.

Comparative Pair: vel plus, vel minus — balanced expression meaning “either more or less.”

Morphology

  1. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Introduces Balaam’s formal reply.
  2. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: subject of Respondit; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: Foreign proper name retained without declension.
  3. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conditional conjunction; Function: introduces the conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Sets up a hypothetical circumstance.
  4. dederit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the conditional clause; Translation: “should give”; Notes: Expresses a hypothetical future action completed prior to the main result.
  5. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of dederit; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks Balaam as recipient of the hypothetical gift.
  6. Balac — Lemma: Balac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: subject of dederit; Translation: “Balac”; Notes: Name of the Moabite king.
  7. plenam — Lemma: plenus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies domum; Translation: “full”; Notes: Describes abundance or completeness.
  8. domum — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of dederit; Translation: “house”; Notes: Represents great wealth or treasure.
  9. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies domum; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers back to Balac.
  10. argenti — Lemma: argentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: dependent genitive modifying domum; Translation: “of silver”; Notes: Specifies the material wealth filling the house.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the genitive nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects silver with gold.
  12. auri — Lemma: aurum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: dependent genitive modifying domum; Translation: “of gold”; Notes: Represents precious wealth.
  13. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: negates potero; Translation: “not”; Notes: Expresses firm denial of ability.
  14. potero — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of the declaration; Translation: “I shall be able”; Notes: Expresses capability or inability.
  15. immutare — Lemma: immuto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive dependent on potero; Translation: “to change”; Notes: Implies altering or deviating from what was spoken.
  16. verbum — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of immutare; Translation: “word”; Notes: Refers to the divine command or utterance.
  17. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive modifying verbum; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH and therefore translated as “LORD.”
  18. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: appositional genitive linked to Domini; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Further identifies the LORD as Balaam’s God.
  19. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies Dei; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses Balaam’s acknowledgment of divine authority.
  20. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces the subordinate clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Expresses intended or resulting speech.
  21. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: introduces the first alternative; Translation: “either”; Notes: Forms a balanced pair with the second vel.
  22. plus — Lemma: plus; Part of Speech: comparative adjective used substantivally; Form: accusative singular neuter comparative degree; Function: object related to loquar; Translation: “more”; Notes: Refers to speaking beyond the divine word.
  23. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: introduces the second alternative; Translation: “or”; Notes: Completes the balanced comparison.
  24. minus — Lemma: minus; Part of Speech: comparative adjective used substantivally; Form: accusative singular neuter comparative degree; Function: object related to loquar; Translation: “less”; Notes: Refers to diminishing the divine word.
  25. loquar — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: first person singular present deponent subjunctive; Function: verb of the subordinate clause; Translation: “I may speak”; Notes: Though passive in form, it carries active meaning.

 

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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