Numeri 22:20 (Numbers 22:20)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22;20 Venit ergo Deus ad Balaam nocte, et ait ei: Si vocare te venerunt homines isti, surge, et vade cum eis: ita dumtaxat, ut quod tibi præcepero, facias.

Therefore God came to Balaam at night, and said to him: “If these men have come to call you, arise, and go with them. Yet only in this way, that what I shall command to you, you shall do.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Venit came 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 Deus God NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Balaam Balaam INDECL
6 nocte at night ABL.SG.F
7 et and CONJ
8 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 ei to him DAT.SG.M
10 Si if CONJ
11 vocare to call PRES.ACT.INF
12 te you ACC.SG
13 venerunt have come 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
14 homines men NOM.PL.M
15 isti these NOM.PL.M
16 surge arise 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
17 et and CONJ
18 vade go 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
19 cum with PREP+ABL
20 eis them ABL.PL.M
21 ita thus ADV
22 dumtaxat only ADV
23 ut that CONJ
24 quod what ACC.SG.N.REL
25 tibi to you DAT.SG
26 præcepero I shall command 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
27 facias you may do 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Venit ergo Deus ad Balaam nocte — narrative clause describing God’s nocturnal appearance to Balaam.

Temporal Expression: nocte — ablative of time indicating when the action occurred.

Coordinated Clause: et ait ei — clause introducing divine speech.

Conditional Clause: Si vocare te venerunt homines isti — hypothetical clause establishing the condition for Balaam’s departure.

Infinitival Phrase: vocare te — infinitive construction expressing the purpose of the men’s arrival.

Imperative Clause: surge, et vade cum eis — direct commands permitting Balaam to accompany the envoys.

Restrictive Clause: ita dumtaxat, ut quod tibi præcepero, facias — limitation clause restricting Balaam’s actions to God’s command.

Relative Clause: quod tibi præcepero — clause functioning as the object of facias.

Morphology

  1. Venit — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “came”; Notes: Describes God’s arrival or appearance.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: connective adverb modifying the narrative flow; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Links this event with the previous request of Balaam.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Venit and ait; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to the true God addressing Balaam.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative case; Function: expresses direction toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates movement toward Balaam.
  5. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: Foreign proper name preserved without declension.
  6. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: “at night”; Notes: Specifies the time of the divine visitation.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the narrative verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects divine arrival with divine speech.
  8. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Common verb for spoken declaration.
  9. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of ait; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Balaam as recipient of the divine message.
  10. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conditional conjunction; Function: introduces the conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Establishes the condition for permission.
  11. vocare — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: infinitive expressing purpose; Translation: “to call”; Notes: Explains why the envoys came.
  12. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of vocare; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Balaam.
  13. venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the conditional clause; Translation: “have come”; Notes: Indicates completed arrival.
  14. homines — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of venerunt; Translation: “men”; Notes: Refers to Balac’s envoys.
  15. isti — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies homines; Translation: “these”; Notes: Demonstrative with emphatic or pointed force.
  16. surge — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: “arise”; Notes: Marks the beginning of obedient action.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the imperative verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects rising with going.
  18. vade — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: “go”; Notes: Permits Balaam to accompany the envoys.
  19. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative case; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Indicates association with the envoys.
  20. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of the preposition cum; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the visiting men.
  21. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: modifies the restrictive expression; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Introduces the limitation placed upon Balaam.
  22. dumtaxat — Lemma: dumtaxat; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: intensifies the restriction; Translation: “only”; Notes: Emphasizes strict limitation.
  23. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces the restrictive clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Establishes the required condition.
  24. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of facias; Translation: “what”; Notes: Refers to the content of God’s command.
  25. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of præcepero; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Refers to Balaam as recipient of the command.
  26. præcepero — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular future active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “I shall command”; Notes: Expresses future divine instruction.
  27. facias — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the restrictive clause; Translation: “you shall do”; Notes: Subjunctive reflects obligation within the subordinate clause.

 

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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