Numeri 22:21 (Numbers 22:21)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:21 Surrexit Balaam mane, et strata asina sua profectus est cum eis.

And Balaam arose in the morning, and after saddling his donkey, he set out with them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Surrexit arose 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Balaam Balaam INDECL
3 mane in the morning ADV
4 et and CONJ
5 strata having been saddled PTCP.PERF.PASS.ABL.SG.F
6 asina donkey ABL.SG.F
7 sua his ABL.SG.F
8 profectus having set out PTCP.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
9 est he was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 cum with PREP+ABL
11 eis them ABL.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Surrexit Balaam mane — narrative clause describing Balaam’s early rising.

Temporal Expression: mane — adverb specifying the time of action.

Coordinated Clause: et strata asina sua profectus est cum eis — clause describing Balaam’s departure.

Ablative Absolute: strata asina sua — circumstantial construction indicating prior preparation before departure.

Deponent Verbal Construction: profectus est — perfect deponent expression describing Balaam’s departure.

Prepositional Phrase: cum eis — phrase expressing accompaniment.

Morphology

  1. Surrexit — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “arose”; Notes: Describes Balaam rising promptly to begin the journey.
  2. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: subject of Surrexit and profectus est; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: Foreign proper name preserved without declension.
  3. mane — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: modifies Surrexit; Translation: “in the morning”; Notes: Indicates the early hour of departure.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the two narrative actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects Balaam’s rising with his departure.
  5. strata — Lemma: sterno; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle ablative singular feminine; Function: part of the ablative absolute construction; Translation: “having been saddled”; Notes: Refers to the donkey being prepared for travel.
  6. asina — Lemma: asina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: substantive within the ablative absolute; Translation: “donkey”; Notes: Refers to Balaam’s riding animal.
  7. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies asina; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers back to Balaam.
  8. profectus — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: perfect deponent participle nominative singular masculine; Function: forms the perfect verbal expression with est; Translation: “having set out”; Notes: Though passive in form, it carries active meaning.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “he was”; Notes: Completes the perfect deponent construction.
  10. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative case; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Indicates Balaam’s association with the envoys.
  11. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of the preposition cum; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the men sent by Balac.

 

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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