Numeri 22:23 (Numbers 22:23)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:23 Cernens asina angelum stantem in via, evaginato gladio, avertit se de itinere, et ibat per agrum. Quam cum verberaret Balaam, et vellet ad semitam reducere,

Seeing the donkey the angel standing in the way with drawn sword, it turned itself aside from the road, and it was going through the field. Then when Balaam beat it and wanted to lead it back to the path,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cernens seeing PTCP.NOM.SG.F
2 asina the donkey NOM.SG.F
3 angelum the angel ACC.SG.M
4 stantem standing PTCP.ACC.SG.M
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 via the road ABL.SG.F
7 evaginato having been drawn PTCP.ABL.SG.M
8 gladio sword ABL.SG.M
9 avertit turned aside 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 se itself ACC.SG.REFL
11 de from PREP+ABL
12 itinere the road ABL.SG.N
13 et and CONJ
14 ibat was going 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
15 per through PREP+ACC
16 agrum the field ACC.SG.M
17 Quam which ACC.SG.F.REL
18 cum when CONJ
19 verberaret was beating 3SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
20 Balaam Balaam INDECL
21 et and CONJ
22 vellet wanted 3SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
23 ad to PREP+ACC
24 semitam the path ACC.SG.F
25 reducere to lead back PRES.ACT.INF

Syntax

Main Clause: asina (subject) + avertit (main verb) + se (reflexive object).

Participial Phrase: Cernens asina angelum stantem in via — circumstantial participial construction describing the reason for the donkey’s action.

Ablative Absolute: evaginato gladio — ablative absolute indicating the condition or circumstance under which the angel stood.

Prepositional Phrase: de itinere — expresses separation from the road.

Coordinate Clause: et ibat per agrum — continuing action following the turning aside.

Subordinate Clause: Quam cum verberaret Balaam — temporal clause explaining Balaam’s reaction toward the donkey.

Infinitival Construction: vellet ad semitam reducere — complementary infinitive expressing Balaam’s intention.

Morphology

  1. Cernens — Lemma: cerno; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies asina; Translation: “seeing”; Notes: expresses contemporaneous action performed by the donkey.
  2. asina — Lemma: asina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: subject of avertit and ibat; Translation: “the donkey”; Notes: refers specifically to Balaam’s female donkey.
  3. angelum — Lemma: angelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of Cernens; Translation: “the angel”; Notes: identifies the heavenly messenger blocking the road.
  4. stantem — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies angelum; Translation: “standing”; Notes: portrays the angel as stationary in the roadway.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: indicates physical position.
  6. via — Lemma: via; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “the road”; Notes: refers to the travelled route.
  7. evaginato — Lemma: evagino; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle ablative singular masculine; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “having been drawn”; Notes: describes the sword already unsheathed.
  8. gladio — Lemma: gladius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: completes ablative absolute with evaginato; Translation: “sword”; Notes: the exposed weapon emphasizes danger and judgment.
  9. avertit — Lemma: averto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “turned aside”; Notes: describes decisive movement away from the danger.
  10. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of avertit; Translation: “itself”; Notes: reflexively refers back to the donkey.
  11. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses movement away from; Translation: “from”; Notes: indicates separation from the roadway.
  12. itinere — Lemma: iter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: object of de; Translation: “the road”; Notes: refers to the journey path.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: joins consecutive actions.
  14. ibat — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: secondary main verb; Translation: “was going”; Notes: imperfect tense emphasizes ongoing motion.
  15. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses movement through; Translation: “through”; Notes: marks passage across an area.
  16. agrum — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of per; Translation: “the field”; Notes: describes the open ground beside the road.
  17. Quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of verberaret; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers back to the donkey.
  18. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: governs the subjunctive in narrative sequence.
  19. verberaret — Lemma: verbero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of subordinate temporal clause; Translation: “was beating”; Notes: depicts repeated or ongoing striking.
  20. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: subject of verberaret and vellet; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: retains Hebrew form without Latin declension.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins verbs within the subordinate clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: connects Balaam’s actions.
  22. vellet — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb within subordinate clause; Translation: “wanted”; Notes: expresses Balaam’s intention during the event.
  23. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: marks intended destination.
  24. semitam — Lemma: semita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: “the path”; Notes: refers to the proper roadway or track.
  25. reducere — Lemma: reduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive dependent on vellet; Translation: “to lead back”; Notes: expresses the attempted restoration of direction.

 

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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