Numeri 22:28 (Numbers 22:28)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:28 Aperuitque Dominus os asinæ, et locuta est: Quid feci tibi? cur percutis me? ecce iam tertio?

And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and it spoke: “What have I done to you? Why are you striking me? Behold, now for the third time?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Aperuitque and opened 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
3 os mouth ACC.SG.N
4 asinæ of the donkey GEN.SG.F
5 et and CONJ
6 locuta spoken PTCP.NOM.SG.F.DEP
7 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 Quid what ACC.SG.N.INT
9 feci have I done 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 tibi to you DAT.SG
11 cur why ADV.INT
12 percutis are you striking 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
13 me me ACC.SG.PERS
14 ecce behold INTJ
15 iam now ADV
16 tertio for the third time ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Dominus (subject) + Aperuitque (main verb) + os asinæ (direct object with dependent genitive).

Coordinate Clause: et locuta est — coordinated verbal clause describing the donkey’s speech.

Direct Question: Quid feci tibi? — interrogative clause asking the reason for offense.

Second Direct Question: cur percutis me? — interrogative clause expressing complaint.

Exclamatory Expression: ecce iam tertio — emphatic statement highlighting repeated mistreatment.

Morphology

  1. Aperuitque — Lemma: aperio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb of the sentence; Translation: “and opened”; Notes: the enclitic joins this action closely to the preceding narrative.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: subject of Aperuitque; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH acting supernaturally.
  3. os — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: direct object of Aperuitque; Translation: “mouth”; Notes: symbolizes the capacity for speech.
  4. asinæ — Lemma: asina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying os; Translation: “of the donkey”; Notes: identifies whose mouth was opened.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins coordinated clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: links divine action with the donkey’s response.
  6. locuta — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect participle nominative singular feminine deponent; Function: forms compound verb with est; Translation: “spoken”; Notes: deponent verb expressed with passive form but active meaning.
  7. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb with locuta; Translation: “has”; Notes: completes the perfect tense construction.
  8. Quid — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of feci; Translation: “what”; Notes: introduces the donkey’s question.
  9. feci — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of direct question; Translation: “have I done”; Notes: refers to completed action.
  10. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of feci; Translation: “to you”; Notes: refers to Balaam as recipient of the action.
  11. cur — Lemma: cur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative adverb; Function: introduces direct question; Translation: “why”; Notes: asks the reason for Balaam’s behavior.
  12. percutis — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active indicative; Function: verb of direct question; Translation: “are you striking”; Notes: present tense portrays repeated or current action.
  13. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of percutis; Translation: “me”; Notes: refers to the donkey speaking.
  14. ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: invariable; Function: introduces emphatic statement; Translation: “behold”; Notes: draws attention to the repeated beatings.
  15. iam — Lemma: iam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies tertio; Translation: “now”; Notes: emphasizes the present situation.
  16. tertio — Lemma: tertius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter positive degree; Function: ablative of time or occasion; Translation: “for the third time”; Notes: idiomatic ablative expressing repeated occurrence.

 

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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