Numeri 22:30 (Numbers 22:30)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:30 Dixit asina: Nonne animal tuum sum, cui semper sedere consuevisti usque in præsentem diem? dic quid simile umquam fecerim tibi. At ille ait: Numquam.

The donkey said: “Am I not your animal, upon which you have always been accustomed to sit up to the present day? Say whether I have ever done anything similar to you.” But he said: “Never.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 asina the donkey NOM.SG.F
3 Nonne is it not ADV.INT
4 animal animal NOM.SG.N
5 tuum your NOM.SG.N.POSS
6 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 cui upon which DAT.SG.N.REL
8 semper always ADV
9 sedere to sit PRES.ACT.INF
10 consuevisti you have been accustomed 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 usque up to ADV
12 in into PREP+ACC
13 præsentem present ACC.SG.M
14 diem day ACC.SG.M
15 dic say 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
16 quid whether anything ACC.SG.N.INT
17 simile similar ACC.SG.N
18 umquam ever ADV
19 fecerim I have done 1SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
20 tibi to you DAT.SG
21 At but CONJ
22 ille he NOM.SG.M.DEM
23 ait said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
24 Numquam never ADV

Syntax

Main Clause: asina (subject) + Dixit (main verb).

Direct Question: Nonne animal tuum sum — rhetorical question expecting affirmative response.

Relative Clause: cui semper sedere consuevisti — modifies animal, describing Balaam’s habitual use of the donkey.

Temporal Phrase: usque in præsentem diem — indicates continuous duration up to the current time.

Imperative Clause: dic — command introducing challenge or appeal.

Indirect Question: quid simile umquam fecerim tibi — dependent interrogative clause questioning whether such behavior ever occurred before.

Adversative Clause: At ille ait — contrasting narrative response.

Morphology

  1. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb introducing speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: introduces the donkey’s reply.
  2. asina — Lemma: asina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: subject of Dixit; Translation: “the donkey”; Notes: the miraculously speaking animal addresses Balaam.
  3. Nonne — Lemma: nonne; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative particle; Function: introduces rhetorical question; Translation: “is it not”; Notes: expects an affirmative answer.
  4. animal — Lemma: animal; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: predicate nominative with sum; Translation: “animal”; Notes: refers to a beast used for riding.
  5. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter positive degree; Function: modifies animal; Translation: “your”; Notes: stresses Balaam’s ownership.
  6. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular present active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “am”; Notes: links subject and predicate nominative.
  7. cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular neuter; Function: indirect object with sedere; Translation: “upon which”; Notes: refers back to the donkey as riding animal.
  8. semper — Lemma: semper; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies consuevisti; Translation: “always”; Notes: emphasizes habitual action.
  9. sedere — Lemma: sedeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive dependent on consuevisti; Translation: “to sit”; Notes: idiomatically refers to riding the animal.
  10. consuevisti — Lemma: consuesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “you have been accustomed”; Notes: perfect form expresses established habit.
  11. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies temporal phrase; Translation: “up to”; Notes: marks continuing duration.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces temporal limit; Translation: “into”; Notes: used idiomatically with time expressions.
  13. præsentem — Lemma: præsens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine positive degree; Function: modifies diem; Translation: “present”; Notes: refers to the current day.
  14. diem — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 5th declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “day”; Notes: marks the present moment in time.
  15. dic — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active imperative; Function: imperative command; Translation: “say”; Notes: challenges Balaam to answer honestly.
  16. quid — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object related to fecerim; Translation: “whether anything”; Notes: introduces indirect question.
  17. simile — Lemma: similis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter positive degree; Function: modifies implied object with quid; Translation: “similar”; Notes: refers to comparable behavior.
  18. umquam — Lemma: umquam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies fecerim; Translation: “ever”; Notes: emphasizes any occurrence at all.
  19. fecerim — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of indirect question; Translation: “I have done”; Notes: subjunctive used in dependent interrogative clause.
  20. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of fecerim; Translation: “to you”; Notes: refers to Balaam.
  21. At — Lemma: at; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: adversative conjunction; Function: introduces contrastive response; Translation: “but”; Notes: marks transition to Balaam’s reply.
  22. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of ait; Translation: “he”; Notes: refers emphatically to Balaam.
  23. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb introducing reply; Translation: “said”; Notes: commonly used verb of speaking in dialogue.
  24. Numquam — Lemma: numquam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: complete response; Translation: “never”; Notes: Balaam admits the donkey had never behaved this way before.

 

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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