Numeri 22:33 (Numbers 22:33)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:33 et nisi asina declinasset de via, dans locum resistenti, te occidissem, et illa viveret.

and unless the donkey had turned aside from the way, giving place to the one resisting, I would have killed you, and she would live.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 nisi unless CONJ
3 asina the donkey NOM.SG.F
4 declinasset had turned aside 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
5 de from PREP+ABL
6 via the way ABL.SG.F
7 dans giving PTCP.NOM.SG.F
8 locum place ACC.SG.M
9 resistenti to the one resisting DAT.SG.M
10 te you ACC.SG.PERS
11 occidissem I would have killed 1SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
12 et and CONJ
13 illa she NOM.SG.F.DEM
14 viveret would live 3SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Conditional Clause: nisi asina declinasset de via — contrary-to-fact conditional clause explaining what prevented Balaam’s death.

Participial Phrase: dans locum resistenti — modifies asina, describing the donkey yielding space to the angel.

Dative Construction: resistenti — dative object receiving the yielded place.

Main Clause: te occidissem — apodosis expressing what the angel would have done.

Coordinate Clause: et illa viveret — contrasting outcome for the donkey.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins this statement to the previous context; Translation: “and”; Notes: continues the angel’s explanation.
  2. nisi — Lemma: nisi; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: “unless”; Notes: establishes a contrary-to-fact condition.
  3. asina — Lemma: asina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: subject of declinasset; Translation: “the donkey”; Notes: Balaam’s animal becomes the means of preserving his life.
  4. declinasset — Lemma: declino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: “had turned aside”; Notes: subjunctive expresses unreal past condition.
  5. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses movement away from; Translation: “from”; Notes: indicates departure from the roadway.
  6. via — Lemma: via; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: object of de; Translation: “the way”; Notes: refers to the travelled path.
  7. dans — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies asina; Translation: “giving”; Notes: expresses simultaneous yielding action.
  8. locum — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of dans; Translation: “place”; Notes: refers to making room or yielding passage.
  9. resistenti — Lemma: resisto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of dans; Translation: “to the one resisting”; Notes: refers to the angel opposing Balaam.
  10. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of occidissem; Translation: “you”; Notes: refers to Balaam as the threatened individual.
  11. occidissem — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: main verb of apodosis; Translation: “I would have killed”; Notes: expresses unreal past consequence.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins coordinate clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: contrasts Balaam’s fate with the donkey’s.
  13. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of viveret; Translation: “she”; Notes: refers emphatically to the donkey.
  14. viveret — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of coordinate clause; Translation: “would live”; Notes: subjunctive expresses unreal surviving outcome within the conditional framework.

 

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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