Numeri 22:34 (Numbers 22:34)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:34 Dixit Balaam: Peccavi, nesciens quod tu stares contra me: et nunc si displicet tibi ut vadam, revertar.

Balaam said: “I have sinned, not knowing that you stood against me. And now if it displeases you that I go, I shall return.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Balaam Balaam INDECL
3 Peccavi I have sinned 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 nesciens not knowing PTCP.NOM.SG.M
5 quod that CONJ
6 tu you NOM.SG.PERS
7 stares stood 2SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
8 contra against PREP+ACC
9 me me ACC.SG.PERS
10 et and CONJ
11 nunc now ADV
12 si if CONJ
13 displicet it displeases 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 tibi to you DAT.SG
15 ut that CONJ
16 vadam I go 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
17 revertar I shall return 1SG.FUT.DEP.IND

Syntax

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

Confessional Statement: Peccavi — direct admission of wrongdoing.

Participial Phrase: nesciens quod tu stares contra me — circumstantial phrase explaining Balaam’s ignorance.

Subordinate Clause: quod tu stares contra me — dependent clause expressing what Balaam did not know.

Conditional Clause: si displicet tibi — condition expressing submission to the angel’s judgment.

Substantive Clause: ut vadam — clause functioning as the subject of displicet.

Main Response Clause: revertar — declaration of intended action if commanded.

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 Balaam’s confession and response.
  2. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: subject of Dixit; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: retains Hebrew form without Latin inflection.
  3. Peccavi — Lemma: pecco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect active indicative; Function: independent confessional statement; Translation: “I have sinned”; Notes: openly acknowledges wrongdoing.
  4. nesciens — Lemma: nescio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies implied subject ego; Translation: “not knowing”; Notes: explains Balaam’s prior ignorance.
  5. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces subordinate clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: marks reported content of ignorance.
  6. tu — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of stares; Translation: “you”; Notes: refers to the angel.
  7. stares — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “stood”; Notes: subjunctive follows dependent clause introduced by quod.
  8. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses opposition; Translation: “against”; Notes: indicates hostile positioning.
  9. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of contra; Translation: “me”; Notes: refers to Balaam himself.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: connects confession with conditional response.
  11. nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies following clause; Translation: “now”; Notes: marks change after revelation.
  12. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: expresses condition dependent on the angel’s will.
  13. displicet — Lemma: displiceo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of conditional clause; Translation: “it displeases”; Notes: impersonal construction with dative recipient.
  14. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of displicet; Translation: “to you”; Notes: refers to the angel as evaluator.
  15. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces substantive clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: introduces content displeasing to the angel.
  16. vadam — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of substantive clause; Translation: “I go”; Notes: subjunctive used after ut clause.
  17. revertar — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future deponent indicative; Function: main verb of response clause; Translation: “I shall return”; Notes: deponent verb expressing willingness to turn back.

 

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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