Numeri 22:36 (Numbers 22:36)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:36 Quod cum audisset Balac, egressus est in occursum eius in oppido Moabitarum, quod situm est in extremis finibus Arnon.

When Balac had heard this, he went out to meet him in the city of the Moabites, which is situated at the furthest borders of Arnon.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quod this ACC.SG.N.REL
2 cum when CONJ
3 audisset had heard 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
4 Balac Balak INDECL
5 egressus having gone out PTCP.NOM.SG.M.DEP
6 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 in into PREP+ACC
8 occursum meeting ACC.SG.M
9 eius him GEN.SG
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 oppido the town ABL.SG.N
12 Moabitarum of the Moabites GEN.PL.M
13 quod which NOM.SG.N.REL
14 situm situated PTCP.NOM.SG.N
15 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
16 in at PREP+ABL
17 extremis furthest ABL.PL.M
18 finibus borders ABL.PL.M
19 Arnon Arnon INDECL

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Quod cum audisset Balac — subordinate clause expressing the circumstance preceding Balac’s action.

Main Clause: Balac egressus est — principal narrative clause describing Balac’s departure.

Idiomatic Purpose Phrase: in occursum eius — expresses motion for the purpose of meeting someone.

Prepositional Phrase: in oppido Moabitarum — locational phrase identifying where the meeting occurred.

Relative Clause: quod situm est in extremis finibus Arnon — modifies oppido, describing the town’s geographical location.

Predicate Participial Construction: situm est — compound predicate expressing fixed placement.

Morphology

  1. Quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of audisset; Translation: “this”; Notes: refers to the report Balac received.
  2. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: governs subjunctive in narrative sequence.
  3. audisset — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had heard”; Notes: indicates completed hearing before subsequent action.
  4. Balac — Lemma: Balac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: subject of audisset and egressus est; Translation: “Balac”; Notes: the Moabite king awaiting Balaam.
  5. egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine deponent; Function: forms compound verb with est; Translation: “having gone out”; Notes: deponent verb with active meaning.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb with egressus; Translation: “has”; Notes: completes perfect tense construction.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: expresses movement for encounter.
  8. occursum — Lemma: occursus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 4th declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “meeting”; Notes: idiomatic expression meaning “to meet.”
  9. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: dependent genitive modifying occursum; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Balaam.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locational phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: expresses fixed location.
  11. oppido — Lemma: oppidum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “the town”; Notes: refers to a fortified settlement.
  12. Moabitarum — Lemma: Moabita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, 1st declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying oppido; Translation: “of the Moabites”; Notes: identifies the people associated with the town.
  13. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of situm est; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers back to oppido.
  14. situm — Lemma: sino; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate participle with est; Translation: “situated”; Notes: expresses geographical placement.
  15. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb with situm; Translation: “is”; Notes: forms passive perfect construction.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locational phrase; Translation: “at”; Notes: marks geographical position.
  17. extremis — Lemma: extremus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine superlative degree; Function: modifies finibus; Translation: “furthest”; Notes: denotes outermost boundaries.
  18. finibus — Lemma: finis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, 3rd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “borders”; Notes: refers to territorial boundaries.
  19. Arnon — Lemma: Arnon; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: dependent geographical name with finibus; Translation: “Arnon”; Notes: the river marking territorial limits.

 

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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