Numeri 22:37 (Numbers 22:37)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:37 Dixitque ad Balaam: Misi nuncios ut vocarent te, cur non statim venisti ad me? an quia mercedem adventui tuo reddere nequeo?

And he said to Balaam: “I sent messengers to call you. Why did you not come to me immediately? Or is it because I am unable to give reward for your coming?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 Balaam Balaam INDECL
4 Misi I sent 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 nuncios messengers ACC.PL.M
6 ut so that CONJ
7 vocarent they might call 3PL.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
8 te you ACC.SG.PERS
9 cur why ADV.INT
10 non not ADV
11 statim immediately ADV
12 venisti did you come 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 ad to PREP+ACC
14 me me ACC.SG.PERS
15 an or CONJ
16 quia because CONJ
17 mercedem reward ACC.SG.F
18 adventui for the coming DAT.SG.M
19 tuo your DAT.SG.M.POSS
20 reddere to give PRES.ACT.INF
21 nequeo I am unable 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixitque — introductory narrative verb leading into Balac’s speech.

Prepositional Phrase: ad Balaam — indicates the recipient of the speech.

Main Declarative Clause: Misi nuncios — statement explaining Balac’s prior action.

Purpose Clause: ut vocarent te — subordinate clause expressing the purpose of sending the messengers.

Direct Question: cur non statim venisti ad me? — interrogative clause asking Balaam why he delayed.

Alternative Question: an quia mercedem adventui tuo reddere nequeo? — rhetorical alternative suggesting inability to reward Balaam.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: introductory narrative verb; Translation: “and said”; Notes: continues the dialogue sequence.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction toward a person; Translation: “to”; Notes: marks Balaam as recipient of speech.
  3. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: retains Hebrew form without Latin inflection.
  4. Misi — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of declarative clause; Translation: “I sent”; Notes: refers to completed prior action.
  5. nuncios — Lemma: nuncius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of Misi; Translation: “messengers”; Notes: refers to Balac’s envoys.
  6. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: expresses intended purpose.
  7. vocarent — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “they might call”; Notes: subjunctive follows ut in purpose construction.
  8. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of vocarent; Translation: “you”; Notes: refers to Balaam.
  9. cur — Lemma: cur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative adverb; Function: introduces direct question; Translation: “why”; Notes: asks reason for delay.
  10. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates venisti; Translation: “not”; Notes: creates negative interrogative statement.
  11. statim — Lemma: statim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies venisti; Translation: “immediately”; Notes: emphasizes promptness expected by Balac.
  12. venisti — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of direct question; Translation: “did you come”; Notes: refers to completed arrival.
  13. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: expresses approach to Balac.
  14. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “me”; Notes: refers to Balac.
  15. an — Lemma: an; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: interrogative conjunction; Function: introduces alternative question; Translation: “or”; Notes: suggests rhetorical alternative explanation.
  16. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: explains possible reason for delay.
  17. mercedem — Lemma: merces; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: direct object of reddere; Translation: “reward”; Notes: refers to payment or honorarium.
  18. adventui — Lemma: adventus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine, 4th declension; Function: dative of reference with mercedem; Translation: “for the coming”; Notes: refers to Balaam’s arrival.
  19. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine positive degree; Function: modifies adventui; Translation: “your”; Notes: identifies Balaam’s coming specifically.
  20. reddere — Lemma: reddo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive dependent on nequeo; Translation: “to give”; Notes: refers to repaying or granting compensation.
  21. nequeo — Lemma: nequeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of alternative question; Translation: “I am unable”; Notes: rhetorical statement implying Balac is indeed able to reward Balaam.

 

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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