Numeri 22:4 (Numbers 22:4)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:4 dixit ad maiores natu Madian: Ita delebit hic populus omnes, qui in nostris finibus commorantur, quo modo solet bos herbas usque ad radices carpere. Ipse erat eo tempore rex in Moab.

he said to the elders of Madian: “Thus this people will destroy all who dwell within our borders, in the same way that an ox is accustomed to pluck the grass even down to the roots.” He himself was at that time king in Moab.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dixit he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 maiores elders ACC.PL.M
4 natu by birth ABL.SG.N
5 Madian Midian INDECL
6 Ita thus ADV
7 delebit will destroy 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
8 hic this NOM.SG.M
9 populus people NOM.SG.M
10 omnes all ACC.PL.M
11 qui who NOM.PL.M.REL
12 in within PREP+ABL
13 nostris our ABL.PL.M
14 finibus borders ABL.PL.M
15 commorantur dwell 3PL.PRES.DEP.IND
16 quo in which ABL.SG.M.REL
17 modo manner ABL.SG.M
18 solet is accustomed 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
19 bos ox NOM.SG.M
20 herbas grass ACC.PL.F
21 usque even unto ADV
22 ad to PREP+ACC
23 radices roots ACC.PL.F
24 carpere to pluck PRES.ACT.INF
25 Ipse he himself NOM.SG.M
26 erat was 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
27 eo at that ABL.SG.N
28 tempore time ABL.SG.N
29 rex king NOM.SG.M
30 in in PREP+ABL
31 Moab Moab INDECL

Syntax

Main Clause: dixit ad maiores natu Madian — narrative clause introducing Balac’s speech to the Midianite elders.

Indirect Object Phrase: ad maiores natu Madian — prepositional phrase indicating the recipients of the speech.

Main Speech Clause: Ita delebit hic populus omnes — predictive statement concerning the destructive power of the people.

Relative Clause: qui in nostris finibus commorantur — modifies omnes and identifies those threatened.

Comparative Clause: quo modo solet bos herbas usque ad radices carpere — simile comparing the people’s destruction to an ox grazing completely.

Infinitival Complement: herbas usque ad radices carpere — infinitive phrase dependent upon solet.

Final Narrative Clause: Ipse erat eo tempore rex in Moab — explanatory statement identifying Balac’s royal status.

Morphology

  1. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb introducing speech; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Common introductory verb for direct discourse in biblical narrative.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative case; Function: introduces the recipients of the statement; Translation: “to”; Notes: Expresses direction toward persons.
  3. maiores — Lemma: maior; Part of Speech: adjective used substantivally; Form: accusative plural masculine comparative degree; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “elders”; Notes: Literally “greater ones,” commonly meaning tribal leaders or elders.
  4. natu — Lemma: natus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of respect with maiores; Translation: “by birth”; Notes: Forms the idiom maiores natu, meaning “elders in age.”
  5. Madian — Lemma: Madian; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: dependent identifier of the elders; Translation: “Madian”; Notes: Refers to the Midianite people or territory.
  6. Ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: modifies delebit; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Introduces the manner or certainty of the prediction.
  7. delebit — Lemma: deleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of the prediction; Translation: “will destroy”; Notes: Expresses anticipated devastation.
  8. hic — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies populus; Translation: “this”; Notes: Points emphatically to the nearby or presently discussed people.
  9. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of delebit; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers collectively to Israel.
  10. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective used substantivally; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of delebit; Translation: “all”; Notes: Refers comprehensively to all inhabitants within reach.
  11. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to omnes.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative case; Function: introduces location; Translation: “within”; Notes: Indicates position inside territorial boundaries.
  13. nostris — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies finibus; Translation: “our”; Notes: Expresses communal possession or territory.
  14. finibus — Lemma: finis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: “borders”; Notes: Refers to territorial limits or boundaries.
  15. commorantur — Lemma: commoror; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person plural present deponent indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “dwell”; Notes: Though deponent in form, it carries active meaning.
  16. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies modo in a comparative expression; Translation: “in which”; Notes: Forms the idiom quo modo, meaning “in the manner that.”
  17. modo — Lemma: modus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: part of the comparative expression; Translation: “manner”; Notes: Establishes the simile that follows.
  18. solet — Lemma: soleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: governs the infinitive carpere; Translation: “is accustomed”; Notes: Expresses habitual action.
  19. bos — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of solet; Translation: “ox”; Notes: Used metaphorically for relentless consumption.
  20. herbas — Lemma: herba; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of carpere; Translation: “grass”; Notes: Represents vegetation consumed by grazing animals.
  21. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: intensifies the extent of the action; Translation: “even unto”; Notes: Emphasizes completeness.
  22. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative case; Function: introduces the endpoint; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks the limit of the grazing action.
  23. radices — Lemma: radix; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “roots”; Notes: Indicates total removal from the ground upward.
  24. carpere — Lemma: carpo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive dependent on solet; Translation: “to pluck”; Notes: Can imply tearing away or consuming piece by piece.
  25. Ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: emphatic subject of erat; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: Adds emphasis to Balac personally.
  26. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Provides background narrative information.
  27. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies tempore; Translation: “at that”; Notes: Demonstrative reference to a specific time period.
  28. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: “time”; Notes: Indicates the temporal setting of Balac’s reign.
  29. rex — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative linked with erat; Translation: “king”; Notes: Defines Balac’s political role.
  30. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative case; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates territorial domain.
  31. Moab — Lemma: Moab; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: “Moab”; Notes: Refers to the kingdom ruled by Balac.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Numeri. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.