Numeri 22:40 (Numbers 22:40)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:40 Cumque occidisset Balac boves et oves, misit ad Balaam, et principes qui cum eo erant, munera.

And when Balac had slaughtered cattle and sheep, he sent gifts to Balaam and to the princes who were with him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 occidisset had slaughtered 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
3 Balac Balak INDECL
4 boves cattle ACC.PL.M
5 et and CONJ
6 oves sheep ACC.PL.F
7 misit he sent 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 ad to PREP+ACC
9 Balaam Balaam INDECL
10 et and CONJ
11 principes the princes ACC.PL.M
12 qui who NOM.PL.M.REL
13 cum with PREP+ABL
14 eo him ABL.SG.M.PERS
15 erant were 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
16 munera gifts ACC.PL.N

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque occidisset Balac boves et oves — subordinate clause describing the action preceding the sending of gifts.

Main Clause: misit munera — principal narrative clause describing Balac’s act of sending offerings.

Indirect Object Phrase: ad Balaam et principes — identifies the recipients of the gifts.

Relative Clause: qui cum eo erant — modifies principes, identifying the princes accompanying Balaam.

Prepositional Phrase: cum eo — expresses accompaniment with Balaam.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction with enclitic -que; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: connects this event with the preceding narrative.
  2. occidisset — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had slaughtered”; Notes: indicates completed sacrificial preparation before the next action.
  3. Balac — Lemma: Balac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: subject of occidisset and implied subject of misit; Translation: “Balac”; Notes: the Moabite king hosting Balaam.
  4. boves — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, 3rd declension; Function: direct object of occidisset; Translation: “cattle”; Notes: refers to sacrificial livestock.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins direct objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: links the two kinds of animals.
  6. oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, 3rd declension; Function: second direct object of occidisset; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: additional sacrificial animals.
  7. misit — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of narrative clause; Translation: “he sent”; Notes: refers to dispatching gifts or portions.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction toward recipients; Translation: “to”; Notes: marks the recipients of the gifts.
  9. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: recipient of Balac’s hospitality.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins recipients; Translation: “and”; Notes: connects Balaam with the accompanying princes.
  11. principes — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, 3rd declension; Function: second object of ad; Translation: “the princes”; Notes: refers to noble officials accompanying Balaam.
  12. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of erant; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers back to principes.
  13. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: indicates association.
  14. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Balaam.
  15. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “were”; Notes: describes ongoing accompaniment in past narrative.
  16. munera — Lemma: munus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, 3rd declension; Function: direct object of misit; Translation: “gifts”; Notes: likely refers to portions from sacrificial offerings or honor gifts.

 

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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