Numeri 22:5 (Numbers 22:5)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:5 Misit ergo nuncios ad Balaam filium Beor ariolum, qui habitabat super flumen terræ filiorum Ammon, ut vocarent eum, et dicerent: Ecce egressus est populus ex Ægypto, qui operuit superficiem terræ, sedens contra me.

Therefore he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor the diviner, who dwelt by the river of the land of the sons of Ammon, so that they might call him and say: “Behold, a people has gone out from Egypt, which has covered the surface of the land, sitting opposite me.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Misit he sent 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 nuncios messengers ACC.PL.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Balaam Balaam INDECL
6 filium son ACC.SG.M
7 Beor Beor INDECL
8 ariolum diviner ACC.SG.M
9 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
10 habitabat dwelt 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
11 super by PREP+ACC
12 flumen river ACC.SG.N
13 terræ of the land GEN.SG.F
14 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M
15 Ammon Ammon INDECL
16 ut so that CONJ
17 vocarent they might call 3PL.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
18 eum him ACC.SG.M
19 et and CONJ
20 dicerent they might say 3PL.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
21 Ecce behold INTJ
22 egressus having gone out PTCP.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
23 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
24 populus people NOM.SG.M
25 ex from PREP+ABL
26 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F
27 qui which NOM.SG.M.REL
28 operuit has covered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
29 superficiem surface ACC.SG.F
30 terræ of the land GEN.SG.F
31 sedens sitting PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
32 contra opposite PREP+ACC
33 me me ACC.SG

Syntax

Main Clause: Misit ergo nuncios ad Balaam filium Beor ariolum — narrative clause describing the sending of messengers to Balaam.

Appositional Phrase: filium Beor ariolum — identifies Balaam by lineage and profession.

Relative Clause: qui habitabat super flumen terræ filiorum Ammon — clause describing Balaam’s dwelling place.

Purpose Clause: ut vocarent eum, et dicerent — subordinate clause expressing the purpose for sending the messengers.

Direct Speech Clause: Ecce egressus est populus ex Ægypto — announcement concerning the emergence of the people from Egypt.

Relative Clause: qui operuit superficiem terræ — clause describing the overwhelming spread of the people.

Participial Phrase: sedens contra me — present participial phrase describing the people’s threatening position.

Morphology

  1. Misit — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “he sent”; Notes: Introduces the diplomatic action initiated by Balac.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: connective particle; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Links the action logically with the preceding fear and concern.
  3. nuncios — Lemma: nuncius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of Misit; Translation: “messengers”; Notes: Refers to official envoys sent for negotiation or request.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative case; Function: introduces destination; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates movement toward a person.
  5. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: Foreign personal name retained without declension.
  6. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Balaam; Translation: “son”; Notes: Identifies Balaam through paternal lineage.
  7. Beor — Lemma: Beor; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: dependent identifier linked to filium; Translation: “Beor”; Notes: Name of Balaam’s father.
  8. ariolum — Lemma: ariolus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: additional apposition to Balaam; Translation: “diviner”; Notes: Refers to one associated with omens or divination.
  9. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to Balaam.
  10. habitabat — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “dwelt”; Notes: The imperfect indicates continuing residence.
  11. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative case; Function: introduces geographical position; Translation: “by”; Notes: Here conveys proximity to the river.
  12. flumen — Lemma: flumen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of the preposition super; Translation: “river”; Notes: Likely refers to the Euphrates region.
  13. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive modifying flumen; Translation: “of the land”; Notes: Specifies the territory connected to the river.
  14. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive modifying terræ; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: Common biblical ethnic designation formula.
  15. Ammon — Lemma: Ammon; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: ethnic identifier linked to filiorum; Translation: “Ammon”; Notes: Refers to the Ammonite people or territory.
  16. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces the purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive verbs expressing intended purpose.
  17. vocarent — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the purpose clause; Translation: “they might call”; Notes: The subjunctive reflects intended action.
  18. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of vocarent; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Balaam.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the two verbs of purpose; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects summoning with the spoken message.
  20. dicerent — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural imperfect active subjunctive; Function: second verb of the purpose clause; Translation: “they might say”; Notes: Introduces the message to Balaam.
  21. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable interjection; Function: draws attention to the announcement; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Emphasizes urgency and immediacy.
  22. egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: perfect deponent participle nominative singular masculine; Function: forms the perfect verbal expression with est; Translation: “having gone out”; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning.
  23. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “has”; Notes: Completes the perfect deponent construction.
  24. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of egressus est; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers collectively to Israel.
  25. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative case; Function: indicates origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Expresses emergence from a place.
  26. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of the preposition ex; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Refers to the land from which Israel departed.
  27. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to populus.
  28. operuit — Lemma: operio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “has covered”; Notes: Conveys overwhelming numerical spread.
  29. superficiem — Lemma: superficies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of operuit; Translation: “surface”; Notes: Refers metaphorically to the visible expanse of the land.
  30. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive modifying superficiem; Translation: “of the land”; Notes: Specifies what surface has been covered.
  31. sedens — Lemma: sedeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: participial modifier of populus; Translation: “sitting”; Notes: Describes settled encampment in threatening proximity.
  32. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative case; Function: indicates opposition or facing position; Translation: “opposite”; Notes: Carries adversarial nuance in this context.
  33. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of the preposition contra; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to Balac speaking in the direct quotation.

 

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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