Numeri 22:6 (Numbers 22:6)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:6 Veni igitur, et maledic populo huic, quia fortior me est: siquo modo possim percutere et eiicere eum de terra mea. novi enim quod benedictus sit cui benedixeris, et maledictus in quem maledicta congesseris.

Come therefore, and curse this people, because it is stronger than I. Perhaps in some way I may be able to strike and cast it out from my land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he upon whom you heap curses is cursed.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Veni come 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
2 igitur therefore ADV
3 et and CONJ
4 maledic curse 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
5 populo people DAT.SG.M
6 huic this DAT.SG.M
7 quia because CONJ
8 fortior stronger NOM.SG.M.CMPR
9 me than me ABL.SG
10 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 siquo if by some ABL.SG.M
12 modo manner ABL.SG.M
13 possim I may be able 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
14 percutere to strike PRES.ACT.INF
15 et and CONJ
16 eiicere to cast out PRES.ACT.INF
17 eum him ACC.SG.M
18 de from PREP+ABL
19 terra land ABL.SG.F
20 mea my ABL.SG.F
21 novi I know 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
22 enim for CONJ
23 quod that CONJ
24 benedictus blessed NOM.SG.M
25 sit is 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
26 cui to whom DAT.SG.M.REL
27 benedixeris you shall have blessed 2SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ
28 et and CONJ
29 maledictus cursed NOM.SG.M
30 in upon PREP+ACC
31 quem whom ACC.SG.M.REL
32 maledicta curses ACC.PL.N
33 congesseris you shall have heaped 2SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Imperative Clause: Veni igitur, et maledic populo huic — direct command urging Balaam to come and curse the people.

Dative Object: populo huic — indirect object governed by maledic.

Causal Clause: quia fortior me est — clause explaining why the curse is requested.

Potential Clause: siquo modo possim percutere et eiicere eum de terra mea — subordinate clause expressing hoped-for possibility.

Infinitival Complements: percutere and eiicere — infinitives dependent upon possim.

Prepositional Phrase: de terra mea — phrase indicating removal from territorial possession.

Main Clause: novi enim — explanatory statement introducing Balac’s belief regarding Balaam’s power.

Content Clause: quod benedictus sit cui benedixeris — clause expressing the effectiveness of Balaam’s blessing.

Coordinated Clause: et maledictus in quem maledicta congesseris — parallel clause expressing the effectiveness of Balaam’s curse.

Morphology

  1. Veni — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: “come”; Notes: Opens the direct appeal made to Balaam.
  2. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: connective particle; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Draws a conclusion from the preceding circumstances.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the imperative verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the actions requested of Balaam.
  4. maledic — Lemma: maledico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: “curse”; Notes: Governs a dative object in Latin usage.
  5. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of maledic; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers collectively to Israel.
  6. huic — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies populo; Translation: “this”; Notes: Points specifically to the nearby or presently discussed people.
  7. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces the causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Explains the reason for Balac’s request.
  8. fortior — Lemma: fortis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine comparative degree; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “stronger”; Notes: Expresses comparative military or political power.
  9. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: ablative of comparison; Translation: “than me”; Notes: Used after a comparative adjective without quam.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links the subject with the predicate adjective.
  11. siquo — Lemma: siqui; Part of Speech: indefinite adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies modo; Translation: “if by some”; Notes: Forms part of the idiomatic expression siquo modo.
  12. modo — Lemma: modus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: part of an adverbial phrase; Translation: “manner”; Notes: Together with siquo means “perhaps in some way.”
  13. possim — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb expressing possibility; Translation: “I may be able”; Notes: The subjunctive reflects uncertainty or hope.
  14. percutere — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive dependent on possim; Translation: “to strike”; Notes: Can imply military defeat or violent attack.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the infinitives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects striking with expulsion.
  16. eiicere — Lemma: eiicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive dependent on possim; Translation: “to cast out”; Notes: Implies forcible expulsion from territory.
  17. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of eiicere; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers collectively to the people as a singular entity.
  18. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative case; Function: indicates separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks removal away from a place.
  19. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of the preposition de; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to Balac’s territorial domain.
  20. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses personal or royal possession.
  21. novi — Lemma: nosco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect active indicative with present meaning; Function: main verb introducing knowledge; Translation: “I know”; Notes: The perfect form functions semantically as a present tense.
  22. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: explanatory conjunction; Function: introduces explanation; Translation: “for”; Notes: Gives the rationale for Balac’s confidence in Balaam.
  23. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces the content clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces what Balac claims to know.
  24. benedictus — Lemma: benedictus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “blessed”; Notes: Describes one receiving favor or prosperity.
  25. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the content clause; Translation: “is”; Notes: The subjunctive appears within dependent reported speech.
  26. cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of benedixeris; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: Refers to the recipient of blessing.
  27. benedixeris — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “you shall have blessed”; Notes: Emphasizes completed action prior to the resulting state.
  28. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the parallel clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects blessing and cursing in balanced structure.
  29. maledictus — Lemma: maledictus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “cursed”; Notes: Expresses condemnation or misfortune.
  30. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative case; Function: indicates target; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Carries hostile or directional nuance here.
  31. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Refers to the target of the curse.
  32. maledicta — Lemma: maledictum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of congesseris; Translation: “curses”; Notes: Refers to spoken imprecations or condemnations.
  33. congesseris — Lemma: congero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “you shall have heaped”; Notes: Literally suggests piling up or accumulating curses.

 

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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