Numeri 22:7 (Numbers 22:7)

Posted on May 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 22:7 Perrexeruntque seniores Moab, et maiores natu Madian, habentes divinationis pretium in manibus. Cumque venissent ad Balaam, et narrassent ei omnia verba Balac:

And the elders of Moab and the elders of Madian went on, having the price of divination in their hands. And when they had come to Balaam and had told him all the words of Balac;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Perrexeruntque and they went on 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 seniores elders NOM.PL.M.CMPR
3 Moab of Moab INDECL
4 et and CONJ
5 maiores elders NOM.PL.M.CMPR
6 natu by birth ABL.SG.N
7 Madian of Midian INDECL
8 habentes having PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.PL.M
9 divinationis of divination GEN.SG.F
10 pretium price ACC.SG.N
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 manibus hands ABL.PL.F
13 Cumque and when CONJ+CONJ
14 venissent they had come 3PL.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
15 ad to PREP+ACC
16 Balaam Balaam INDECL
17 et and CONJ
18 narrassent they had told 3PL.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
19 ei to him DAT.SG.M
20 omnia all ACC.PL.N
21 verba words ACC.PL.N
22 Balac of Balak INDECL

Syntax

Main Clause: Perrexeruntque seniores Moab, et maiores natu Madian — narrative clause describing the journey of the Moabite and Madianite elders.

Subject: seniores Moab and maiores natu Madian — compound subject of Perrexeruntque.

Participial Phrase: habentes divinationis pretium in manibus — circumstantial phrase describing what the elders carried.

Object Phrase: divinationis pretium — accusative object of habentes, with divinationis as dependent genitive.

Temporal Clause: Cumque venissent ad Balaam — subordinate temporal clause introducing their arrival.

Coordinated Temporal Clause: et narrassent ei omnia verba Balac — second subordinate clause describing what they reported to Balaam.

Morphology

  1. Perrexeruntque — Lemma: pergo + que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative + enclitic coordinating conjunction; Function: main narrative verb linking this action to the previous sequence; Translation: “and they went on”; Notes: The verb suggests continued movement toward the intended destination.
  2. seniores — Lemma: senior; Part of Speech: adjective used substantivally; Form: nominative plural masculine comparative degree; Function: first subject of Perrexeruntque; Translation: “elders”; Notes: Refers to men of status and authority, not merely old age.
  3. Moab — Lemma: Moab; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: dependent ethnic or territorial identifier of seniores; Translation: “of Moab”; Notes: Identifies the elders as belonging to Moab.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the two groups of elders; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects Moabite and Madianite representatives in the same mission.
  5. maiores — Lemma: maior; Part of Speech: adjective used substantivally; Form: nominative plural masculine comparative degree; Function: second subject of Perrexeruntque; Translation: “elders”; Notes: Literally “greater ones,” used for leaders or senior men.
  6. natu — Lemma: natus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of respect with maiores; Translation: “by birth”; Notes: In the idiom maiores natu, it means “elders in age.”
  7. Madian — Lemma: Madian; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: dependent ethnic or territorial identifier of maiores natu; Translation: “of Madian”; Notes: Identifies the second delegation as Madianite.
  8. habentes — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: circumstantial participle modifying the elders; Translation: “having”; Notes: Describes what accompanied their journey.
  9. divinationis — Lemma: divinatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive modifying pretium; Translation: “of divination”; Notes: Specifies the kind of payment being carried.
  10. pretium — Lemma: pretium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of habentes; Translation: “price”; Notes: Refers to the payment intended for Balaam’s divinatory service.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative case; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: With the ablative, it marks where the payment was carried.
  12. manibus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: “hands”; Notes: Conveys that the payment was physically in their possession.
  13. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction + enclitic conjunction; Form: subordinating temporal conjunction + enclitic coordinating conjunction; Function: introduces a temporal clause linked to the preceding narrative; Translation: “and when”; Notes: Sets up the background action before the next main response.
  14. venissent — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the temporal cum clause; Translation: “they had come”; Notes: The subjunctive is regular in this subordinate temporal construction.
  15. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative case; Function: introduces destination; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates movement toward Balaam.
  16. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: Foreign proper name retained without Latin inflection.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins venissent and narrassent; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects arrival with the reporting of Balac’s words.
  18. narrassent — Lemma: narro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: second verb in the temporal clause; Translation: “they had told”; Notes: A contracted form of narravissent, common in Latin verbal usage.
  19. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of narrassent; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Balaam as the recipient of the message.
  20. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies verba; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes that the message was fully transmitted.
  21. verba — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of narrassent; Translation: “words”; Notes: Refers to the message or instructions given by Balac.
  22. Balac — Lemma: Balac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: dependent possessive identifier modifying verba; Translation: “of Balac”; Notes: Identifies Balac as the source of the message.

 

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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