Numeri 23:1 (Numbers 23:1)

Posted on May 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 23:1 Dixitque Balaam ad Balac: Ædifica mihi hic septem aras, et para totidem vitulos, eiusdemque numeri arietes.

And Balaam said to Balac: “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare as many calves, and rams of the same number.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 Balaam Balaam NOM.SG.M.INDECL
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Balac Balak ACC.SG.M.INDECL
5 Ædifica build 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
6 mihi for me DAT.SG.PERS.PRON
7 hic here ADV
8 septem seven ADJ.INDECL
9 aras altars ACC.PL.F.1ST DECL
10 et and CONJ
11 para prepare 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
12 totidem as many ADJ.INDECL
13 vitulos calves ACC.PL.M.2ND DECL
14 eiusdemque and of the same GEN.SG.M.DEM.PRON+CONJ
15 numeri number GEN.SG.M.2ND DECL
16 arietes rams ACC.PL.M.3RD DECL

Syntax

Main Clause: Balaam is the subject, and Dixitque is the main verb introducing direct speech.

Prepositional Phrase: ad Balac indicates the addressee of Balaam’s speech.

First Command: Ædifica is an imperative verb addressed to Balac. aras is its direct object, modified by septem. mihi marks advantage or interest, and hic gives the location.

Second Command: para is a second imperative coordinated by et. vitulos and arietes are direct objects. totidem modifies vitulos, while eiusdemque numeri modifies arietes by expressing equal quantity.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic conjunction; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main narrative verb introducing Balaam’s speech; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: The enclitic -que links this speech act to the preceding narrative movement.
  2. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: subject of Dixitque; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: The indeclinable name retains the same form while its role is determined by syntax.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces the addressee of speech; Translation: “to”; Notes: With speech verbs, ad commonly marks the person addressed.
  4. Balac — Lemma: Balac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “Balac”; Notes: The accusative function is supplied by the preposition rather than visible inflection.
  5. Ædifica — Lemma: ædifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: first direct command given by Balaam; Translation: “build”; Notes: The imperative gives Balac an immediate ritual instruction.
  6. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular first person; Function: dative of advantage or reference; Translation: “for me”; Notes: The pronoun shows that the altars are to be prepared for Balaam’s requested rite.
  7. hic — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb of place; Function: specifies the location of the command; Translation: “here”; Notes: The word fixes the ritual action at the present site.
  8. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: modifies aras; Translation: “seven”; Notes: The number establishes the exact ritual quantity requested.
  9. aras — Lemma: ara; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine first declension; Function: direct object of Ædifica; Translation: “altars”; Notes: The plural object corresponds to the repeated sacrificial arrangement.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the two imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: The conjunction links construction of altars with preparation of sacrificial animals.
  11. para — Lemma: paro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: second direct command given by Balaam; Translation: “prepare”; Notes: The verb shifts from building altars to arranging the animals for sacrifice.
  12. totidem — Lemma: totidem; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: indeclinable adjective of equal number; Function: modifies vitulos; Translation: “as many”; Notes: It refers back to septem, meaning the same number of calves as altars.
  13. vitulos — Lemma: vitulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine second declension; Function: direct object of para; Translation: “calves”; Notes: The animals form one category of the sacrificial preparation.
  14. eiusdemque — Lemma: idem; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun with enclitic conjunction; Form: genitive singular masculine with enclitic -que; Function: modifies numeri and coordinates the phrase with the preceding object; Translation: “and of the same”; Notes: The phrase stresses numerical correspondence between the calves and the rams.
  15. numeri — Lemma: numerus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine second declension; Function: genitive of description modifying arietes; Translation: “number”; Notes: Together with eiusdemque, it means that the rams must match the same count.
  16. arietes — Lemma: aries; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine third declension; Function: second direct object of para; Translation: “rams”; Notes: The rams complete the paired sacrificial animals required for the rite.

 

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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