Numeri 23:11 (Numbers 23:11)

Posted on May 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 23:11 Dixitque Balac ad Balaam: Quid est hoc quod agis? Ut malediceres inimicis meis vocavi te: et tu econtrario benedicis eis.

And Balac said to Balaam: “What is this that you are doing? I called you so that you might curse my enemies, and you on the contrary bless them.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 Balac Balak NOM.SG.M.INDECL
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Balaam Balaam ACC.SG.M.INDECL
5 Quid what NOM.SG.N.INTJ.PRON
6 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 hoc this NOM.SG.N.DEM.PRON
8 quod that ACC.SG.N.REL.PRON
9 agis you are doing 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 Ut so that CONJ
11 malediceres you might curse 2SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
12 inimicis to the enemies DAT.PL.M.3RD DECL
13 meis my DAT.PL.M.POSS.PRON
14 vocavi I called 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 te you ACC.SG.PERS.PRON
16 et and CONJ
17 tu you NOM.SG.PERS.PRON
18 econtrario on the contrary ADV
19 benedicis you bless 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
20 eis them DAT.PL.PERS.PRON

Syntax

Main Narrative Clause: Balac is the subject of Dixitque, introducing Balac’s direct response to Balaam.

Addressee Phrase: ad Balaam identifies Balaam as the recipient of the speech.

Interrogative Clause: Quid est hoc quod agis forms a rhetorical question expressing Balac’s frustration and astonishment.

Relative Clause: quod agis modifies hoc, specifying the action Balac objects to.

Purpose Clause: Ut malediceres inimicis meis explains the purpose for which Balac summoned Balaam.

Main Verb Clause: vocavi te expresses Balac’s deliberate action in calling Balaam.

Contrasting Clause: et tu econtrario benedicis eis contrasts Balaam’s actual behavior with Balac’s expectation.

Dative Construction: inimicis meis and eis appear in the dative because malediceres and benedicis govern the dative case.

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 Balac’s speech; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: The enclitic -que continues the narrative sequence from Balaam’s oracle.
  2. Balac — Lemma: Balac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: subject of Dixitque; Translation: “Balac”; Notes: The proper name remains unchanged because it is indeclinable.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces the addressee of the speech; Translation: “to”; Notes: The preposition marks the direction of speech.
  4. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: Syntax rather than inflection determines the accusative role.
  5. Quid — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate nominative in the interrogative clause; Translation: “what”; Notes: The interrogative pronoun conveys Balac’s shock and protest.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copulative verb of the interrogative clause; Translation: “is”; Notes: The present tense gives immediacy to Balac’s reaction.
  7. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject complement with Quid est; Translation: “this”; Notes: The pronoun points directly to Balaam’s unexpected blessing.
  8. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of agis; Translation: “that”; Notes: The pronoun refers back to hoc and introduces the explanatory relative clause.
  9. agis — Lemma: ago; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “you are doing”; Notes: The present tense emphasizes Balaam’s current action.
  10. Ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces the purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: The conjunction explains Balac’s intention in summoning Balaam.
  11. malediceres — Lemma: maledico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the purpose clause; Translation: “you might curse”; Notes: The imperfect subjunctive follows ut in a past purpose construction.
  12. inimicis — Lemma: inimicus; Part of Speech: noun used substantivally; Form: dative plural masculine second declension; Function: indirect object of malediceres; Translation: “to the enemies”; Notes: The dative case follows the normal construction of maledico.
  13. meis — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine agreeing with inimicis; Function: modifies inimicis; Translation: “my”; Notes: The possessive pronoun personalizes Balac’s hostility toward Israel.
  14. vocavi — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb explaining Balac’s action; Translation: “I called”; Notes: The perfect tense presents the summons as completed action.
  15. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular second person; Function: direct object of vocavi; Translation: “you”; Notes: The pronoun directly identifies Balaam as the summoned individual.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the expected action with the contrasting reality; Translation: “and”; Notes: The conjunction prepares for the sharp contrast that follows.
  17. tu — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular second person; Function: emphatic subject of benedicis; Translation: “you”; Notes: The explicit pronoun adds emphasis and personal accusation.
  18. econtrario — Lemma: econtrario; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: modifies benedicis; Translation: “on the contrary”; Notes: The adverb highlights the reversal of Balac’s expectations.
  19. benedicis — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of the contrasting clause; Translation: “you bless”; Notes: The verb governs the dative and directly contrasts with malediceres.
  20. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of benedicis; Translation: “them”; Notes: The pronoun refers to the Israelites whom Balac intended to be cursed.

 

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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