Numeri 23:13 (Numbers 23:13)

Posted on May 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 23:13 Dixit ergo Balac: Veni mecum in alterum locum unde partem Israel videas, et totum videre non possis, inde maledicito ei.

Therefore Balac said: “Come with me to another place from where you may see part of Israel, and may not be able to see the whole, from there you shall curse him.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 Balac Balak NOM.SG.M.INDECL
4 Veni come 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
5 mecum with me ABL.SG.PERS.PRON
6 in into PREP+ACC
7 alterum another ACC.SG.M.ADJ
8 locum place ACC.SG.M.2ND DECL
9 unde from where ADV
10 partem part ACC.SG.F.3RD DECL
11 Israel of Israel GEN.SG.M.INDECL
12 videas you may see 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
13 et and CONJ
14 totum the whole ACC.SG.M.POS.ADJ
15 videre to see PRES.ACT.INF
16 non not ADV
17 possis you may be able 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
18 inde from there ADV
19 maledicito you shall curse 2SG.FUT.ACT.IMP.MOOD
20 ei him DAT.SG.PERS.PRON

Syntax

Main Narrative Clause: Balac is the subject of Dixit, introducing Balac’s renewed attempt to persuade Balaam.

Inferential Adverb: ergo connects this proposal logically to Balaam’s previous refusal to curse Israel.

Imperative Clause: Veni mecum in alterum locum commands Balaam to relocate with Balac to a different vantage point.

Relative-Adverbial Clause: unde partem Israel videas describes the new location as one from which only part of Israel can be seen.

Coordinated Clause: et totum videre non possis explains the limitation of visibility from the new place.

Infinitive Construction: videre functions as the complementary infinitive dependent on possis.

Final Command: inde maledicito ei expresses Balac’s hope that from this altered perspective Balaam will finally curse Israel.

Dative Construction: ei appears in the dative because maledicito governs the dative case.

Morphology

  1. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: The perfect tense introduces Balac’s new proposal following Balaam’s refusal.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable inferential adverb; Function: modifies the narrative flow; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: The adverb indicates logical consequence or reaction.
  3. Balac — Lemma: Balac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: subject of Dixit; Translation: “Balac”; Notes: The proper name remains indeclinable in form.
  4. Veni — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: direct command addressed to Balaam; Translation: “come”; Notes: The imperative begins Balac’s attempt to persuade Balaam again.
  5. mecum — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: ablative singular first person with enclitic -cum; Function: accompaniment phrase; Translation: “with me”; Notes: The enclitic construction is the standard Latin form for “with me.”
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces motion toward a location; Translation: “into”; Notes: With the accusative, in expresses movement toward a place.
  7. alterum — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies locum; Translation: “another”; Notes: The adjective emphasizes a different location from the previous vantage point.
  8. locum — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine second declension; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: “place”; Notes: The location is strategically chosen by Balac.
  9. unde — Lemma: unde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: relative adverb of place; Function: introduces the descriptive clause of location; Translation: “from where”; Notes: The adverb connects the place with what can be seen from it.
  10. partem — Lemma: pars; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine third declension; Function: direct object of videas; Translation: “part”; Notes: The noun indicates only partial visibility of Israel.
  11. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine indeclinable; Function: possessive genitive modifying partem; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: The nation is viewed collectively as a single entity.
  12. videas — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the relative-adverbial clause; Translation: “you may see”; Notes: The subjunctive follows the relative adverb unde in a clause of characteristic or intended result.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the two descriptive clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: The conjunction balances partial sight with incomplete visibility.
  14. totum — Lemma: totus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantivally; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of videre; Translation: “the whole”; Notes: The adjective refers to the entirety of Israel’s camp.
  15. videre — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive dependent on possis; Translation: “to see”; Notes: The infinitive expresses the action Balaam will not fully accomplish.
  16. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb of negation; Function: negates possis; Translation: “not”; Notes: The negation highlights the limited viewpoint Balac intends.
  17. possis — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the coordinated clause; Translation: “you may be able”; Notes: The subjunctive continues the dependent descriptive sense introduced by unde.
  18. inde — Lemma: inde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb of place; Function: modifies maledicito; Translation: “from there”; Notes: The adverb points back to the newly selected vantage point.
  19. maledicito — Lemma: maledico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active imperative; Function: emphatic command addressed to Balaam; Translation: “you shall curse”; Notes: The future imperative adds force and solemnity to Balac’s demand.
  20. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of maledicito; Translation: “him”; Notes: The singular pronoun refers collectively to Israel as a unified people.

 

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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