Numeri 23:16 (Numbers 23:16)

Posted on May 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 23:16 Cui cum Dominus occurrisset, posuissetque verbum in ore eius, ait: Revertere ad Balac, et hæc loqueris ei.

And when the LORD had met him and had placed a word in his mouth, he said: “Return to Balac, and you shall speak these things to him.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cui to whom DAT.SG.REL.PRON
2 cum when CONJ
3 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M.2ND DECL
4 occurrisset had met 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
5 posuissetque and had placed 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ+CONJ
6 verbum a word ACC.SG.N.2ND DECL
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 ore mouth ABL.SG.N.3RD DECL
9 eius his GEN.SG.PERS.PRON
10 ait he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 Revertere return 2SG.PRES.DEP.IMP.MOOD
12 ad to PREP+ACC
13 Balac Balak ACC.SG.M.INDECL
14 et and CONJ
15 hæc these things ACC.PL.N.DEM.PRON
16 loqueris you shall speak 2SG.FUT.DEP.IND
17 ei to him DAT.SG.PERS.PRON

Syntax

Introductory Relative Phrase: Cui refers back to Balaam as the one encountered by the LORD.

Temporal Clause: cum Dominus occurrisset posuissetque verbum in ore eius describes the divine encounter and inspiration preceding the command.

Coordinated Verbs: occurrisset and posuissetque are linked actions within the same temporal clause.

Prepositional Phrase: in ore eius expresses the symbolic placement of divine speech into Balaam’s mouth.

Main Clause: ait introduces the LORD’s direct speech.

Imperative Clause: Revertere ad Balac commands Balaam to return to Balac.

Future Declarative Clause: hæc loqueris ei states what Balaam is required to communicate.

Dative Construction: ei functions as the indirect object of loqueris, referring to Balac.

Morphology

  1. Cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object linked with occurrisset; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: The pronoun refers back to Balaam as the recipient of the divine encounter.
  2. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: temporal conjunction; Function: introduces the temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: The conjunction frames the divine encounter as preceding the command.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine second declension; Function: subject of occurrisset and posuissetque; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: In this context Dominus refers to YHWH and is therefore translated as “LORD.”
  4. occurrisset — Lemma: occurro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the temporal clause; Translation: “had met”; Notes: The pluperfect subjunctive after cum presents the encounter as completed before the following speech.
  5. posuissetque — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic conjunction; Form: third person singular pluperfect active subjunctive with enclitic -que; Function: second verb of the temporal clause; Translation: “and had placed”; Notes: The enclitic -que closely joins the act of meeting with the imparting of divine speech.
  6. verbum — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter second declension; Function: direct object of posuissetque; Translation: “a word”; Notes: The noun refers to the divinely given prophetic message.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces the location of placement; Translation: “in”; Notes: With the ablative, the preposition expresses location rather than motion toward.
  8. ore — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter third declension; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: “mouth”; Notes: The mouth symbolizes speech and prophetic proclamation.
  9. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive modifier of ore; Translation: “his”; Notes: The pronoun refers to Balaam as the recipient of the divine word.
  10. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “he said”; Notes: The verb commonly introduces divine speech in biblical narrative.
  11. Revertere — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: second person singular present deponent imperative; Function: command addressed to Balaam; Translation: “return”; Notes: Although passive in form, the imperative has active meaning because revertor is deponent.
  12. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces the destination of Balaam’s return; Translation: “to”; Notes: The preposition marks motion toward Balac.
  13. Balac — Lemma: Balac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “Balac”; Notes: The indeclinable name relies on syntax and preposition for grammatical role.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the command to return with the command to speak; Translation: “and”; Notes: The conjunction connects Balaam’s movement with his prophetic duty.
  15. hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of loqueris; Translation: “these things”; Notes: The pronoun refers to the exact message given by the LORD.
  16. loqueris — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: second person singular future deponent indicative; Function: verb expressing commanded future speech; Translation: “you shall speak”; Notes: The future tense presents Balaam’s prophetic declaration as obligatory.
  17. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of loqueris; Translation: “to him”; Notes: The pronoun refers to Balac as the recipient of Balaam’s 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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