Numeri 23:19 (Numbers 23:19)

Posted on May 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 23:19 Non est Deus quasi homo, ut mentiatur: nec ut filius hominis, ut mutetur. Dixit ergo, et non faciet? locutus est, et non implebit?

God is not like a man, that he should lie; nor like a son of man, that he should be changed. Therefore has he spoken, and will he not do it? Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Non not ADV
2 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Deus God NOM.SG.M.2ND DECL
4 quasi like ADV
5 homo man NOM.SG.M.3RD DECL
6 ut that CONJ
7 mentiatur he should lie 3SG.PRES.DEP.SUBJ
8 nec nor CONJ
9 ut like CONJ
10 filius son NOM.SG.M.2ND DECL
11 hominis of man GEN.SG.M.3RD DECL
12 ut that CONJ
13 mutetur he should be changed 3SG.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
14 Dixit has spoken 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 ergo therefore ADV
16 et and CONJ
17 non not ADV
18 faciet will do 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
19 locutus spoken NOM.SG.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
20 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
21 et and CONJ
22 non not ADV
23 implebit will fulfill 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Declarative Clause: Non est Deus quasi homo establishes the essential distinction between God and humanity.

Comparative Construction: quasi homo compares human unreliability with the unchanging nature of God.

Purpose/Result Clause: ut mentiatur expresses the consequence denied of God, namely lying.

Coordinated Negative Clause: nec ut filius hominis extends the comparison to mortal humanity in general.

Subjunctive Clause: ut mutetur describes mutability as something foreign to God’s nature.

First Rhetorical Question: Dixit ergo, et non faciet? asks whether God could fail to perform what he has spoken.

Compound Deponent Construction: locutus est forms the perfect tense of the deponent verb loquor.

Second Rhetorical Question: locutus est, et non implebit? reinforces the certainty of divine fulfillment.

Parallelism: The two rhetorical questions form synonymous parallelism emphasizing the reliability of God’s word and action.

Morphology

  1. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb of negation; Function: negates est; Translation: “not”; Notes: The negation emphatically denies comparison between God and humanity.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: The present tense expresses timeless truth about God’s nature.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine second declension; Function: subject of est; Translation: “God”; Notes: The subject stands at the center of Balaam’s theological declaration.
  4. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable comparative adverb; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “like”; Notes: The adverb introduces a comparison that is immediately denied.
  5. homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine third declension; Function: predicate nominative after quasi; Translation: “man”; Notes: The noun represents fallen and unreliable humanity.
  6. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces the subjunctive clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: The conjunction introduces the denied consequence associated with humanity.
  7. mentiatur — Lemma: mentior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person singular present deponent subjunctive; Function: verb of the subordinate clause; Translation: “he should lie”; Notes: The deponent form has active meaning and expresses deceitful speech denied of God.
  8. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating negative conjunction; Function: joins the second negative comparison; Translation: “nor”; Notes: The conjunction strengthens the double denial.
  9. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: comparative conjunction; Function: introduces the second comparison; Translation: “like”; Notes: Here the conjunction has comparative force linked with nec.
  10. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine second declension; Function: predicate nominative within the comparison; Translation: “son”; Notes: The expression broadens the comparison to mortal descendants of humanity.
  11. hominis — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine third declension; Function: possessive genitive modifying filius; Translation: “of man”; Notes: The phrase filius hominis emphasizes mortal human limitation.
  12. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces the subjunctive clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: The conjunction introduces the denied possibility of change.
  13. mutetur — Lemma: muto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present passive subjunctive; Function: verb of the subordinate clause; Translation: “he should be changed”; Notes: The passive voice highlights mutability as something that could happen to humans but not to God.
  14. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the rhetorical question; Translation: “has spoken”; Notes: The perfect tense refers to God’s completed declaration.
  15. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable inferential adverb; Function: modifies the rhetorical question; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: The adverb draws a logical conclusion from God’s unchanging nature.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the clauses of the rhetorical question; Translation: “and”; Notes: The conjunction links divine speech with divine action.
  17. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb of negation; Function: negates faciet; Translation: “not”; Notes: The negation intensifies the rhetorical certainty.
  18. faciet — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: verb of the rhetorical question; Translation: “will do”; Notes: The future tense emphasizes inevitable fulfillment of divine action.
  19. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect deponent participle; Function: part of the compound perfect verb; Translation: “spoken”; Notes: The participle combines with est to form the perfect tense.
  20. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb in the deponent perfect construction; Translation: “has”; Notes: The auxiliary completes the perfect tense of loquor.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the second rhetorical question; Translation: “and”; Notes: The conjunction reinforces the parallel structure.
  22. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb of negation; Function: negates implebit; Translation: “not”; Notes: The negation heightens the certainty implied in the rhetorical question.
  23. implebit — Lemma: impleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: verb of the rhetorical question; Translation: “will fulfill”; Notes: The future tense expresses the certainty of fulfillment of God’s spoken word.

 

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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