Numeri 23:22 (Numbers 23:22)

Posted on May 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 23:22 Deus eduxit illum de Ægypto, cuius fortitudo similis est rhinocerotis.

God led him out of Egypt, whose strength is like that of a rhinoceros.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Deus God NOM.SG.M.2ND DECL
2 eduxit led out 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 illum him ACC.SG.M.DEM.PRON
4 de from PREP+ABL
5 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F.2ND DECL
6 cuius whose GEN.SG.REL.PRON
7 fortitudo strength NOM.SG.F.3RD DECL
8 similis similar NOM.SG.F.POS.ADJ
9 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 rhinocerotis of a rhinoceros GEN.SG.M.3RD DECL

Syntax

Main Declarative Clause: Deus eduxit illum de Ægypto states God’s deliverance of Israel from Ægypt.

Direct Object: illum refers collectively to Israel as a singular covenant people.

Prepositional Phrase: de Ægypto identifies the place from which Israel was delivered.

Relative Clause: cuius fortitudo similis est rhinocerotis describes the extraordinary strength associated with the one delivered.

Predicate Adjective Construction: similis est compares Israel’s strength to that of a rhinoceros.

Genitive Construction: rhinocerotis depends on similis, since the adjective commonly governs the genitive in Latin.

Morphology

  1. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine second declension; Function: subject of eduxit; Translation: “God”; Notes: The noun identifies the divine agent responsible for Israel’s deliverance.
  2. eduxit — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “led out”; Notes: The perfect tense refers to the completed act of the Exodus.
  3. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of eduxit; Translation: “him”; Notes: The singular pronoun collectively represents Israel as one people.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces separation or origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: The preposition marks departure out of Ægypt.
  5. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine second declension; Function: object of the preposition de; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: The location recalls Israel’s bondage and deliverance.
  6. cuius — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: introduces the relative clause and expresses possession; Translation: “whose”; Notes: The pronoun refers back to the delivered people represented by illum.
  7. fortitudo — Lemma: fortitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine third declension; Function: subject of est; Translation: “strength”; Notes: The noun emphasizes vigor, might, and power.
  8. similis — Lemma: similis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine positive adjective; Function: predicate adjective with est; Translation: “similar”; Notes: The adjective governs the genitive rhinocerotis in this construction.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: The present tense states an enduring characteristic of strength.
  10. rhinocerotis — Lemma: rhinoceros; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine third declension; Function: genitive dependent on similis; Translation: “of a rhinoceros”; Notes: The rhinoceros symbolizes immense untamed power and force.

 

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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