Numeri 23:27 (Numbers 23:27)

Posted on May 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 23:27 Et ait Balac ad eum: Veni, et ducam te ad alium locum: si forte placeat Deo ut inde maledicas eis.

And Balac said to him: “Come, and I shall lead you to another place: if perhaps it may please God that from there you may curse them.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Balac Balak NOM.SG.M.INDECL
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 eum him ACC.SG.M.PERS.PRON
6 Veni come 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
7 et and CONJ
8 ducam I shall lead 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 te you ACC.SG.PERS.PRON
10 ad to PREP+ACC
11 alium another ACC.SG.M.ADJ
12 locum place ACC.SG.M.2ND DECL
13 si if CONJ
14 forte perhaps ADV
15 placeat it may please 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
16 Deo God DAT.SG.M.2ND DECL
17 ut that CONJ
18 inde from there ADV
19 maledicas you may curse 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
20 eis them DAT.PL.PERS.PRON

Syntax

Main Narrative Clause: Et ait Balac ad eum introduces Balac’s continued attempt to influence Balaam.

Imperative Clause: Veni directly commands Balaam to accompany Balac again.

Future Main Clause: et ducam te ad alium locum expresses Balac’s intention to lead Balaam elsewhere.

Direct Object: te functions as the object of ducam.

Conditional Clause: si forte placeat Deo introduces uncertainty regarding God’s approval.

Dative Construction: Deo functions as the indirect object with the impersonal verb placeat.

Subordinate Clause: ut inde maledicas eis expresses the hoped-for result or purpose of the new location.

Dative Construction: eis serves as the indirect object of maledicas.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: connects the statement with the preceding narrative; Translation: “and”; Notes: The conjunction continues the dialogue between Balac and Balaam.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: The verb introduces Balac’s continued appeal.
  3. Balac — Lemma: Balac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: subject of ait; Translation: “Balac”; Notes: The indeclinable name identifies the Moabite king.
  4. 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 direction toward Balaam.
  5. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “him”; Notes: The pronoun refers to Balaam.
  6. 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 expresses Balac’s continued insistence.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the command with the future action; Translation: “and”; Notes: The conjunction links invitation with promised movement.
  8. ducam — Lemma: duco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of the future clause; Translation: “I shall lead”; Notes: The future tense expresses Balac’s intended action.
  9. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular second person; Function: direct object of ducam; Translation: “you”; Notes: The pronoun refers to Balaam as the one being led.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces destination; Translation: “to”; Notes: The preposition marks movement toward another location.
  11. alium — Lemma: alius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies locum; Translation: “another”; Notes: The adjective emphasizes a different vantage point.
  12. locum — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine second declension; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “place”; Notes: The location is intended to provide a new perspective over Israel.
  13. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conditional conjunction; Function: introduces the conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: The conjunction expresses uncertainty or possibility.
  14. forte — Lemma: forte; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: modifies placeat; Translation: “perhaps”; Notes: The adverb softens the statement with uncertainty.
  15. placeat — Lemma: placeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the conditional clause; Translation: “it may please”; Notes: The subjunctive reflects uncertainty or hoped-for possibility.
  16. Deo — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine second declension; Function: indirect object with placeat; Translation: “God”; Notes: The impersonal verb placeo commonly governs the dative.
  17. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces the subordinate clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: The conjunction introduces the hoped-for outcome.
  18. inde — Lemma: inde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb of place; Function: modifies maledicas; Translation: “from there”; Notes: The adverb points to the newly chosen location.
  19. maledicas — Lemma: maledico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the subordinate clause; Translation: “you may curse”; Notes: The subjunctive expresses Balac’s hoped-for possibility.
  20. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of maledicas; Translation: “them”; Notes: The plural pronoun refers to the people of Israel.

 

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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