Numeri 23:3 (Numbers 23:3)

Posted on May 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 23:3 Dixitque Balaam ad Balac: Sta paulisper iuxta holocaustum tuum, donec vadam, si forte occurrat mihi Dominus, et quodcumque imperaverit, loquar tibi.

And Balaam said to Balac: “Stand for a little while beside your holocaust, until I go, if perhaps the LORD may meet me, and whatever he shall command, I will speak to you.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 Balaam Balaam NOM.SG.M.INDECL
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Balac Balak ACC.SG.M.INDECL
5 Sta stand 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
6 paulisper for a little while ADV
7 iuxta beside PREP+ACC
8 holocaustum holocaust ACC.SG.N.2ND DECL
9 tuum your ACC.SG.N.POSS.PRON
10 donec until CONJ
11 vadam I go 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
12 si if CONJ
13 forte perhaps ADV
14 occurrat he may meet 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
15 mihi me DAT.SG.PERS.PRON
16 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M.2ND DECL
17 et and CONJ
18 quodcumque whatever ACC.SG.N.REL.PRON
19 imperaverit he shall command 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
20 loquar I will speak 1SG.FUT.DEP.IND
21 tibi to you DAT.SG.PERS.PRON

Syntax

Main Narrative Clause: Balaam is the subject, and Dixitque is the main verb introducing direct speech.

Addressee Phrase: ad Balac identifies Balac as the person addressed by Balaam.

Direct Command: Sta is the imperative verb addressed to Balac. paulisper modifies the command by limiting its duration.

Place Phrase: iuxta holocaustum tuum indicates where Balac is to stand, beside his own offering.

Temporal Clause: donec vadam marks the time limit of Balac’s standing, continuing until Balaam goes.

Conditional Clause: si forte occurrat mihi Dominus expresses possibility, with Dominus as subject and mihi as the dative complement.

Relative Object Clause: quodcumque imperaverit functions as the object content that Balaam will communicate.

Final Speech Clause: loquar tibi gives Balaam’s promised action, with tibi marking Balac as the recipient.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic conjunction; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main narrative verb introducing Balaam’s speech; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: The enclitic -que continues the narrative sequence from the preceding sacrificial preparation.
  2. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: subject of Dixitque; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: The name is indeclinable, so its nominative role is identified by sentence position and syntax.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces the addressee of the speech; Translation: “to”; Notes: With verbs of speaking, ad commonly marks the person addressed.
  4. Balac — Lemma: Balac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “Balac”; Notes: Its accusative function comes from the preposition, since the form itself does not change.
  5. Sta — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: direct command addressed to Balac; Translation: “stand”; Notes: The imperative directs Balac to remain in position beside the offering.
  6. paulisper — Lemma: paulisper; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb of time; Function: modifies Sta by specifying duration; Translation: “for a little while”; Notes: The word softens the command by indicating only a short waiting period.
  7. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces the place beside which Balac is to stand; Translation: “beside”; Notes: Here iuxta has a spatial sense rather than the conforming sense “according to.”
  8. holocaustum — Lemma: holocaustum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter second declension; Function: object of the preposition iuxta; Translation: “holocaust”; Notes: The word refers to a whole burnt offering in a ritual context.
  9. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter agreeing with holocaustum; Function: modifies holocaustum; Translation: “your”; Notes: The possessive identifies the offering as belonging to Balac or prepared under his responsibility.
  10. donec — Lemma: donec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: temporal conjunction; Function: introduces the limit of the commanded waiting; Translation: “until”; Notes: It frames Balaam’s departure as the point up to which Balac must remain.
  11. vadam — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the temporal clause introduced by donec; Translation: “I go”; Notes: The subjunctive presents the action as expected or pending within the temporal clause.
  12. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional conjunction; Function: introduces a conditional possibility; Translation: “if”; Notes: The clause expresses Balaam’s uncertainty about whether the LORD will meet him.
  13. forte — Lemma: forte; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable adverb; Function: modifies occurrat; Translation: “perhaps”; Notes: The adverb emphasizes contingency and expectation rather than certainty.
  14. occurrat — Lemma: occurro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the conditional clause; Translation: “he may meet”; Notes: The subjunctive fits the uncertain possibility introduced by si forte.
  15. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular first person; Function: dative complement of occurrat; Translation: “me”; Notes: With occurro, the person met is commonly expressed in the dative.
  16. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine second declension; Function: subject of occurrat; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: In this context Dominus refers to YHWH, so it is translated as “LORD.”
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins Balaam’s expected encounter with his promised report to Balac; Translation: “and”; Notes: The conjunction connects divine command with Balaam’s subsequent speech.
  18. quodcumque — Lemma: quodcumque; Part of Speech: indefinite relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of imperaverit and content to be spoken; Translation: “whatever”; Notes: The form expresses total openness to whatever command may be given.
  19. imperaverit — Lemma: impero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause governed by quodcumque; Translation: “he shall command”; Notes: The future perfect presents the command as prior to Balaam’s later speaking.
  20. loquar — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: first person singular future deponent indicative; Function: main verb of Balaam’s promise within the direct speech; Translation: “I will speak”; Notes: Although passive in form, loquar has active meaning because loquor is deponent.
  21. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular second person; Function: indirect object of loquar; Translation: “to you”; Notes: The pronoun identifies Balac as the recipient of Balaam’s report.

 

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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