Numeri 23:7 (Numbers 23:7)

Posted on May 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 23:7 assumptaque parabola sua, dixit: De Aram adduxit me Balac rex Moabitarum, de montibus Orientis: Veni, inquit, et maledic Iacob: propera, et detestare Israel.

and having taken up his parable, he said: “From Aram Balac the king of the Moabites brought me, from the mountains of the East: ‘Come,’ he said, ‘and curse Jacob; hasten, and denounce Israel.’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 assumptaque and having taken up ABL.SG.F.PERF.PASS.PTCP+CONJ
2 parabola parable ABL.SG.F.1ST DECL
3 sua his ABL.SG.F.POSS.PRON
4 dixit he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 De from PREP+ABL
6 Aram Aram ABL.SG.F.INDECL
7 adduxit brought 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 me me ACC.SG.PERS.PRON
9 Balac Balak NOM.SG.M.INDECL
10 rex king NOM.SG.M.3RD DECL
11 Moabitarum of the Moabites GEN.PL.M.1ST DECL
12 de from PREP+ABL
13 montibus mountains ABL.PL.M.3RD DECL
14 Orientis of the East GEN.SG.M.3RD DECL
15 Veni come 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
16 inquit he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
17 et and CONJ
18 maledic curse 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
19 Iacob Jacob DAT.SG.M.INDECL
20 propera hasten 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
21 et and CONJ
22 detestare denounce 2SG.PRES.DEP.IMP.MOOD
23 Israel Israel ACC.SG.M.INDECL

Syntax

Ablative Absolute: assumptaque parabola sua forms an ablative absolute construction introducing the beginning of Balaam’s prophetic utterance.

Main Clause: dixit is the principal narrative verb introducing Balaam’s speech.

Source Phrase: De Aram and de montibus Orientis indicate the geographical origin from which Balaam was brought.

Main Speech Clause: Balac rex Moabitarum adduxit me identifies Balac as subject, me as direct object, and rex Moabitarum as an appositional title.

Imperative Quotations: Veni, maledic Iacob, propera, and detestare Israel are commands quoted from Balac’s earlier summons to Balaam.

Parenthetical Speech Marker: inquit interrupts the quotation in classical narrative style.

Morphology

  1. assumptaque — Lemma: assumo; Part of Speech: participle with enclitic conjunction; Form: ablative singular feminine perfect passive participle with enclitic -que; Function: part of the ablative absolute construction; Translation: “and having taken up”; Notes: The participle introduces Balaam’s formal prophetic declaration or oracle.
  2. parabola — Lemma: parabola; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine first declension; Function: noun within the ablative absolute; Translation: “parable”; Notes: In biblical Latin the term often refers to a prophetic discourse or oracle.
  3. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine agreeing with parabola; Function: modifies parabola; Translation: “his”; Notes: The possessive identifies the oracle as belonging to Balaam himself.
  4. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “he said”; Notes: The perfect tense introduces the formal speech that follows.
  5. De — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces the place of origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: The preposition marks geographical source or departure.
  6. Aram — Lemma: Aram; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine indeclinable; Function: object of the preposition De; Translation: “Aram”; Notes: The place name refers to the Aramean region associated with Balaam’s homeland.
  7. adduxit — Lemma: adduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb within Balaam’s quotation; Translation: “brought”; Notes: The compound verb emphasizes movement toward Balac’s location.
  8. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular first person; Function: direct object of adduxit; Translation: “me”; Notes: Balaam refers to himself as the one summoned from afar.
  9. Balac — Lemma: Balac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: subject of adduxit; Translation: “Balac”; Notes: The indeclinable name relies on syntax for its grammatical role.
  10. rex — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine third declension; Function: apposition to Balac; Translation: “king”; Notes: The title emphasizes Balac’s royal authority.
  11. Moabitarum — Lemma: Moabita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine first declension; Function: possessive genitive modifying rex; Translation: “of the Moabites”; Notes: The genitive identifies the people over whom Balac rules.
  12. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces another source phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: The repeated preposition strengthens the geographical imagery.
  13. montibus — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine third declension; Function: object of the preposition de; Translation: “mountains”; Notes: The plural suggests a mountainous eastern region.
  14. Orientis — Lemma: oriens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine third declension; Function: modifies montibus; Translation: “of the East”; Notes: The phrase identifies the eastern lands from which Balaam came.
  15. Veni — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: command quoted from Balac’s summons; Translation: “come”; Notes: The imperative expresses urgency in Balac’s request.
  16. inquit — Lemma: inquam; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: parenthetical speech marker; Translation: “he said”; Notes: The verb interrupts the quotation in a classical literary style.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links the commands within the quotation; Translation: “and”; Notes: The conjunction joins Balac’s requests into a sequence.
  18. maledic — Lemma: maledico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: command addressed to Balaam; Translation: “curse”; Notes: The verb governs a dative object in classical and biblical Latin usage.
  19. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: indirect object of maledic; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: The dative follows the normal construction of maledico.
  20. propera — Lemma: propero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: additional command in the quotation; Translation: “hasten”; Notes: The imperative intensifies the urgency of Balac’s demand.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the final command with the preceding imperative; Translation: “and”; Notes: The conjunction continues the escalating appeal.
  22. detestare — Lemma: detestor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: second person singular present deponent imperative; Function: final command in the quotation; Translation: “denounce”; Notes: The deponent form carries active meaning and conveys formal denunciation or cursing.
  23. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: direct object of detestare; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: The nation is personified as the target of Balac’s desired condemnation.

 

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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