Numeri 24:10 (Numbers 24:10)

Posted on May 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 24:10 Iratusque Balac contra Balaam, complosis manibus ait: Ad maledicendum inimicis meis vocavi te, quibus econtrario tertio benedixisti:

And Balac, having become angry against Balaam, clapping his hands together, said: “I called you to curse my enemies, but on the contrary you have blessed them now for the third time;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Iratusque and having become angry NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
2 Balac Balak NOM.SG.M
3 contra against PREP+ACC
4 Balaam Balaam ACC.SG.M
5 complosis having been clapped together ABL.PL.F.PERF.PASS.PTCP
6 manibus hands ABL.PL.F
7 ait said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 Ad for PREP+ACC
9 maledicendum cursing GER.ACC.SG.N
10 inimicis enemies DAT.PL.M
11 meis my DAT.PL.M.POSS
12 vocavi I called 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 te you ACC.SG.2.PERS
14 quibus whom DAT.PL.M.REL
15 econtrario on the contrary ADV
16 tertio for the third time ADV
17 benedixisti you blessed 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Participial Construction: Iratusque Balac introduces Balac’s emotional state before the main action.

Prepositional Phrase: contra Balaam specifies the object of Balac’s anger.

Ablative Absolute: complosis manibus forms an ablative absolute describing the accompanying gesture of clapping hands together in frustration.

Main Clause: ait functions as the principal verb introducing direct speech.

Purpose Construction: Ad maledicendum inimicis meis explains the purpose for which Balaam had been summoned.

Main Verbal Clause: vocavi te states Balac’s original action of calling Balaam.

Relative Clause: quibus econtrario tertio benedixisti contrasts Balaam’s actual conduct with Balac’s expectations.

Adverbial Expressions: econtrario and tertio intensify the irony and repetition of Balaam’s blessings.

Morphology

  1. Iratusque — Lemma: irascor; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle with enclitic conjunction; Function: Circumstantial participle modifying Balac; Translation: “and having become angry”; Notes: Describes Balac’s emotional reaction with the enclitic -que linking the narrative flow.
  2. Balac — Lemma: Balac; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: Subject of ait; Translation: “Balac”; Notes: The Moabite king reacting against Balaam’s blessings.
  3. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Preposition governing accusative; Function: Introduces adversarial phrase; Translation: “against”; Notes: Expresses hostility or opposition.
  4. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: Object of contra; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: Identifies the target of Balac’s anger.
  5. complosis — Lemma: complodo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Ablative plural feminine perfect passive participle; Function: Part of ablative absolute construction; Translation: “having been clapped together”; Notes: Refers to striking the hands together in agitation or anger.
  6. manibus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural feminine fourth declension; Function: Noun within ablative absolute; Translation: “hands”; Notes: Indicates the physical gesture accompanying Balac’s frustration.
  7. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular present active indicative; Function: Main verb introducing direct speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Common biblical speech-introduction verb.
  8. Ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Preposition governing accusative; Function: Introduces purpose phrase; Translation: “for”; Notes: Marks intended purpose or goal.
  9. maledicendum — Lemma: maledico; Part of Speech: Gerund; Form: Accusative singular neuter gerund; Function: Object of Ad expressing purpose; Translation: “cursing”; Notes: The gerund expresses the action Balac intended Balaam to perform.
  10. inimicis — Lemma: inimicus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative plural masculine second declension; Function: Indirect object of maledicendum; Translation: “enemies”; Notes: Refers to the hostile people Balac opposed.
  11. meis — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Dative plural masculine positive degree; Function: Modifies inimicis; Translation: “my”; Notes: Personalizes the conflict from Balac’s perspective.
  12. vocavi — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: First person singular perfect active indicative; Function: Main verb of Balac’s statement; Translation: “I called”; Notes: Refers to Balac summoning Balaam.
  13. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Accusative singular second person; Function: Direct object of vocavi; Translation: “you”; Notes: Directly addresses Balaam.
  14. quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Dative plural masculine; Function: Indirect object within relative clause; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Refers back to inimicis.
  15. econtrario — Lemma: econtrario; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable adverb; Function: Modifies benedixisti; Translation: “on the contrary”; Notes: Highlights the reversal of Balac’s expectations.
  16. tertio — Lemma: tertio; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable adverb; Function: Temporal-frequency modifier; Translation: “for the third time”; Notes: Emphasizes repeated blessing instead of cursing.
  17. benedixisti — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Second person singular perfect active indicative; Function: Main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “you blessed”; Notes: The completed action contrasts sharply with Balac’s intentions.

 

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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