Numeri 24:13 (Numbers 24:13)

Posted on May 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 24:13 Si dederit mihi Balac: plenam domum suam argenti et auri, non potero præterire sermonem Domini Dei mei, ut vel boni quid, vel mali proferam ex corde meo: sed quidquid Dominus dixerit, hoc loquar?

‘If Balac should give me his house full of silver and gold, I will not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD my God, so that I might bring forth either anything good or anything evil from my own heart; but whatever the LORD will say, this I will speak’?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 dederit should give 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
3 mihi to me DAT.SG.1.PERS
4 Balac Balak NOM.SG.M
5 plenam full ACC.SG.F.POS
6 domum house ACC.SG.F
7 suam his ACC.SG.F.POSS
8 argenti of silver GEN.SG.N
9 et and CONJ
10 auri of gold GEN.SG.N
11 non not ADV
12 potero I will be able 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
13 præterire to go beyond PRES.ACT.INF
14 sermonem word ACC.SG.M
15 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
16 Dei of God GEN.SG.M
17 mei my GEN.SG.M.POSS
18 ut that CONJ
19 vel either CONJ
20 boni anything good GEN.SG.N.POS
21 quid anything ACC.SG.N.INDEF
22 vel or CONJ
23 mali anything evil GEN.SG.N.POS
24 proferam I might bring forth 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
25 ex from PREP+ABL
26 corde heart ABL.SG.N
27 meo my ABL.SG.N.POSS
28 sed but CONJ
29 quidquid whatever ACC.SG.N.REL
30 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
31 dixerit will say 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
32 hoc this ACC.SG.N.DEM
33 loquar I will speak 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Conditional Clause: Si dederit mihi Balac introduces a hypothetical condition concerning Balac’s reward.

Object Phrase: plenam domum suam argenti et auri serves as the object of dederit, describing immense wealth.

Main Clause: non potero præterire sermonem Domini Dei mei expresses Balaam’s inability to exceed divine command.

Infinitive Construction: præterire sermonem functions as the complement of potero.

Purpose/Result Clause: ut vel boni quid, vel mali proferam ex corde meo explains what Balaam cannot independently produce from himself.

Prepositional Phrase: ex corde meo identifies the internal source of speech or intention.

Contrasting Clause: sed quidquid Dominus dixerit, hoc loquar contrasts personal inability with absolute obedience to divine revelation.

Correlative Construction: quidquid … hoc links whatever the LORD says with exactly what Balaam will speak.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Conditional conjunction; Function: Introduces conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Establishes a hypothetical situation.
  2. dederit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: Verb of conditional clause; Translation: “should give”; Notes: Expresses completed future action within the condition.
  3. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Dative singular first person; Function: Indirect object of dederit; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Refers to Balaam as recipient.
  4. Balac — Lemma: Balac; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: Subject of dederit; Translation: “Balac”; Notes: The Moabite king offering reward.
  5. plenam — Lemma: plenus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine positive degree; Function: Modifies domum; Translation: “full”; Notes: Emphasizes abundance and wealth.
  6. domum — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine fourth declension; Function: Direct object of dederit; Translation: “house”; Notes: Represents a great quantity of possessions.
  7. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine positive degree; Function: Modifies domum; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Balac’s own house.
  8. argenti — Lemma: argentum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter second declension; Function: Genitive modifier of domum; Translation: “of silver”; Notes: Indicates valuable wealth filling the house.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects parallel nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins silver and gold together.
  10. auri — Lemma: aurum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter second declension; Function: Genitive modifier of domum; Translation: “of gold”; Notes: Represents precious wealth and reward.
  11. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable adverb; Function: Negates potero; Translation: “not”; Notes: Emphasizes inability.
  12. potero — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: First person singular future active indicative; Function: Main verb of declaration; Translation: “I will be able”; Notes: Expresses incapacity before divine authority.
  13. præterire — Lemma: prætereo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive with potero; Translation: “to go beyond”; Notes: Suggests overstepping divine limits.
  14. sermonem — Lemma: sermo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine third declension; Function: Direct object of præterire; Translation: “word”; Notes: Refers to divine command or revelation.
  15. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine second declension; Function: Genitive modifier of sermonem; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as supreme authority.
  16. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine second declension; Function: Appositional genitive with Domini; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Clarifies divine identity.
  17. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Genitive singular masculine positive degree; Function: Modifies Dei; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses Balaam’s acknowledgment of personal divine authority.
  18. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Subordinating conjunction; Function: Introduces subordinate clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Explains the content of what Balaam cannot do.
  19. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Introduces alternative possibility; Translation: “either”; Notes: Begins contrast between good and evil.
  20. boni — Lemma: bonus; Part of Speech: Adjective used substantivally; Form: Genitive singular neuter positive degree; Function: Partitive genitive with quid; Translation: “anything good”; Notes: Refers to favorable speech originating from oneself.
  21. quid — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: Indefinite pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of proferam; Translation: “anything”; Notes: Used with partitive genitive constructions.
  22. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Introduces second alternative; Translation: “or”; Notes: Balances the previous alternative.
  23. mali — Lemma: malus; Part of Speech: Adjective used substantivally; Form: Genitive singular neuter positive degree; Function: Partitive genitive with implied quid; Translation: “anything evil”; Notes: Refers to harmful speech originating from oneself.
  24. proferam — Lemma: profero; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: First person singular present active subjunctive; Function: Verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “I might bring forth”; Notes: The subjunctive reflects dependent potential action.
  25. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Preposition governing ablative; Function: Introduces source phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates origin or source.
  26. corde — Lemma: cor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter third declension; Function: Object of ex; Translation: “heart”; Notes: Represents inner thought or personal will.
  27. meo — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Ablative singular neuter positive degree; Function: Modifies corde; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes personal origin of speech.
  28. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Contrasts human limitation with divine authority.
  29. quidquid — Lemma: quidquid; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of dixerit; Translation: “whatever”; Notes: Expresses unrestricted divine content.
  30. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine second declension; Function: Subject of dixerit; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the true speaker behind the oracle.
  31. dixerit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “will say”; Notes: Indicates completed divine utterance prior to Balaam’s speech.
  32. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of loquar; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers precisely to what the LORD has spoken.
  33. loquar — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: First person singular future deponent indicative; Function: Main verb of concluding clause; Translation: “I will speak”; Notes: The deponent verb emphasizes authoritative utterance while retaining passive morphology.

 

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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