Numeri 24:14 (Numbers 24:14)

Posted on May 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 24:14 Verumtamen pergens ad populum meum, dabo consilium, quid populus tuus populo huic faciat extremo tempore.

Nevertheless, while going to my people, I will give counsel concerning what your people may do to this people in the latter time.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Verumtamen nevertheless ADV
2 pergens going NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 populum people ACC.SG.M
5 meum my ACC.SG.M.POSS
6 dabo I will give 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 consilium counsel ACC.SG.N
8 quid what ACC.SG.N.REL
9 populus people NOM.SG.M
10 tuus your NOM.SG.M.POSS
11 populo to the people DAT.SG.M
12 huic this DAT.SG.M.DEM
13 faciat may do 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
14 extremo latter ABL.SG.N.POS
15 tempore time ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Adversative Opening: Verumtamen introduces a contrastive transition, signaling continuation despite prior disagreement.

Participial Construction: pergens ad populum meum functions circumstantially, describing Balaam’s departure while introducing his final statement.

Main Clause: dabo consilium expresses Balaam’s intention to provide counsel or prophetic guidance.

Indirect Question: quid populus tuus populo huic faciat functions as the content of the counsel Balaam will provide.

Subject Phrase: populus tuus identifies Balac’s people as the acting subject within the indirect question.

Dative Phrase: populo huic identifies the recipient or target of the future action.

Temporal Phrase: extremo tempore situates the predicted events in a future or latter period.

Morphology

  1. Verumtamen — Lemma: verumtamen; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable adverb; Function: Introduces contrastive transition; Translation: “nevertheless”; Notes: Signals continuation despite opposition or disappointment.
  2. pergens — Lemma: pergo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: Circumstantial participle modifying the implied subject Balaam; Translation: “going”; Notes: Describes ongoing departure while speaking.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Preposition governing accusative; Function: Introduces destination phrase; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates motion toward a destination.
  4. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine second declension; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers to Balaam’s own nation or community.
  5. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular masculine positive degree; Function: Modifies populum; Translation: “my”; Notes: Personalizes Balaam’s destination.
  6. dabo — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: First person singular future active indicative; Function: Main verb of declaration; Translation: “I will give”; Notes: Introduces forthcoming counsel or prophecy.
  7. consilium — Lemma: consilium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter second declension; Function: Direct object of dabo; Translation: “counsel”; Notes: Refers to strategic advice or prophetic revelation.
  8. quid — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: Relative-interrogative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Introduces indirect question; Translation: “what”; Notes: Opens the content clause of the counsel.
  9. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine second declension; Function: Subject of faciat; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers to Balac’s nation.
  10. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Nominative singular masculine positive degree; Function: Modifies populus; Translation: “your”; Notes: Identifies the people as belonging to Balac.
  11. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative singular masculine second declension; Function: Indirect object of faciat; Translation: “to the people”; Notes: Indicates the target of the future action.
  12. huic — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Modifies populo; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers specifically to Israel.
  13. faciat — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: Verb of indirect question; Translation: “may do”; Notes: The subjunctive is required in dependent indirect questions.
  14. extremo — Lemma: extremus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative singular neuter positive degree; Function: Modifies tempore; Translation: “latter”; Notes: Indicates a distant or final period.
  15. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter third declension; Function: Ablative of time; Translation: “time”; Notes: Refers to a future era or concluding historical period.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Numeri. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.