Numeri 24:2 (Numbers 24:2)

Posted on May 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 24:2 et elevans oculos, vidit Israel in tentoriis commorantem per tribus suas: et irruente in se spiritu Dei,

and lifting up his eyes, he saw Israel dwelling in tents according to their tribes, and the Spirit of God rushing upon him,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 elevans lifting up NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
3 oculos eyes ACC.PL.M
4 vidit he saw 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 Israel Israel ACC.SG.M
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 tentoriis tents ABL.PL.N
8 commorantem dwelling ACC.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
9 per according to PREP+ACC
10 tribus tribes ACC.PL.F
11 suas their ACC.PL.F.POSS
12 et and CONJ
13 irruente rushing upon ABL.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
14 in upon PREP+ACC
15 se himself ACC.SG.REFL
16 spiritu Spirit ABL.SG.M
17 Dei of God GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Participial Phrase: elevans oculos functions circumstantially, describing Balaam’s action preceding the main verb.

Main Clause: vidit is the central narrative verb, with Israel functioning as its direct object.

Locative Phrase: in tentoriis specifies the place where Israel was dwelling.

Participial Modifier: commorantem modifies Israel, describing Israel’s settled condition.

Distributive Phrase: per tribus suas explains the orderly arrangement of Israel according to tribal divisions.

Ablative Absolute: irruente in se spiritu Dei forms an ablative absolute construction expressing accompanying circumstance as the divine Spirit came powerfully upon Balaam.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects clauses and actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the narrative sequence smoothly.
  2. elevans — Lemma: elevo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: Circumstantial participle modifying the implied subject Balaam; Translation: “lifting up”; Notes: Describes an action simultaneous with perception.
  3. oculos — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural masculine second declension; Function: Direct object of elevans; Translation: “eyes”; Notes: The plural commonly denotes physical sight or attention.
  4. vidit — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: Main verb of the sentence; Translation: “he saw”; Notes: Marks completed visual perception.
  5. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: Direct object of vidit; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: Represents the covenant people collectively.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Preposition governing ablative; Function: Introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates position or location.
  7. tentoriis — Lemma: tentorium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural neuter second declension; Function: Object of in; Translation: “tents”; Notes: Refers to the encampment structures of Israel.
  8. commorantem — Lemma: commoror; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Accusative singular masculine present active participle; Function: Modifies Israel; Translation: “dwelling”; Notes: Emphasizes settled or continued residence.
  9. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Preposition governing accusative; Function: Introduces distributive phrase; Translation: “according to”; Notes: Indicates arrangement or distribution.
  10. tribus — Lemma: tribus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine fourth declension; Function: Object of per; Translation: “tribes”; Notes: Refers to the tribal divisions of Israel.
  11. suas — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative plural feminine positive degree; Function: Modifies tribus; Translation: “their”; Notes: Reflexively refers back to Israel collectively.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects the vision with the divine action; Translation: “and”; Notes: Marks progression from observation to inspiration.
  13. irruente — Lemma: irruo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Ablative singular masculine present active participle; Function: Part of ablative absolute construction; Translation: “rushing upon”; Notes: Conveys sudden and forceful divine movement.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Preposition governing accusative; Function: Introduces directional phrase; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Expresses movement toward a target.
  15. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: Reflexive pronoun; Form: Accusative singular reflexive; Function: Object of in; Translation: “himself”; Notes: Refers reflexively to Balaam.
  16. spiritu — Lemma: spiritus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine fourth declension; Function: Subject of the ablative absolute; Translation: “Spirit”; Notes: Denotes divine empowering presence.
  17. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine second declension; Function: Genitive modifier of spiritu; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Specifies the Spirit’s divine origin.

 

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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