Numeri 24:4 (Numbers 24:4)

Posted on May 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 24:4 dixit auditor sermonum Dei, qui visionem Omnipotentis intuitus est, qui cadit, et sic aperiuntur oculi eius:

the hearer of the words of God said, who has gazed upon the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, and thus his eyes are opened:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 auditor hearer NOM.SG.M
3 sermonum of the words GEN.PL.M
4 Dei of God GEN.SG.M
5 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
6 visionem vision ACC.SG.F
7 Omnipotentis of the Almighty GEN.SG.M
8 intuitus having gazed upon NOM.SG.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
9 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
11 cadit falls 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 et and CONJ
13 sic thus ADV
14 aperiuntur are opened 3PL.PRES.PASS.IND
15 oculi eyes NOM.PL.M
16 eius his GEN.SG.M.POSS

Syntax

Main Declaration: dixit auditor sermonum Dei introduces the prophetic speaker as the hearer of divine words.

Genitive Construction: sermonum Dei functions as a dependent genitive describing the source and content of the words heard.

Relative Clause: qui visionem Omnipotentis intuitus est modifies the prophetic speaker and describes his visionary experience.

Object Phrase: visionem Omnipotentis serves as the object of the deponent participial construction.

Second Relative Clause: qui cadit further characterizes the prophetic figure through physical posture or ecstatic collapse.

Coordinated Clause: et sic aperiuntur oculi eius expresses the resulting state of spiritual or prophetic perception.

Passive Construction: aperiuntur governs oculi as the grammatical subject in a passive verbal expression.

Morphology

  1. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: Main introductory verb of prophetic speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Introduces the solemn oracle formula.
  2. auditor — Lemma: auditor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine third declension; Function: Subject complement identifying the speaker; Translation: “hearer”; Notes: Emphasizes receptive access to divine revelation.
  3. sermonum — Lemma: sermo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine third declension; Function: Genitive modifier of auditor; Translation: “of the words”; Notes: Refers to spoken divine utterances or messages.
  4. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine second declension; Function: Genitive modifier of sermonum; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Identifies the divine source of revelation.
  5. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Introduces relative clause modifying the speaker; Translation: “who”; Notes: Links descriptive clauses to the prophetic figure.
  6. visionem — Lemma: visio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine third declension; Function: Direct object of intuitus est; Translation: “vision”; Notes: Refers to supernatural revelation perceived visually.
  7. Omnipotentis — Lemma: Omnipotens; Part of Speech: Adjective used substantivally; Form: Genitive singular masculine third declension; Function: Genitive modifier of visionem; Translation: “of the Almighty”; Notes: A divine title stressing supreme power.
  8. intuitus — Lemma: intueor; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Nominative singular masculine perfect deponent participle; Function: Predicate participle with est; Translation: “having gazed upon”; Notes: The deponent form carries active meaning despite passive morphology.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular present active indicative; Function: Auxiliary verb with perfect participle; Translation: “is”; Notes: Completes the perfect deponent verbal expression.
  10. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Introduces second descriptive relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Continues characterization of the prophetic speaker.
  11. cadit — Lemma: cado; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular present active indicative; Function: Verb of the relative clause; Translation: “falls”; Notes: May imply prophetic ecstasy or overwhelming divine encounter.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects related clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links physical posture with resulting revelation.
  13. sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable adverb; Function: Modifies aperiuntur; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Indicates consequence or resulting condition.
  14. aperiuntur — Lemma: aperio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural present passive indicative; Function: Main verb of coordinated clause; Translation: “are opened”; Notes: The passive voice emphasizes reception of insight rather than self-action.
  15. oculi — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine second declension; Function: Subject of aperiuntur; Translation: “eyes”; Notes: Symbolizes perception, especially prophetic understanding.
  16. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive modifier of oculi; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers back to the prophetic speaker.

 

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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