Numeri 24:5 (Numbers 24:5)

Posted on May 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 24:5 Quam pulchra tabernacula tua Iacob, et tentoria tua Israel!

“How beautiful are your tabernacles, Jacob, and your tents, Israel!

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quam how ADV
2 pulchra beautiful NOM.PL.N.POS
3 tabernacula tabernacles NOM.PL.N
4 tua your NOM.PL.N.POSS
5 Iacob Jacob VOC.SG.M
6 et and CONJ
7 tentoria tents NOM.PL.N
8 tua your NOM.PL.N.POSS
9 Israel Israel VOC.SG.M

Syntax

Exclamatory Construction: Quam pulchra forms an exclamatory expression emphasizing admiration and beauty.

Main Subject: tabernacula tua serves as the first nominative subject phrase being described as beautiful.

Vocative Address: Iacob directly addresses the covenant people in poetic parallelism.

Coordinated Phrase: et tentoria tua parallels the previous clause, reinforcing the imagery of Israel’s encampment.

Second Vocative: Israel stands in poetic correspondence with Iacob, repeating the address with covenantal emphasis.

Elliptical Structure: The implied verb “are” is omitted but understood naturally within the exclamatory sentence.

Morphology

  1. Quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable adverb; Function: Introduces exclamatory degree expression; Translation: “how”; Notes: Intensifies the quality being described.
  2. pulchra — Lemma: pulcher; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative plural neuter positive degree; Function: Predicate adjective modifying tabernacula and tentoria; Translation: “beautiful”; Notes: Expresses admiration for the ordered encampment of Israel.
  3. tabernacula — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural neuter second declension; Function: Subject of the exclamatory clause; Translation: “tabernacles”; Notes: Refers to dwelling places or sacred tents.
  4. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Nominative plural neuter positive degree; Function: Modifies tabernacula; Translation: “your”; Notes: Directly addresses Jacob as covenant people.
  5. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Vocative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: Direct address; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Uses the patriarchal name poetically for the nation.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects parallel poetic expressions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Reinforces the balanced poetic structure.
  7. tentoria — Lemma: tentorium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural neuter second declension; Function: Subject of the parallel clause; Translation: “tents”; Notes: Emphasizes the organized encampment of Israel.
  8. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Nominative plural neuter positive degree; Function: Modifies tentoria; Translation: “your”; Notes: Continues the direct address to Israel.
  9. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Vocative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: Direct address in poetic parallelism; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: The covenant name parallels Iacob in synonymous poetic structure.

 

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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