Numeri 24:8 (Numbers 24:8)

Posted on May 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 24:8 Deus eduxit illum de Ægypto, cuius fortitudo similis est rhinocerotis. Devorabunt gentes hostes illius, ossaque eorum confringent, et perforabunt sagittis.

God brought him out of Egypt, whose strength is like the rhinoceros. They will devour the nations that are his enemies, and they will break their bones, and they will pierce them with arrows.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Deus God NOM.SG.M
2 eduxit brought out 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 illum him ACC.SG.M.DEM
4 de from PREP+ABL
5 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F
6 cuius whose GEN.SG.M.REL
7 fortitudo strength NOM.SG.F
8 similis similar NOM.SG.F.POS
9 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 rhinocerotis to the rhinoceros GEN.SG.M
11 Devorabunt they will devour 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
12 gentes nations ACC.PL.F
13 hostes enemies ACC.PL.M
14 illius his GEN.SG.M.POSS
15 ossaque and bones ACC.PL.N
16 eorum their GEN.PL.M.POSS
17 confringent they will break 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
18 et and CONJ
19 perforabunt they will pierce 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
20 sagittis with arrows ABL.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Deus eduxit illum de Ægypto declares divine deliverance, with Deus as subject and illum as direct object.

Source Phrase: de Ægypto specifies the place from which deliverance occurred.

Relative Clause: cuius fortitudo similis est rhinocerotis modifies illum, describing extraordinary strength through comparison.

Predicate Construction: similis est forms a predicate adjective construction expressing likeness.

Future Military Clause: Devorabunt gentes hostes illius predicts conquest over hostile nations.

Coordinated Clause: ossaque eorum confringent intensifies the imagery of destruction through violent metaphor.

Instrumental Phrase: sagittis functions instrumentally with perforabunt, indicating the means of attack.

Morphology

  1. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine second declension; Function: Subject of eduxit; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to the divine deliverer of Israel.
  2. eduxit — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: Main verb of deliverance statement; Translation: “brought out”; Notes: Commonly used for the exodus from Ægypt.
  3. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of eduxit; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers collectively to Israel.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Preposition governing ablative; Function: Introduces source phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates origin or departure point.
  5. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine second declension; Function: Object of de; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Refers to the land of Israel’s bondage.
  6. cuius — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Introduces relative clause; Translation: “whose”; Notes: Refers back to illum.
  7. fortitudo — Lemma: fortitudo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine third declension; Function: Subject of est; Translation: “strength”; Notes: Denotes power, might, or vigor.
  8. similis — Lemma: similis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular feminine positive degree; Function: Predicate adjective with est; Translation: “similar”; Notes: Takes a genitive complement in this construction.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular present active indicative; Function: Copulative verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links subject and predicate adjective.
  10. rhinocerotis — Lemma: rhinoceros; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine third declension; Function: Genitive complement of similis; Translation: “to the rhinoceros”; Notes: Symbolizes exceptional strength and untamed power.
  11. Devorabunt — Lemma: devoro; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural future active indicative; Function: Main verb of conquest prophecy; Translation: “they will devour”; Notes: Uses consuming imagery for total military victory.
  12. gentes — Lemma: gens; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine third declension; Function: Direct object of Devorabunt; Translation: “nations”; Notes: Refers to foreign peoples opposed to Israel.
  13. hostes — Lemma: hostis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural masculine third declension; Function: Appositional modifier of gentes; Translation: “enemies”; Notes: Clarifies the hostile character of the nations.
  14. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive modifier of hostes; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers back to Israel collectively.
  15. ossaque — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural neuter third declension with enclitic conjunction; Function: Direct object of confringent; Translation: “and bones”; Notes: The enclitic -que closely joins this clause to the previous one.
  16. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Possessive modifier of ossaque; Translation: “their”; Notes: Refers to the defeated enemies.
  17. confringent — Lemma: confringo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural future active indicative; Function: Main verb of coordinated clause; Translation: “they will break”; Notes: Conveys violent crushing force.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects final military action; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the progression of conquest imagery.
  19. perforabunt — Lemma: perforo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural future active indicative; Function: Main verb of final clause; Translation: “they will pierce”; Notes: Describes penetration or deadly wounding.
  20. sagittis — Lemma: sagitta; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural feminine first declension; Function: Instrumental ablative with perforabunt; Translation: “with arrows”; Notes: Indicates the means by which the enemies are struck.

 

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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