Numeri 24:9 (Numbers 24:9)

Posted on May 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 24:9 Accubans dormivit ut leo, et quasi leæna, quam suscitare nullus audebit. Qui benedixerit tibi, erit et ipse benedictus: qui maledixerit, in maledictione reputabitur.

Lying down, he slept like a lion, and like a lioness, whom no one will dare to awaken. He who blesses you will himself also be blessed; he who curses you will be regarded in a curse.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Accubans lying down NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
2 dormivit slept 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 ut like CONJ
4 leo lion NOM.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 quasi like ADV
7 leæna lioness NOM.SG.F
8 quam whom ACC.SG.F.REL
9 suscitare to awaken PRES.ACT.INF
10 nullus no one NOM.SG.M.INDEF
11 audebit will dare 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
12 Qui he who NOM.SG.M.REL
13 benedixerit will bless 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
14 tibi you DAT.SG.2.PERS
15 erit will be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
16 et also ADV
17 ipse himself NOM.SG.M
18 benedictus blessed NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
19 qui he who NOM.SG.M.REL
20 maledixerit will curse 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
21 in in PREP+ABL
22 maledictione curse ABL.SG.F
23 reputabitur will be regarded 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND

Syntax

Participial Construction: Accubans functions circumstantially, describing the posture accompanying the main action.

Main Clause: dormivit ut leo compares Israel’s repose to the fearless rest of a lion.

Comparative Phrase: quasi leæna intensifies the imagery through parallel comparison with a lioness.

Relative Clause: quam suscitare nullus audebit modifies leæna, emphasizing untouchable strength and fearsome majesty.

Blessing Formula: Qui benedixerit tibi, erit et ipse benedictus presents reciprocal blessing toward those who bless Israel.

Curse Formula: qui maledixerit, in maledictione reputabitur presents reciprocal judgment upon those who curse.

Passive Construction: reputabitur expresses resulting status or reckoning under divine judgment.

Morphology

  1. Accubans — Lemma: accubo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: Circumstantial participle modifying the implied subject; Translation: “lying down”; Notes: Suggests settled repose and fearless rest.
  2. dormivit — Lemma: dormio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: Main verb of the clause; Translation: “slept”; Notes: Indicates secure and undisturbed rest.
  3. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Comparative conjunction; Function: Introduces simile; Translation: “like”; Notes: Begins comparison with the lion.
  4. leo — Lemma: leo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine third declension; Function: Predicate comparison; Translation: “lion”; Notes: Symbolizes royal strength and fearlessness.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects parallel imagery; Translation: “and”; Notes: Expands the poetic comparison.
  6. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable comparative adverb; Function: Introduces second simile; Translation: “like”; Notes: Reinforces figurative imagery.
  7. leæna — Lemma: leæna; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine first declension; Function: Predicate comparison; Translation: “lioness”; Notes: Emphasizes protective and untamable power.
  8. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object within relative clause; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Refers back to leæna.
  9. suscitare — Lemma: suscito; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive with audebit; Translation: “to awaken”; Notes: Describes disturbing the resting lioness.
  10. nullus — Lemma: nullus; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine indefinite; Function: Subject of audebit; Translation: “no one”; Notes: Expresses total absence of courage among opponents.
  11. audebit — Lemma: audeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular future active indicative; Function: Main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “will dare”; Notes: Predicts fearful hesitation before Israel’s strength.
  12. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of blessing formula; Translation: “he who”; Notes: Introduces a general conditional principle.
  13. benedixerit — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: Verb of conditional relative clause; Translation: “will bless”; Notes: Expresses completed future action with continuing consequence.
  14. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Dative singular second person; Function: Indirect object of benedixerit; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Israel collectively.
  15. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular future active indicative; Function: Main verb of resulting clause; Translation: “will be”; Notes: Announces future state resulting from blessing.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable adverb; Function: Intensifies reciprocal statement; Translation: “also”; Notes: Emphasizes corresponding blessing.
  17. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: Intensive pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Emphatic subject complement; Translation: “himself”; Notes: Highlights personal participation in the blessing.
  18. benedictus — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: Predicate adjective with erit; Translation: “blessed”; Notes: Indicates reception of divine favor.
  19. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of curse formula; Translation: “he who”; Notes: Introduces the opposing reciprocal principle.
  20. maledixerit — Lemma: maledico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: Verb of conditional relative clause; Translation: “will curse”; Notes: Expresses hostile speech or invocation of harm.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Preposition governing ablative; Function: Introduces resulting condition; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates the sphere or condition of judgment.
  22. maledictione — Lemma: maledictio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine third declension; Function: Object of in; Translation: “curse”; Notes: Refers to divine condemnation or judgment.
  23. reputabitur — Lemma: reputo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular future passive indicative; Function: Main verb of concluding clause; Translation: “will be regarded”; Notes: Expresses judicial reckoning or assignment of status.

 

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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