Numeri 25:11 (Numbers 25:11)

Posted on May 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 25:11 Phinees filius Eleazari filii Aaron sacerdotis avertit iram meam a filiis Israel: quia zelo meo commotus est contra eos, ut non ipse delerem filios Israel in zelo meo.

“Phinees the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, turned away my wrath from the sons of Israel, because he was moved with my zeal against them, so that I myself did not destroy the sons of Israel in my zeal.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Phinees Phinehas NOM.SG.M
2 filius son NOM.SG.M
3 Eleazari of Eleazar GEN.SG.M
4 filii son GEN.SG.M
5 Aaron Aaron INDECL.NOUN
6 sacerdotis of the priest GEN.SG.M
7 avertit turned away 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 iram wrath ACC.SG.F
9 meam my ACC.SG.F.POSS
10 a from PREP+ABL
11 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
12 Israel Israel INDECL.NOUN
13 quia because CONJ
14 zelo with zeal ABL.SG.M
15 meo my ABL.SG.M.POSS
16 commotus moved NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
17 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
18 contra against PREP+ACC
19 eos them ACC.PL.M.PERS
20 ut so that CONJ
21 non not ADV
22 ipse I myself NOM.SG.M
23 delerem might destroy 1SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
24 filios sons ACC.PL.M
25 Israel Israel INDECL.NOUN
26 in in PREP+ABL
27 zelo zeal ABL.SG.M
28 meo my ABL.SG.M.POSS

Syntax

Main Clause: Phinees … avertit iram meam forms the principal statement, with Phinees as the subject and iram meam as the direct object.

Genealogical Apposition: filius Eleazari filii Aaron sacerdotis provides priestly lineage identification for Phinees.

Prepositional Phrase: a filiis Israel expresses separation, indicating from whom the wrath was removed.

Causal Clause: quia zelo meo commotus est contra eos explains the reason divine wrath was turned away.

Purpose/Result Clause: ut non ipse delerem filios Israel expresses the consequence prevented by Phinees’ zeal.

Prepositional Phrase: in zelo meo describes the sphere or intensity of divine zeal associated with potential destruction.

Morphology

  1. Phinees — Lemma: Phinees; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of avertit; Translation: “Phinees”; Notes: priestly figure commended for covenantal zeal.
  2. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: apposition identifying Phinees; Translation: “son”; Notes: introduces genealogical lineage.
  3. Eleazari — Lemma: Eleazarus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive modifying filius; Translation: “of Eleazar”; Notes: identifies the father of Phinees.
  4. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: appositional genitive continuing lineage; Translation: “son”; Notes: links Eleazar to Aaron genealogically.
  5. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: dependent identifier modifying filii; Translation: “Aaron”; Notes: refers to the first high priest of Israel.
  6. sacerdotis — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: appositional genitive describing Aaron; Translation: “of the priest”; Notes: specifies Aaron’s sacred office.
  7. avertit — Lemma: averto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative, 3rd conjugation; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “turned away”; Notes: indicates successful removal or diversion of wrath.
  8. iram — Lemma: ira; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: direct object of avertit; Translation: “wrath”; Notes: refers to divine anger provoked by Israel’s sin.
  9. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies iram; Translation: “my”; Notes: identifies the wrath as belonging to the LORD.
  10. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces separation phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: expresses removal away from a group.
  11. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of a; Translation: “sons”; Notes: part of Israel’s covenant designation.
  12. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: dependent identifier modifying filiis; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: identifies the covenant nation.
  13. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: explains the reason for divine approval.
  14. zelo — Lemma: zelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: ablative of means or manner; Translation: “with zeal”; Notes: expresses passionate covenantal fervor.
  15. meo — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies zelo; Translation: “my”; Notes: indicates zeal aligned with the LORD’s own zeal.
  16. commotus — Lemma: commoveo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle, 2nd conjugation; Function: participial component of compound perfect construction; Translation: “moved”; Notes: expresses inner stirring or passionate motivation.
  17. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb completing passive perfect construction; Translation: “was”; Notes: combines with commotus to express completed state.
  18. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces adversative phrase; Translation: “against”; Notes: expresses opposition directed toward offenders.
  19. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of contra; Translation: “them”; Notes: refers to those guilty of idolatrous immorality.
  20. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces purpose or result clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: governs the subjunctive verb that follows.
  21. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates the subjunctive verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: reverses or prevents the following action.
  22. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: emphatic subject of delerem; Translation: “I myself”; Notes: emphasizes direct divine agency.
  23. delerem — Lemma: deleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular imperfect active subjunctive, 2nd conjugation; Function: verb of purpose/result clause; Translation: “might destroy”; Notes: expresses potential action prevented by Phinees’ zeal.
  24. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of delerem; Translation: “sons”; Notes: refers collectively to the people of Israel.
  25. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: dependent identifier modifying filios; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: identifies the covenant nation.
  26. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces circumstantial phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: expresses the sphere or condition of divine action.
  27. zelo — Lemma: zelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “zeal”; Notes: refers to intense divine covenantal passion.
  28. meo — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies zelo; Translation: “my”; Notes: identifies the zeal as belonging to the LORD.

 

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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