Numeri 25:14 (Numbers 25:14)

Posted on May 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 25:14 Erat autem nomen viri Israelitæ, qui occisus est cum Madianitide, Zambri filius Salu, dux de cognatione et tribu Simeonis.

Now the name of the Israelite man who was slain with the Madianite woman was Zambri the son of Salu, a leader from the clan and tribe of Simeon.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Erat was 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
2 autem now CONJ
3 nomen name NOM.SG.N
4 viri of the man GEN.SG.M
5 Israelitæ Israelite GEN.SG.M
6 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
7 occisus slain NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
8 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 cum with PREP+ABL
10 Madianitide Midianite woman ABL.SG.F
11 Zambri Zimri NOM.SG.M
12 filius son NOM.SG.M
13 Salu Salu INDECL.NOUN
14 dux leader NOM.SG.M
15 de from PREP+ABL
16 cognatione clan ABL.SG.F
17 et and CONJ
18 tribu tribe ABL.SG.F
19 Simeonis of Simeon GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Erat … nomen forms the principal statement, introducing the identification of the slain man.

Genitival Construction: viri Israelitæ modifies nomen, specifying whose name is being identified.

Relative Clause: qui occisus est cum Madianitide modifies viri Israelitæ and describes the man who was slain.

Prepositional Phrase: cum Madianitide expresses association with the Midianite woman at the time of death.

Predicate Identification: Zambri filius Salu identifies the Israelite by name and lineage.

Apposition: dux stands in apposition to Zambri, describing his social status.

Prepositional Phrase: de cognatione et tribu Simeonis identifies the clan and tribal affiliation of Zambri.

Morphology

  1. Erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: main copulative verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: imperfect tense provides narrative background information.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: transitional connective; Translation: “now”; Notes: introduces additional explanatory detail.
  3. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: subject complement with Erat; Translation: “name”; Notes: introduces formal identification.
  4. viri — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying nomen; Translation: “of the man”; Notes: identifies the individual whose name follows.
  5. Israelitæ — Lemma: Israelita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 1st declension; Function: appositional genitive modifying viri; Translation: “Israelite”; Notes: specifies the ethnic identity of the slain man.
  6. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: introduces description of the slain Israelite.
  7. occisus — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle, 3rd conjugation; Function: participial component of passive perfect construction; Translation: “slain”; Notes: describes completed violent death.
  8. 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 occisus to form completed passive action.
  9. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces association phrase; Translation: “with”; Notes: expresses accompaniment or association.
  10. Madianitide — Lemma: Madianitis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of cum; Translation: “Midianite woman”; Notes: identifies the foreign woman slain alongside the Israelite.
  11. Zambri — Lemma: Zambri; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative identifying the slain man; Translation: “Zambri”; Notes: personal name corresponding to the Hebrew Zimri.
  12. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: apposition identifying lineage; Translation: “son”; Notes: introduces paternal identification.
  13. Salu — Lemma: Salu; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: dependent identifier modifying filius; Translation: “Salu”; Notes: identifies the father of Zambri.
  14. dux — Lemma: dux; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: apposition to Zambri; Translation: “leader”; Notes: indicates high rank or authority within the tribe.
  15. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces origin phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: expresses derivation or affiliation.
  16. cognatione — Lemma: cognatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of de; Translation: “clan”; Notes: refers to extended family grouping.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: joins two related nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: coordinates clan and tribal affiliation.
  18. tribu — Lemma: tribus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, 4th declension; Function: second object governed by de; Translation: “tribe”; Notes: denotes one of the tribal divisions of Israel.
  19. Simeonis — Lemma: Simeon; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive modifying tribu; Translation: “of Simeon”; Notes: identifies the tribe to which Zambri belonged.

 

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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