Numeri 25:18 (Numbers 25:18)

Posted on May 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 25:18 quia et ipsi hostiliter egerunt contra vos, et decepere insidiis per idolum Phogor, et Cozbi filiam ducis Madian sororem suam, quæ percussa est in die plagæ pro sacrilegio Phogor.

because they also acted hostilely against you, and deceived you through the idol of Phogor, and through Cozbi the daughter of the leader of Madian, their sister, who was struck down on the day of the plague because of the sacrilege of Phogor.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quia because CONJ
2 et also ADV
3 ipsi they themselves NOM.PL.M
4 hostiliter hostilely ADV
5 egerunt acted 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
6 contra against PREP+ACC
7 vos you ACC.PL.PERS
8 et and CONJ
9 decepere deceived 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
10 insidiis with snares ABL.PL.F
11 per through PREP+ACC
12 idolum idol ACC.SG.N
13 Phogor Peor INDECL.NOUN
14 et and CONJ
15 Cozbi Cozbi ACC.SG.F
16 filiam daughter ACC.SG.F
17 ducis of the leader GEN.SG.M
18 Madian Madian INDECL.NOUN
19 sororem sister ACC.SG.F
20 suam their own ACC.SG.F.POSS
21 quæ who NOM.SG.F.REL
22 percussa struck down NOM.SG.F.PERF.PASS.PTCP
23 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
24 in on PREP+ABL
25 die day ABL.SG.M
26 plagæ of the plague GEN.SG.F
27 pro because of PREP+ABL
28 sacrilegio sacrilege ABL.SG.N
29 Phogor Peor INDECL.NOUN

Syntax

Causal Clause: quia … egerunt explains the reason for the command against the Midianites.

Main Verbal Clause: ipsi hostiliter egerunt contra vos describes the Midianites’ hostile conduct toward Israel.

Prepositional Phrase: contra vos expresses opposition directed toward Israel.

Coordinated Clause: et decepere insidiis adds a second hostile action involving deceit and entrapment.

Instrumental Phrase: insidiis functions as an ablative of means, expressing the method of deception.

Prepositional Phrases: per idolum Phogor and et Cozbi filiam ducis Madian identify the means and persons through whom the deception occurred.

Apposition: sororem suam stands in apposition to Cozbi, identifying her as one belonging to their own people.

Relative Clause: quæ percussa est modifies Cozbi.

Temporal Phrase: in die plagæ identifies the time of her death.

Causal Phrase: pro sacrilegio Phogor explains the reason connected with the plague and judgment.

Morphology

  1. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: provides the reason for divine judgment.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifying particle; Translation: “also”; Notes: emphasizes additional guilt or participation.
  3. ipsi — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of egerunt; Translation: “they themselves”; Notes: places emphasis directly on the Midianites.
  4. hostiliter — Lemma: hostiliter; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies egerunt; Translation: “hostilely”; Notes: describes conduct characterized by enmity.
  5. egerunt — Lemma: ago; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative, 3rd conjugation; Function: main verb of the causal clause; Translation: “acted”; Notes: expresses deliberate hostile behavior.
  6. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces adversative phrase; Translation: “against”; Notes: expresses opposition or hostility.
  7. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of contra; Translation: “you”; Notes: refers collectively to Israel.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: joins related hostile actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: coordinates violence with deception.
  9. decepere — Lemma: decipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative, 3rd conjugation; Function: coordinated verb; Translation: “deceived”; Notes: contracted poetic or elevated form of deceperunt.
  10. insidiis — Lemma: insidiæ; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine, 1st declension; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with snares”; Notes: refers to deceitful plots or traps.
  11. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces means or agency phrase; Translation: “through”; Notes: expresses instrumentality.
  12. idolum — Lemma: idolum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: object of per; Translation: “idol”; Notes: refers to the false deity connected with Phogor.
  13. Phogor — Lemma: Phogor; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: dependent identifier modifying idolum; Translation: “Phogor”; Notes: refers to Baal-Peor worship.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: joins two instrumental means of deception; Translation: “and”; Notes: connects idolatry with Cozbi’s role.
  15. Cozbi — Lemma: Cozbi; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object implied under per; Translation: “Cozbi”; Notes: Midianite woman associated with Israel’s seduction.
  16. filiam — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: apposition to Cozbi; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: introduces paternal lineage.
  17. ducis — Lemma: dux; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying filiam; Translation: “of the leader”; Notes: indicates noble or political status.
  18. Madian — Lemma: Madian; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: dependent identifier modifying ducis; Translation: “Madian”; Notes: geographical and ethnic designation.
  19. sororem — Lemma: soror; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: apposition to Cozbi; Translation: “sister”; Notes: denotes one belonging to the same people or kinship group.
  20. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies sororem; Translation: “their own”; Notes: reflexively refers back to the Midianites.
  21. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers back to Cozbi.
  22. percussa — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: nominative singular feminine perfect passive participle, 3rd conjugation; Function: participial component of passive perfect construction; Translation: “struck down”; Notes: describes violent judgment already completed.
  23. 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 percussa to form completed passive action.
  24. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces temporal phrase; Translation: “on”; Notes: with ablative expresses time.
  25. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 5th declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “day”; Notes: indicates the time of judgment.
  26. plagæ — Lemma: plaga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying die; Translation: “of the plague”; Notes: refers to the divine punishment afflicting Israel.
  27. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces causal phrase; Translation: “because of”; Notes: expresses reason or cause.
  28. sacrilegio — Lemma: sacrilegium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: object of pro; Translation: “sacrilege”; Notes: denotes profanation through idolatry and immorality.
  29. Phogor — Lemma: Phogor; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: dependent identifier modifying sacrilegio; Translation: “Phogor”; Notes: identifies the idolatrous cult associated with the offense.

 

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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