Numeri 25:4 (Numbers 25:4)

Posted on May 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 25:4 ait ad Moysen: Tolle cunctos principes populi, et suspende eos contra solem in patibulis: ut avertatur furor meus ab Israel.

said to Moyses: “Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them on gallows before the sun, so that my fury may be turned away from Israel.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ait said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
4 Tolle take 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
5 cunctos all ACC.PL.M
6 principes chiefs ACC.PL.M
7 populi of the people GEN.SG.M
8 et and CONJ
9 suspende hang 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
10 eos them ACC.PL.M.PERS
11 contra before PREP+ACC
12 solem sun ACC.SG.M
13 in on PREP+ABL
14 patibulis gallows ABL.PL.N
15 ut so that CONJ
16 avertatur may be turned away 3SG.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
17 furor fury NOM.SG.M
18 meus my NOM.SG.M.POSS
19 ab from PREP+ABL
20 Israel Israel INDECL.NOUN

Syntax

Main Clause: ait governs direct speech addressed ad Moysen.

Imperative Clause 1: Tolle cunctos principes populi contains the command verb Tolle with principes as the direct object modified by cunctos and the dependent genitive populi.

Imperative Clause 2: suspende eos gives a second command, with eos functioning as the direct object.

Prepositional Phrases: contra solem indicates public exposure before the sun, while in patibulis expresses the means or location of suspension.

Purpose Clause: ut avertatur furor meus ab Israel expresses intended result or purpose using the subjunctive verb avertatur.

Subject of Purpose Clause: furor meus functions as the subject of avertatur.

Morphology

  1. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: narrative introductory verb governing direct speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: defective verb commonly used in biblical and classical dialogue formulas.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object phrase; Translation: “to”; Notes: expresses direction toward a person.
  3. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: Greek-derived biblical name with irregular declensional behavior in Latin.
  4. Tolle — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: main command verb; Translation: “take”; Notes: imperative expressing direct divine command.
  5. cunctos — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies principes; Translation: “all”; Notes: emphasizes totality without exception.
  6. principes — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, 3rd declension; Function: direct object of Tolle; Translation: “chiefs”; Notes: refers to leaders or prominent men among the people.
  7. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying principes; Translation: “of the people”; Notes: specifies the group over which the leaders presided.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: joins two imperative clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: coordinates successive commands.
  9. suspende — Lemma: suspendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative, 3rd conjugation; Function: second command verb; Translation: “hang”; Notes: denotes suspension or public execution.
  10. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of suspende; Translation: “them”; Notes: refers back to the chiefs of the people.
  11. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces spatial phrase; Translation: “before”; Notes: can express exposure or position facing something publicly.
  12. solem — Lemma: sol; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: object of contra; Translation: “sun”; Notes: emphasizes public visibility in daylight.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative or instrumental phrase; Translation: “on”; Notes: with ablative indicates position or placement.
  14. patibulis — Lemma: patibulum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter, 2nd declension; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: “gallows”; Notes: refers to wooden structures used for suspension or execution.
  15. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: governs the subjunctive mood in clauses of purpose.
  16. avertatur — Lemma: averto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present passive subjunctive, 3rd conjugation; Function: verb of the purpose clause; Translation: “may be turned away”; Notes: passive form expressing removal or withdrawal of wrath.
  17. furor — Lemma: furor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: subject of avertatur; Translation: “fury”; Notes: denotes intense divine anger or wrath.
  18. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies furor; Translation: “my”; Notes: emphasizes the wrath as belonging to the LORD.
  19. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces separation phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: expresses movement away or removal.
  20. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: object of the preposition ab; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: refers collectively to the covenant people.

 

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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