Numeri 26:4 (Numbers 26:4)

Posted on May 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 26:4 a viginti annis et supra, sicut Dominus imperaverat, quorum iste est numerus:

from twenty years old and upward, just as the LORD had commanded, of whom this is the number:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 a from PREP+ABL
2 viginti twenty INDECL.NUM
3 annis years ABL.PL.M
4 et and CONJ
5 supra upward ADV
6 sicut just as CONJ
7 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
8 imperaverat had commanded 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
9 quorum of whom GEN.PL.M.REL
10 iste this NOM.SG.M.DEM
11 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 numerus number NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Age Qualification: a viginti annis et supra completes the description of those included in the census, namely men twenty years old and older.

Comparative Clause: sicut Dominus imperaverat indicates that the census was conducted in accordance with the LORD’s prior command.

Main Clause: quorum iste est numerus introduces the census totals that follow.

Subject: iste numerus functions as the subject-predicate combination of the clause.

Relative Construction: quorum refers back to those counted in the census and links the introduction to the numerical results.

Morphology

  1. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces age qualification; Translation: “from”; Notes: marks the lower boundary of eligibility.
  2. viginti — Lemma: viginti; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: modifies annis; Translation: “twenty”; Notes: establishes the minimum military age.
  3. annis — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of a; Translation: “years”; Notes: expresses age.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: joins age expressions; Translation: “and”; Notes: links the threshold age with the continuing range.
  5. supra — Lemma: supra; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies the age expression; Translation: “upward”; Notes: includes all older persons.
  6. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces comparative clause; Translation: “just as”; Notes: expresses conformity with a prior command.
  7. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: subject of imperaverat; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH and is therefore translated in all capitals.
  8. imperaverat — Lemma: impero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular pluperfect active indicative, 1st conjugation; Function: verb of comparative clause; Translation: “had commanded”; Notes: refers to a command given before the census was conducted.
  9. quorum — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: introduces relative construction; Translation: “of whom”; Notes: refers back to those enrolled in the census.
  10. iste — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies numerus; Translation: “this”; Notes: points forward to the figures about to be listed.
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: links the demonstrative with the predicate noun.
  12. numerus — Lemma: numerus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: predicate noun; Translation: “number”; Notes: introduces the census totals that follow.

 

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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