Numeri 26:43 (Numbers 26:43)

Posted on May 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 26:43 omnes fuere Suhamitæ, quorum numerus erat sexaginta quattuor millia quadringenti.

All were Suhamites, whose number was sixty-four thousand four hundred.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 omnes all NOM.PL.M
2 fuere were 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Suhamitæ Shuhamites NOM.PL.M
4 quorum whose GEN.PL.M.REL
5 numerus number NOM.SG.M
6 erat was 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
7 sexaginta sixty INDECL.NUM
8 quattuor four INDECL.NUM
9 millia thousand NOM.PL.N
10 quadringenti four hundred NOM.PL.M.NUM

Syntax

Main Clause: omnes fuere Suhamitæ states that all the descendants of Dan belonged to the Suhamite clan.

Subject: omnes functions as the subject of fuere.

Predicate Nominative: Suhamitæ identifies the clan affiliation of the entire tribe.

Relative Clause: quorum numerus erat provides the census total for the Suhamites.

Subject of Relative Clause: numerus functions as the subject of erat.

Numerical Predicate: sexaginta quattuor millia quadringenti states the total population counted.

Genealogical Function: The verse concludes the census listing of the tribe of Dan by giving its final population total.

Morphology

  1. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine, 3rd declension; Function: subject of fuere; Translation: “all”; Notes: refers collectively to the descendants of Dan.
  2. fuere — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “were”; Notes: poetic and historical equivalent of fuerunt.
  3. Suhamitæ — Lemma: Suhamita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine, 1st declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Suhamites”; Notes: identifies the sole clan descended from Dan in this census.
  4. quorum — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: links the relative clause to Suhamitæ; Translation: “whose”; Notes: refers back to the Suhamites.
  5. numerus — Lemma: numerus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: subject of erat; Translation: “number”; Notes: refers to the census total.
  6. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: introduces the recorded census figure.
  7. sexaginta — Lemma: sexaginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: part of numerical predicate; Translation: “sixty”; Notes: first component of the total population.
  8. quattuor — Lemma: quattuor; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: completes the number sixty-four; Translation: “four”; Notes: combines with sexaginta to form the total.
  9. millia — Lemma: mille; Part of Speech: numeral noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: part of numerical predicate; Translation: “thousand”; Notes: denotes groups of one thousand.
  10. quadringenti — Lemma: quadringenti; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: completes the numerical predicate; Translation: “four hundred”; Notes: completes the total of 64,400.

 

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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