Numeri 26:57 (Numbers 26:57)

Posted on May 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 26:57 Hic quoque est numerus filiorum Levi per familias suas: Gerson, a quo familia Gersonitarum: Caath, a quo famiia Caathitarum: Merari, a quo familia Meraritarum.

This also is the number of the sons of Levi according to their families: Gerson, from whom came the family of the Gersonites; Caath, from whom came the family of the Caathites; Merari, from whom came the family of the Merarites.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Hic this NOM.SG.M.DEM
2 quoque also ADV
3 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 numerus number NOM.SG.M
5 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M
6 Levi Levi INDECL.NOUN
7 per according to PREP+ACC
8 familias families ACC.PL.F
9 suas their ACC.PL.F.POSS
10 Gerson Gershon INDECL.NOUN
11 a from PREP+ABL
12 quo whom ABL.SG.M.REL
13 familia family NOM.SG.F
14 Gersonitarum of the Gershonites GEN.PL.M
15 Caath Kohath INDECL.NOUN
16 a from PREP+ABL
17 quo whom ABL.SG.M.REL
18 famiia family NOM.SG.F
19 Caathitarum of the Kohathites GEN.PL.M
20 Merari Merari INDECL.NOUN
21 a from PREP+ABL
22 quo whom ABL.SG.M.REL
23 familia family NOM.SG.F
24 Meraritarum of the Merarites GEN.PL.M

Syntax

Introductory Clause: Hic quoque est numerus filiorum Levi per familias suas introduces the census listing of the Levites according to their family divisions.

Subject: Hic functions as the subject of est.

Predicate Nominative: numerus identifies what “this” refers to.

Genitive Relationship: filiorum Levi specifies that the census concerns the descendants of Levi.

Prepositional Phrase: per familias suas indicates organization according to family divisions.

Genealogical Entries: Gerson, a quo familia Gersonitarum, Caath, a quo famiia Caathitarum, and Merari, a quo familia Meraritarum identify the three principal Levitical family branches.

Genealogical Function: The verse begins the census of the tribe of Levi, listing the ancestral heads from whom the major Levitical clans descended.

Morphology

  1. Hic — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of est; Translation: “this”; Notes: points to the census record that follows.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifier; Translation: “also”; Notes: adds the Levites to the preceding census records.
  3. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: links the subject with its identification.
  4. numerus — Lemma: numerus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “number”; Notes: refers to the census total and classification.
  5. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying numerus; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: identifies the descendants being counted.
  6. Levi — Lemma: Levi; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: dependent identifier modifying filiorum; Translation: “Levi”; Notes: ancestor of the priestly tribe.
  7. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces classification phrase; Translation: “according to”; Notes: indicates arrangement by family groups.
  8. familias — Lemma: familia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, 1st declension; Function: object of per; Translation: “families”; Notes: refers to clan divisions.
  9. suas — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies familias; Translation: “their”; Notes: refers to the descendants of Levi.
  10. Gerson — Lemma: Gerson; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: ancestral founder; Translation: “Gerson”; Notes: progenitor of one of the three major Levitical divisions.
  11. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces ancestry relationship; Translation: “from”; Notes: marks descent.
  12. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of a; Translation: “whom”; Notes: refers to Gerson.
  13. familia — Lemma: familia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: subject of implied genealogical statement; Translation: “family”; Notes: designates a clan division.
  14. Gersonitarum — Lemma: Gersonita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, 1st declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying familia; Translation: “of the Gersonites”; Notes: clan name derived from Gerson.
  15. Caath — Lemma: Caath; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: ancestral founder; Translation: “Caath”; Notes: progenitor of the Kohathite branch.
  16. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces ancestry relationship; Translation: “from”; Notes: marks descent.
  17. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of a; Translation: “whom”; Notes: refers to Caath.
  18. famiia — Lemma: familia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: subject of implied genealogical statement; Translation: “family”; Notes: the Clementine text here contains the spelling famiia instead of the more common familia.
  19. Caathitarum — Lemma: Caathita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, 1st declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying famiia; Translation: “of the Caathites”; Notes: clan name derived from Caath.
  20. Merari — Lemma: Merari; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: ancestral founder; Translation: “Merari”; Notes: progenitor of the Merarite branch.
  21. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces ancestry relationship; Translation: “from”; Notes: marks descent.
  22. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of a; Translation: “whom”; Notes: refers to Merari.
  23. familia — Lemma: familia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: subject of implied genealogical statement; Translation: “family”; Notes: designates a clan division.
  24. Meraritarum — Lemma: Merarita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, 1st declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying familia; Translation: “of the Merarites”; Notes: clan name derived from Merari.

 

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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