Numeri 26:63 (Numbers 26:63)

Posted on May 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 26:63 Hic est numerus filiorum Israel, qui descripti sunt a Moyse et Eleazaro sacerdote, in campestribus Moab supra Iordanem contra Iericho.

This is the number of the sons of Israel who were enrolled by Moyses and Eleazar the priest in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Hic this NOM.SG.M.DEM
2 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 numerus number NOM.SG.M
4 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M
5 Israel Israel INDECL.NOUN
6 qui who NOM.PL.M.REL
7 descripti enrolled NOM.PL.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
8 sunt were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
9 a by PREP+ABL
10 Moyse Moses ABL.SG.M
11 et and CONJ
12 Eleazaro Eleazar ABL.SG.M
13 sacerdote priest ABL.SG.M
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 campestribus plains ABL.PL.M
16 Moab Moab INDECL.NOUN
17 supra beyond PREP+ACC
18 Iordanem Jordan ACC.SG.M
19 contra opposite PREP+ACC
20 Iericho Jericho INDECL.NOUN

Syntax

Main Clause: Hic est numerus filiorum Israel summarizes the census of the Israelites.

Subject: Hic functions as the subject of est.

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

Genitive Relationship: filiorum Israel specifies whose census total is being described.

Relative Clause: qui descripti sunt a Moyse et Eleazaro sacerdote explains who conducted the enrollment.

Agent Phrase: a Moyse et Eleazaro sacerdote identifies the agents responsible for the census.

Locative Phrase: in campestribus Moab specifies where the census took place.

Geographical Description: supra Iordanem contra Iericho further defines the location as beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho.

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 result being summarized.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: links the subject and predicate.
  3. numerus — Lemma: numerus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “number”; Notes: refers to the census total.
  4. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying numerus; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: identifies those counted.
  5. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: dependent identifier modifying filiorum; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: refers to the covenant nation.
  6. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers to the sons of Israel.
  7. descripti — Lemma: describo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “enrolled”; Notes: refers to official census registration.
  8. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “were”; Notes: completes the perfect passive construction.
  9. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces the agent; Translation: “by”; Notes: marks the persons carrying out the census.
  10. Moyse — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of a; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: principal leader of Israel.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins coordinate nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: links the two agents.
  12. Eleazaro — Lemma: Eleazar; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of a; Translation: “Eleazar”; Notes: High Priest after Aaron.
  13. sacerdote — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: apposition to Eleazaro; Translation: “priest”; Notes: identifies Eleazar’s office.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: indicates where the census occurred.
  15. campestribus — Lemma: campestria; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “plains”; Notes: open plains east of the Jordan.
  16. Moab — Lemma: Moab; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: dependent geographical identifier; Translation: “Moab”; Notes: territory east of the Jordan River.
  17. supra — Lemma: supra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces geographical relation; Translation: “beyond”; Notes: describes position relative to the Jordan.
  18. Iordanem — Lemma: Iordanes; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: object of supra; Translation: “Jordan”; Notes: river separating the plains from Canaan.
  19. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces geographical orientation; Translation: “opposite”; Notes: indicates relative location.
  20. Iericho — Lemma: Iericho; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable singular; Function: object of contra; Translation: “Jericho”; Notes: city opposite the census location across the Jordan.

 

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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