Numeri 27:14 (Numbers 27:14)

Posted on May 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 27:14 quia offendistis me in deserto Sin in contradictione multitudinis, nec sanctificare me voluistis coram ea super aquas. hæ sunt aquæ contradictionis in Cades deserti Sin.

because you offended me in the wilderness of Sin during the rebellion of the multitude, and you were not willing to sanctify me before them over the waters. These are the waters of contradiction in Cades of the wilderness of Sin.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quia because CONJ
2 offendistis you offended 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
3 me me ACC.SG
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 deserto wilderness ABL.SG.N
6 Sin Sin INDECL
7 in during PREP+ABL
8 contradictione rebellion ABL.SG.F
9 multitudinis of multitude GEN.SG.F
10 nec and not CONJ
11 sanctificare to sanctify INF.PRES.ACT
12 me me ACC.SG
13 voluistis you were willing 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
14 coram before PREP+ABL
15 ea them ABL.SG.F
16 super over PREP+ACC
17 aquas waters ACC.PL.F
18 hæ these NOM.PL.F
19 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
20 aquæ waters NOM.PL.F
21 contradictionis of contradiction GEN.SG.F
22 in in PREP+ABL
23 Cades Kadesh INDECL
24 deserti of wilderness GEN.SG.N
25 Sin Sin INDECL

Syntax

Causal Clause: quia offendistis me in deserto Sin — gives the reason why Moyses will not enter the Land. offendistis is the main verb, and me is its direct object.

Prepositional Phrase: in contradictione multitudinis — identifies the occasion of the offense, namely the rebellion of the multitude.

Coordinated Clause: nec sanctificare me voluistis — states a second charge: failing to sanctify the LORD before the people.

Prepositional Phrase: coram ea — indicates before whom the sanctification should have occurred.

Prepositional Phrase: super aquas — identifies the circumstance involving the waters.

Identification Clause: hæ sunt aquæ contradictionis — identifies the specific waters associated with the rebellion.

Locative Phrase: in Cades deserti Sin — specifies the geographical location of the event.

Morphology

  1. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces a causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Explains the reason for the divine judgment.
  2. offendistis — Lemma: offendo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative 2nd Person Plural; Function: Main verb of the causal clause; Translation: “you offended”; Notes: Refers to the disobedience of Moyses and Aaron.
  3. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Personal Pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular; Function: Direct object of offendistis; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to the LORD.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces a location phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks the place where the offense occurred.
  5. deserto — Lemma: desertum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Neuter; Function: Object of in; Translation: “wilderness”; Notes: Refers to the wilderness region.
  6. Sin — Lemma: Sin; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Apposition to deserto; Translation: “Sin”; Notes: Preserves the Latin biblical place name.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces a circumstance phrase; Translation: “during”; Notes: Indicates the setting in which the offense occurred.
  8. contradictione — Lemma: contradictio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “rebellion”; Notes: Refers to opposition against divine authority.
  9. multitudinis — Lemma: multitudo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Feminine; Function: Genitive modifying contradictione; Translation: “of multitude”; Notes: Identifies the rebels as the gathered people.
  10. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Negative coordinator; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Introduces a second accusation.
  11. sanctificare — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive with voluistis; Translation: “to sanctify”; Notes: Refers to treating the LORD as holy before the people.
  12. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Personal Pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular; Function: Direct object of sanctificare; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to the LORD.
  13. voluistis — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative 2nd Person Plural; Function: Main verb of the coordinated clause; Translation: “you were willing”; Notes: Used negatively with nec, meaning “you were not willing.”
  14. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the audience before whom the action should occur; Translation: “before”; Notes: Indicates public witness.
  15. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Personal Pronoun; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of coram; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers collectively to the multitude.
  16. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the accusative; Function: Introduces the matter under discussion; Translation: “over”; Notes: Refers to the incident involving the waters.
  17. aquas — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Plural Feminine; Function: Object of super; Translation: “waters”; Notes: Refers to the waters associated with the rebellion.
  18. hæ — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: Demonstrative Pronoun; Form: Nominative Plural Feminine; Function: Subject of sunt; Translation: “these”; Notes: Points to the waters just mentioned.
  19. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Indicative 3rd Person Plural; Function: Copulative verb; Translation: “are”; Notes: Links the subject to its identification.
  20. aquæ — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Plural Feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “waters”; Notes: Identifies the subject.
  21. contradictionis — Lemma: contradictio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Feminine; Function: Genitive modifying aquæ; Translation: “of contradiction”; Notes: Gives the traditional designation of the waters.
  22. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces a location phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks geographical location.
  23. Cades — Lemma: Cades; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Object of in; Translation: “Cades”; Notes: Preserves the Latin biblical place name.
  24. deserti — Lemma: desertum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Neuter; Function: Genitive modifying Cades; Translation: “of wilderness”; Notes: Specifies which Cades is intended.
  25. Sin — Lemma: Sin; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Apposition to deserti; Translation: “Sin”; Notes: Identifies the wilderness region.

 

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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