Numeri 27:17 (Numbers 27:17)

Posted on May 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 27:17 et possit exire et intrare ante eos, et educere eos vel introducere: ne sit populus Domini sicut oves absque pastore.

and may he be able to go out before them and come in before them, and lead them out and bring them in, so that the people of the LORD may not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 possit may be able 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
3 exire to go out INF.PRES.ACT
4 et and CONJ
5 intrare to come in INF.PRES.ACT
6 ante before PREP+ACC
7 eos them ACC.PL.M
8 et and CONJ
9 educere to lead out INF.PRES.ACT
10 eos them ACC.PL.M
11 vel or CONJ
12 introducere to bring in INF.PRES.ACT
13 ne lest CONJ
14 sit may be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
15 populus people NOM.SG.M
16 Domini LORD GEN.SG.M
17 sicut like CONJ
18 oves sheep NOM.PL.F
19 absque without PREP+ABL
20 pastore shepherd ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Jussive Relative Clause: et possit exire et intrare ante eos — continues the description of the desired leader. possit governs the infinitives exire and intrare, expressing capability for leadership.

Leadership Pair: exire et intrare ante eos — a common biblical expression describing public leadership, military guidance, and administrative oversight before the people.

Coordinated Infinitive Phrase: et educere eos vel introducere — further defines leadership by describing the ability to lead the people out and bring them in.

Purpose Clause: ne sit populus Domini sicut oves absque pastore — expresses the purpose for appointing a successor.

Comparison: sicut oves absque pastore — compares leaderless Israel to sheep lacking a shepherd.

Leadership Theme: The verse emphasizes that Israel requires a visible leader who can guide, protect, and direct the people so that they do not become scattered and vulnerable.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connective conjunction; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the description of the requested leader.
  2. possit — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Subjunctive 3rd Person Singular; Function: Main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “may be able”; Notes: Expresses the desired capability of the future leader.
  3. exire — Lemma: exeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive with possit; Translation: “to go out”; Notes: Refers to leadership in action before the people.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects infinitives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins two complementary leadership actions.
  5. intrare — Lemma: intro; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive with possit; Translation: “to come in”; Notes: Complements exire as part of a leadership pair.
  6. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the accusative; Function: Introduces a phrase of leadership position; Translation: “before”; Notes: Indicates acting in front of the people as leader.
  7. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Personal Pronoun; Form: Accusative Plural Masculine; Function: Object of ante; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the people of Israel.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects further infinitive phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the description of leadership duties.
  9. educere — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive with possit; Translation: “to lead out”; Notes: Refers to guiding the people in their movements.
  10. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Personal Pronoun; Form: Accusative Plural Masculine; Function: Direct object of educere; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the people of Israel.
  11. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects alternative but complementary actions; Translation: “or”; Notes: Here functions in the sense of “and/or.”
  12. introducere — Lemma: introduco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive with possit; Translation: “to bring in”; Notes: Refers to leading the people safely into places and situations.
  13. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces a negative purpose clause; Translation: “lest”; Notes: States the reason the leader is needed.
  14. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Subjunctive 3rd Person Singular; Function: Verb of the purpose clause; Translation: “may be”; Notes: Subjunctive used after ne.
  15. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of sit; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers to the covenant community of Israel.
  16. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Genitive modifying populus; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the owner and shepherd of Israel.
  17. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces a comparison; Translation: “like”; Notes: Establishes a simile.
  18. oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Plural Feminine; Function: Predicate nominative in the comparison; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: A common biblical metaphor for God’s people.
  19. absque — Lemma: absque; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces a phrase of absence; Translation: “without”; Notes: Indicates lack of leadership.
  20. pastore — Lemma: pastor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Masculine; Function: Object of absque; Translation: “shepherd”; Notes: Symbolizes a leader who guides, protects, and cares for the flock.

 

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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