Numeri 27:23 (Numbers 27:23)

Posted on May 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 27’23 Et impositis capiti eius manibus, cuncta replicavit quæ mandaverat Dominus.

And after placing his hands upon his head, he carried out everything that the LORD had commanded.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 impositis having been placed PTCP.ABL.PL.F
3 capiti upon head DAT.SG.N
4 eius his POSS.GEN.SG
5 manibus hands ABL.PL.F
6 cuncta all things ACC.PL.N
7 replicavit carried out 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 quæ which REL.ACC.PL.N
9 mandaverat had commanded 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
10 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Ablative Absolute: impositis capiti eius manibus — an ablative absolute describing the circumstance accompanying the main action. The laying on of hands signifies the public commissioning of Josue.

Main Clause: cuncta replicavit — replicavit is the main verb and cuncta is its direct object.

Relative Clause: quæ mandaverat Dominus — modifies cuncta, specifying that these were the things commanded by the LORD.

Commissioning Summary: The verse concludes the installation of Josue by emphasizing that Moyses fully carried out every instruction that the LORD had given.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connective conjunction; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the narrative sequence.
  2. impositis — Lemma: impono; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Perfect Passive Participle Ablative Plural Feminine; Function: Part of the ablative absolute construction; Translation: “having been placed”; Notes: Refers to the ceremonial laying on of hands.
  3. capiti — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative Singular Neuter; Function: Dative with impono; Translation: “upon head”; Notes: Identifies the recipient location of the hands.
  4. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Personal Pronoun; Form: Genitive Singular; Function: Modifies capiti; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Josue.
  5. manibus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Plural Feminine; Function: Noun of the ablative absolute; Translation: “hands”; Notes: Symbol of authority, blessing, and commissioning.
  6. cuncta — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: Adjective used substantivally; Form: Accusative Plural Neuter; Function: Direct object of replicavit; Translation: “all things”; Notes: Refers to the entirety of the LORD’s instructions.
  7. replicavit — Lemma: replico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative 3rd Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “carried out”; Notes: Here conveys the idea of fully executing or performing what was commanded.
  8. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative Pronoun; Form: Accusative Plural Neuter; Function: Direct object of mandaverat; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to cuncta.
  9. mandaverat — Lemma: mando; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect Active Indicative 3rd Person Singular; Function: Verb of the relative clause; Translation: “had commanded”; Notes: Refers to instructions given previously.
  10. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of mandaverat; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, the source of the commands.

 

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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