Numeri 27:4 (Numbers 27:4)

Posted on May 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 27:4 Retulitque Moyses causam earum ad iudicium Domini.

And Moyses brought their cause back to the judgment of the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Retulitque and brought back 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
3 causam cause ACC.SG.F
4 earum of them PERS.GEN.PL.F
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 iudicium judgment ACC.SG.N
7 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M

* In the Clementine Vulgate, this line is numbered as Numbers 27:4 because the Latin verse division combines the surrounding material differently from the Hebrew Bible, where the same sentence is counted as Numbers 27:5; the text is the same passage, but the verse numbering tradition differs.

Syntax

Main Clause: Retulitque Moyses causam earum — Moyses is the subject, Retulitque is the main verb, and causam is the direct object.

Possessive Genitive: earum modifies causam, identifying the cause as belonging to the daughters previously speaking.

Directional Phrase: ad iudicium Domini — prepositional phrase expressing the direction or destination of the legal referral.

Genitive Phrase: Domini depends on iudicium, identifying the judgment as belonging to the LORD.

Morphology

  1. Retulitque — Lemma: refero; Part of Speech: Verb with enclitic conjunction; Form: Perfect Active Indicative 3rd Person Singular with enclitic -que; Function: Main verb with connective force; Translation: “and brought back”; Notes: In this legal setting, refero means to refer or bring a matter before a higher authority.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of Retulitque; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: Preserves the Latin personal name and identifies the mediator who brings the case before the LORD.
  3. causam — Lemma: causa; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Direct object of Retulitque; Translation: “cause”; Notes: Refers to the legal matter or petition raised by the daughters.
  4. earum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Personal Pronoun; Form: Genitive Plural Feminine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying causam; Translation: “of them”; Notes: Refers back to the daughters of Salphaad as the parties whose case is being referred.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the accusative; Function: Introduces the destination of the referral; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks movement toward divine judgment rather than merely human decision.
  6. iudicium — Lemma: iudicium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Neuter; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “judgment”; Notes: Refers to a judicial decision or authoritative ruling.
  7. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Genitive modifying iudicium; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the final judge of the inheritance matter.

 

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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