Numeri 28:11 (Numbers 28:11)

Posted on May 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 28:11 In calendis autem offeretis holocaustum Domino, vitulos de armento duos, arietem unum, agnos anniculos septem immaculatos,

But on the calends you shall offer a burnt offering to the LORD: two young bulls from the herd, one ram, and seven unblemished year-old lambs.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 In on PREP+ABL
2 calendis calends ABL.PL.F
3 autem however CONJ
4 offeretis you shall offer 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
5 holocaustum burnt offering ACC.SG.N
6 Domino to LORD DAT.SG.M
7 vitulos young bulls ACC.PL.M
8 de from PREP+ABL
9 armento herd ABL.SG.N
10 duos two ACC.PL.M
11 arietem ram ACC.SG.M
12 unum one ACC.SG.M
13 agnos lambs ACC.PL.M
14 anniculos year-old ACC.PL.M
15 septem seven INDECL
16 immaculatos unblemished ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Temporal Phrase: In calendis autem — establishes the occasion of the sacrifice, namely the calends, the first day of the month.

Main Clause: offeretis holocaustum Domino — commands the presentation of a burnt offering to the LORD.

First Object Group: vitulos de armento duos — specifies two young bulls selected from the herd.

Second Object Group: arietem unum — adds a single ram to the prescribed offering.

Third Object Group: agnos anniculos septem immaculatos — completes the sacrificial list with seven year-old lambs without blemish.

Festival Expansion: The verse introduces the monthly new-moon offerings, which are larger than the regular daily and Sabbath sacrifices and mark the beginning of a new month in Israel’s worship calendar.

Morphology

  1. In — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces a temporal phrase; Translation: “on”; Notes: Marks the time when the offering is to be made.
  2. calendis — Lemma: calendae; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Plural Feminine; Function: Object of In; Translation: “calends”; Notes: Refers to the first day of the month. Calends (or kalends) refers to the first day of every month in the ancient Roman calendar. The word originates from the Latin kalendae, which comes from calare (to proclaim). Historically, priests would announce the new moon, which marked the beginning of the month.
  3. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Transitional conjunction; Translation: “however”; Notes: Introduces a new category of offerings.
  4. offeretis — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future Active Indicative 2nd Person Plural; Function: Main verb; Translation: “you shall offer”; Notes: Commands the presentation of the monthly sacrifice.
  5. holocaustum — Lemma: holocaustum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Neuter; Function: Direct object of offeretis; Translation: “burnt offering”; Notes: Refers to an offering wholly consumed upon the altar.
  6. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Dative of recipient; Translation: “to the LORD”; Notes: Identifies YHWH as the recipient of the sacrifice.
  7. vitulos — Lemma: vitulus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Plural Masculine; Function: Direct object in apposition to holocaustum; Translation: “young bulls”; Notes: The largest sacrificial animals in the offering list.
  8. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Indicates source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Specifies the origin of the animals.
  9. armento — Lemma: armentum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Neuter; Function: Object of de; Translation: “herd”; Notes: Refers to the cattle stock.
  10. duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: Accusative Plural Masculine; Function: Modifies vitulos; Translation: “two”; Notes: Specifies the number of bulls required.
  11. arietem — Lemma: aries; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Additional direct object; Translation: “ram”; Notes: The second category of sacrificial animal.
  12. unum — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies arietem; Translation: “one”; Notes: Specifies the required number of rams.
  13. agnos — Lemma: agnus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Plural Masculine; Function: Additional direct object; Translation: “lambs”; Notes: The final group of sacrificial animals.
  14. anniculos — Lemma: anniculus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative Plural Masculine; Function: Modifies agnos; Translation: “year-old”; Notes: Specifies the age requirement.
  15. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Modifies agnos; Translation: “seven”; Notes: Specifies the required number of lambs.
  16. immaculatos — Lemma: immaculatus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative Plural Masculine; Function: Modifies agnos; Translation: “unblemished”; Notes: Indicates that the lambs must be free from defect.

 

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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