Numeri 28:18 (Numbers 28:18)

Posted on May 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 28:18 Quarum dies prima venerabilis et sancta erit: omne opus servile non facietis in ea.

Of which, the first day shall be venerable and holy; you shall do no servile work on it.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quarum of-which REL.GEN.PL.F
2 dies day NOM.SG.M
3 prima first NOM.SG.F
4 venerabilis venerable NOM.SG.F
5 et and CONJ
6 sancta holy NOM.SG.F
7 erit shall-be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
8 omne every ACC.SG.N
9 opus work ACC.SG.N
10 servile servile ACC.SG.N
11 non not ADV
12 facietis you-shall-do 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
13 in on PREP+ABL
14 ea it ABL.SG.F.DEM

Syntax

Relative Genitive: Quarum — refers back to the seven festival days mentioned in the preceding verse.

Main Clause: dies prima (subject) + erit (verb) + venerabilis et sancta (predicate adjectives).

Predicate Description: venerabilis et sancta — describes the first day as set apart for sacred observance.

Second Clause: non facietis (verb) + omne opus servile (direct object).

Prepositional Phrase: in ea — indicates the day on which the prohibition applies.

Morphology

  1. Quarum — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative Pronoun; Form: Genitive plural feminine; Function: Relative genitive referring to the festival days; Translation: “of which”; Notes: Refers back to the days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
  2. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine, 5th Declension; Function: Subject; Translation: “day”; Notes: The noun is masculine here and serves as the subject of the clause.
  3. prima — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Ordinal adjective modifying an understood feminine concept such as dies viewed as a festival day; Translation: “first”; Notes: The feminine form reflects traditional festival-day usage in ecclesiastical and biblical Latin.
  4. venerabilis — Lemma: venerabilis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “venerable”; Notes: Indicates a day worthy of reverence and honor.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects predicate adjectives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins two complementary descriptions of the day.
  6. sancta — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “holy”; Notes: Marks the day as consecrated to God.
  7. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: States the prescribed status of the day.
  8. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Modifies opus; Translation: “every”; Notes: Gives the prohibition comprehensive scope.
  9. opus — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter, 3rd Declension; Function: Direct object; Translation: “work”; Notes: Refers to labor or occupation.
  10. servile — Lemma: servilis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Modifies opus; Translation: “servile”; Notes: Refers to ordinary labor or occupational work.
  11. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Negates the verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: Creates a prohibition.
  12. facietis — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 2nd person plural; Function: Main verb of the prohibition; Translation: “you shall do”; Notes: Addresses the covenant community collectively.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the ablative; Function: Introduces temporal reference; Translation: “on”; Notes: Specifies the day during which the prohibition applies.
  14. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Demonstrative Pronoun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers back to the first festival day.

 

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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