Numeri 29:31 (Numbers 29:31)

Posted on May 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 29:31 et hircum pro peccato, absque holocausto sempiterno, sacrificioque eius et libamine.

And a goat for sin, besides the continual holocaust, and its sacrifice and libation.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 hircum goat ACC.SG.M
3 pro for PREP+ABL
4 peccato sin ABL.SG.N
5 absque besides PREP+ABL
6 holocausto burnt offering ABL.SG.N
7 sempiterno continual ABL.SG.N
8 sacrificioque and grain offering ABL.SG.N
9 eius its GEN.SG.PRON
10 et and CONJ
11 libamine drink offering ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Elliptical Construction: et hircum pro peccato continues the sacrificial instructions from the preceding verse, with the governing verb understood from context.

Purpose Phrase: pro peccato modifies hircum, indicating that the goat is presented as a sin offering.

Exclusion Phrase: absque holocausto sempiterno specifies that this offering is additional to, and not a replacement for, the continual burnt offering.

Associated Offerings: sacrificioque eius et libamine refers to the grain offering and drink offering belonging to the continual burnt offering. The pronoun eius modifies sacrificio and naturally extends to the coordinated libamine.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects this phrase to the preceding sacrificial list; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the sequence of prescribed offerings.
  2. hircum — Lemma: hircus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Direct object of the implied sacrificial verb; Translation: “goat”; Notes: The animal designated for the sin offering.
  3. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the Ablative; Function: Introduces purpose phrase; Translation: “for”; Notes: Indicates the purpose or reason for the sacrifice.
  4. peccato — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Neuter; Function: Object of pro; Translation: “sin”; Notes: Specifies the sacrificial category as a sin offering.
  5. absque — Lemma: absque; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the Ablative; Function: Introduces exclusion phrase; Translation: “besides”; Notes: Indicates addition rather than substitution.
  6. holocausto — Lemma: holocaustum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Neuter; Function: Object of absque; Translation: “holocaust”; Notes: Refers to the offering wholly consumed on the altar.
  7. sempiterno — Lemma: sempiternus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative Singular Neuter; Function: Modifies holocausto; Translation: “continual”; Notes: Describes the regular daily burnt offering.
  8. sacrificioque — Lemma: sacrificium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Neuter with enclitic conjunction -que; Function: Additional object governed by absque; Translation: “and sacrifice”; Notes: Refers to the cereal offering that accompanied the continual burnt offering.
  9. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive Singular; Function: Possessive modifier of sacrificio; Translation: “its”; Notes: Refers back to the continual burnt offering.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects coordinated ablative nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the grain offering with the drink offering.
  11. libamine — Lemma: libamen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Neuter; Function: Additional object governed by absque; Translation: “libation”; Notes: Refers to the liquid offering poured out before the LORD in conjunction with the burnt offering.

 

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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