Numeri 3:13 (Numbers 3:13)

Posted on April 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 3:13 Meum est enim omne primogenitum: ex quo percussi primogenitos in Terra Ægypti: sanctificavi mihi quidquid primum nascitur in Israel ab homine usque ad pecus, mei sunt: ego Dominus.

For every firstborn is mine from the time I struck the firstborn in the Land of Egypt I have set apart for myself whatever is first born in Israel from man even to livestock mine they are I am the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Meum mine NOM.SG.N
2 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 enim for CONJ
4 omne every NOM.SG.N
5 primogenitum firstborn NOM.SG.N
6 ex from PREP+ABL
7 quo which ABL.SG.N.REL
8 percussi I struck 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 primogenitos firstborn ACC.PL.M
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 Terra land ABL.SG.F
12 Ægypti Egypt GEN.SG.F
13 sanctificavi I set apart 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 mihi for myself DAT.SG
15 quidquid whatever NOM.SG.N
16 primum first ACC.SG.N
17 nascitur is born 3SG.PRES.PASS.IND
18 in in PREP+ABL
19 Israel Israel INDECL
20 ab from PREP+ABL
21 homine man ABL.SG.M
22 usque even to ADV
23 ad to PREP+ACC
24 pecus livestock ACC.SG.N
25 mei mine NOM.PL.M
26 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
27 ego I NOM.SG
28 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Meum est omne primogenitum — predicate construction with possessive adjective + copula

Explanatory Conjunction: enim — introduces justification

Relative Temporal Clause: ex quo percussi primogenitos — indicates time from which action applies

Locative Phrase: in Terra Ægypti — specifies location of event

Main Clause 2: sanctificavi mihi quidquid nascitur — verb + dative of advantage + indefinite pronoun + passive verb

Extent Phrase: ab homine usque ad pecus — expresses total range

Main Clause 3: mei sunt — predicate possession

Final Declaration: ego Dominus — emphatic identification

Morphology

  1. Meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate; Translation: mine; Notes: agrees with primogenitum.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: links subject and predicate.
  3. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: postpositive; Function: explanatory; Translation: for; Notes: gives reason.
  4. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies primogenitum; Translation: every; Notes: universal scope.
  5. primogenitum — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: firstborn; Notes: refers to first offspring.
  6. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: temporal marker; Translation: from; Notes: introduces time reference.
  7. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of preposition; Translation: which; Notes: refers to implied time.
  8. percussi — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb; Translation: I struck; Notes: completed past action.
  9. primogenitos — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: firstborn; Notes: refers to Egyptian firstborn.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: place context.
  11. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: land; Notes: location of event.
  12. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: Egypt; Notes: specifies land.
  13. sanctificavi — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: I set apart; Notes: expresses consecration.
  14. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: for myself; Notes: dative of advantage.
  15. quidquid — Lemma: quidquid; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: whatever; Notes: generalizing term.
  16. primum — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies implied object; Translation: first; Notes: denotes priority.
  17. nascitur — Lemma: nascor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present deponent indicative; Function: verb; Translation: is born; Notes: deponent verb passive in form active in meaning.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: place context.
  19. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: object of preposition; Translation: Israel; Notes: identifies nation.
  20. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: range marker; Translation: from; Notes: start of extent.
  21. homine — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: man; Notes: starting point.
  22. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: extent marker; Translation: even to; Notes: indicates limit.
  23. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: limit marker; Translation: to; Notes: end of range.
  24. pecus — Lemma: pecus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of preposition; Translation: livestock; Notes: endpoint of range.
  25. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate; Translation: mine; Notes: agrees with implied subject.
  26. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: are; Notes: completes predicate.
  27. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: I; Notes: emphasis.
  28. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate; Translation: LORD; Notes: identifies YHWH.

 

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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