Numeri 3:15 (Numbers 3:15)

Posted on April 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

15 Numera filios Levi per domos patrum suorum et familias, omnem masculum ab uno mense, et supra.

Number the sons of Levi by the houses of their fathers and families, every male from one month, and above.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Numera number 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 filios sons ACC.PL.M
3 Levi Levi INDECL
4 per by PREP+ACC
5 domos houses ACC.PL.F
6 patrum fathers GEN.PL.M
7 suorum their GEN.PL.M.POSS
8 et and CONJ
9 familias families ACC.PL.F
10 omnem every ACC.SG.M
11 masculum male ACC.SG.M
12 ab from PREP+ABL
13 uno one ABL.SG.M
14 mense month ABL.SG.M
15 et and CONJ
16 supra above ADV

Syntax

Main Imperative Clause: Numera filios Levi — verb (Numera) + direct object (filios Levi)

Distributive Phrase: per domos patrum suorum et familias — expresses classification by family divisions

Specification of Object: omnem masculum — further defines who is to be counted

Age Phrase: ab uno mense et supra — indicates minimum age range

Morphology

  1. Numera — Lemma: numero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active imperative 1st conjugation; Function: main verb; Translation: number; Notes: command directed to Moysen.
  2. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: sons; Notes: those to be counted.
  3. Levi — Lemma: Levi; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: genitive relation; Translation: Levi; Notes: specifies tribe.
  4. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: distributive; Translation: by; Notes: indicates grouping.
  5. domos — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: houses; Notes: family units.
  6. patrum — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: fathers; Notes: ancestral lineage.
  7. suorum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies patrum; Translation: their; Notes: reflexive possession.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: links elements.
  9. familias — Lemma: familia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: coordinated object; Translation: families; Notes: subdivisions.
  10. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies masculum; Translation: every; Notes: universal scope.
  11. masculum — Lemma: masculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object specification; Translation: male; Notes: gender restriction.
  12. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: range start; Translation: from; Notes: beginning point.
  13. uno — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies mense; Translation: one; Notes: numeric qualifier.
  14. mense — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: month; Notes: age marker.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: connects phrase.
  16. supra — Lemma: supra; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: extent; Translation: above; Notes: indicates greater age.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Numeri. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.