Numeri 3:38 (Numbers 3:38)

Posted on April 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 3:38 Castrametabuntur ante tabernaculum fœderis, idest ad orientalem plagam, Moyses et Aaron cum filiis suis, habentes custodiam Sanctuarii in medio filiorum Israel. quisquis alienus accesserit, morietur.

They shall encamp before the tabernacle of the covenant, that is toward the eastern side, Moyses and Aaron with his sons, having the custody of the sanctuary in the midst of the sons of Israel; whoever, being a stranger, shall approach, shall die.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Castrametabuntur they shall encamp 3PL.FUT.DEP.IND
2 ante before PREP+ACC
3 tabernaculum tabernacle ACC.SG.N
4 fœderis of covenant GEN.SG.N
5 idest that is ADV
6 ad toward PREP+ACC
7 orientalem eastern ACC.SG.F
8 plagam side ACC.SG.F
9 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
10 et and CONJ
11 Aaron Aaron NOM.SG.M.INDECL
12 cum with PREP+ABL
13 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
14 suis his ABL.PL.M
15 habentes having NOM.PL.M.PTCP.PRES.ACT
16 custodiam custody ACC.SG.F
17 Sanctuarii of sanctuary GEN.SG.N
18 in in PREP+ABL
19 medio midst ABL.SG.N
20 filiorum of sons GEN.PL.M
21 Israel Israel NOUN.GEN.SG.M.INDECL
22 quisquis whoever REL.NOM.SG.M
23 alienus stranger NOM.SG.M
24 accesserit shall approach 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
25 morietur shall die 3SG.FUT.DEP.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Castrametabuntur with subject Moyses et Aaron cum filiis suis.

Prepositional Phrase: ante tabernaculum fœderis — location “before the tabernacle of the covenant.”

Clarification Phrase: idest ad orientalem plagam — specifies direction.

Participial Phrase: habentes custodiam Sanctuarii — describes ongoing responsibility.

Prepositional Phrase: in medio filiorum Israel — situates the activity.

Relative Clause: quisquis alienus accesserit — conditional statement.

Main Verb (Second Clause): morietur — consequence.

Morphology

  1. Castrametabuntur — Lemma: castrametor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: third person plural future indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they shall encamp; Notes: Deponent verb with active meaning.
  2. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces position; Translation: before; Notes: Indicates front position.
  3. tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ante; Translation: tabernacle; Notes: Sacred structure.
  4. fœderis — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies tabernaculum; Translation: of covenant; Notes: Specifies sacred agreement.
  5. idest — Lemma: id est; Part of Speech: adverbial phrase; Form: indeclinable; Function: explanatory; Translation: that is; Notes: Clarifies meaning.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces direction; Translation: toward; Notes: Directional usage.
  7. orientalem — Lemma: orientalis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies plagam; Translation: eastern; Notes: Directional descriptor.
  8. plagam — Lemma: plaga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: side; Notes: Spatial term.
  9. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: Leader of Israel.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links subjects; Translation: and; Notes: Connects names.
  11. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: subject; Translation: Aaron; Notes: Priest.
  12. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces accompaniment; Translation: with; Notes: Indicates association.
  13. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: sons; Notes: Refers to descendants.
  14. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: his; Notes: Reflexive.
  15. habentes — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active participle; Function: modifies subject; Translation: having; Notes: Describes ongoing role.
  16. custodiam — Lemma: custodia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of habentes; Translation: custody; Notes: Responsibility.
  17. Sanctuarii — Lemma: sanctuarium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies custodiam; Translation: of sanctuary; Notes: Sacred reference.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: Spatial usage.
  19. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: midst; Notes: Central position.
  20. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies medio; Translation: of sons; Notes: Specifies group.
  21. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine indeclinable; Function: modifies filiorum; Translation: Israel; Notes: Nation.
  22. quisquis — Lemma: quisquis; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of clause; Translation: whoever; Notes: Indefinite relative.
  23. alienus — Lemma: alienus; Part of Speech: adjective/substantive; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject complement; Translation: stranger; Notes: One outside the group.
  24. accesserit — Lemma: accedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: shall approach; Notes: Conditional nuance.
  25. morietur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: third person singular future indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: shall die; Notes: Consequence.

 

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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