Numeri 3:41 (Numbers 3:41)

Posted on April 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 3:41 Tollesque Levitas mihi pro omni primogenito filiorum Israel, ego sum Dominus: et pecora eorum pro universis primogenitis pecorum filiorum Israel.

And you shall take the Levites for me in place of every firstborn of the sons of Israel, I am the LORD; and their livestock in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the sons of Israel.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tollesque and you shall take 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND+ENCL
2 Levitas Levites ACC.PL.M
3 mihi for me DAT.SG
4 pro in place of PREP+ABL
5 omni every ABL.SG.M
6 primogenito firstborn ABL.SG.M
7 filiorum of sons GEN.PL.M
8 Israel Israel NOUN.GEN.SG.M.INDECL
9 ego I NOM.SG
10 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
12 et and CONJ
13 pecora livestock ACC.PL.N
14 eorum their GEN.PL.M
15 pro in place of PREP+ABL
16 universis all ABL.PL.N
17 primogenitis firstborn ABL.PL.N
18 pecorum of livestock GEN.PL.N
19 filiorum of sons GEN.PL.M
20 Israel Israel NOUN.GEN.SG.M.INDECL

Syntax

Main Clause: Tolles Levitas mihi — “you shall take the Levites for me.”

Prepositional Phrase: pro omni primogenito filiorum Israel — substitution, “in place of every firstborn.”

Independent Clause: ego sum Dominus — divine declaration.

Coordinated Clause: et pecora eorum pro universis primogenitis pecorum filiorum Israel — parallel substitution for livestock.

Morphology

  1. Tollesque — Lemma: tollo + -que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: second person singular future active indicative + enclitic; Function: main verb; Translation: and you shall take; Notes: -que connects to previous context.
  2. Levitas — Lemma: Levita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: Levites; Notes: Designated group.
  3. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: for me; Notes: Indicates beneficiary.
  4. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: substitution; Translation: in place of; Notes: Expresses exchange.
  5. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies primogenito; Translation: every; Notes: Total inclusion.
  6. primogenito — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: adjective used as noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of pro; Translation: firstborn; Notes: Substitution reference.
  7. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies primogenito; Translation: of sons; Notes: Specifies group.
  8. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine indeclinable; Function: modifies filiorum; Translation: Israel; Notes: Nation.
  9. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: I; Notes: Emphatic.
  10. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: am; Notes: Copulative.
  11. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: LORD; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: Connects parallel statement.
  13. pecora — Lemma: pecus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object (elliptical verb); Translation: livestock; Notes: Refers to animals.
  14. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies pecora; Translation: their; Notes: Possessive.
  15. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: substitution; Translation: in place of; Notes: Indicates exchange.
  16. universis — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies primogenitis; Translation: all; Notes: Totality.
  17. primogenitis — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: adjective used as noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of pro; Translation: firstborn; Notes: Animal context.
  18. pecorum — Lemma: pecus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: modifies primogenitis; Translation: of livestock; Notes: Specifies category.
  19. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies pecorum; Translation: of sons; Notes: Indicates ownership.
  20. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine indeclinable; Function: modifies filiorum; Translation: Israel; Notes: Nation.

 

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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