Numeri 3:8 (Numbers 3:8)

Posted on April 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 3:8 et custodiant vasa tabernaculi, servientes in ministerio eius.

and they shall guard the vessels of the tabernacle, serving in its ministry.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 custodiant they may guard 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
3 vasa vessels ACC.PL.N
4 tabernaculi of tabernacle GEN.SG.N
5 servientes serving NOM.PL.M.PTCP.PRES.ACT
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 ministerio ministry ABL.SG.N
8 eius its GEN.SG.N

Syntax

Coordinated Clause: et custodiant vasa tabernaculi — continuation of purpose clause with subjunctive verb

Direct Object: vasa tabernaculi — accusative noun with genitive specification

Participial Phrase: servientes in ministerio eius — circumstantial participle describing manner of action

Prepositional Phrase: in ministerio eius — indicates sphere or function of service

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinating conjunction; Translation: and; Notes: continues the sequence of duties.
  2. custodiant — Lemma: custodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active subjunctive 4th conjugation; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: they may guard; Notes: expresses assigned responsibility.
  3. vasa — Lemma: vas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter 3rd declension; Function: direct object; Translation: vessels; Notes: refers to sacred objects.
  4. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter 2nd declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of tabernacle; Notes: specifies location or ownership.
  5. servientes — Lemma: servio; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: nominative plural masculine present active participle; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: serving; Notes: describes the manner in which the action is carried out.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: introduces sphere; Translation: in; Notes: expresses domain of activity.
  7. ministerio — Lemma: ministerium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter 2nd declension; Function: object of preposition; Translation: ministry; Notes: denotes service role.
  8. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: its; Notes: refers to the tabernacle.

 

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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