Numeri 30:12 (Numbers 30:12)

Posted on May 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 30:12 si audierit vir, et tacuerit, nec contradixerit sponsioni, reddet quodcumque promiserat.

if her husband hears and remains silent, and does not object to the promise, she shall fulfil whatever she had promised.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 si if CONJ
2 audierit he shall have heard 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
3 vir the husband NOM.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 tacuerit he shall have remained silent 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
6 nec and not CONJ
7 contradixerit he shall have objected 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
8 sponsioni to the promise DAT.SG.F
9 reddet she shall fulfil 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 quodcumque whatever ACC.SG.N.INDEF.REL.PRON
11 promiserat she had promised 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND

Syntax

Conditional Clause: si audierit vir — establishes the condition that the husband hears the vow.

Subject: vir.

Verb: audierit.

Coordinated Verbal Clause: et tacuerit — states that the husband remains silent.

Subject: implied vir.

Verb: tacuerit.

Negative Coordinated Clause: nec contradixerit sponsioni — specifies that he does not object to the promise.

Verb: contradixerit.

Dative Complement: sponsioni.

Main Clause: implied woman (Subject) + reddet (Verb).

Object: quodcumque promiserat — free relative clause functioning as the direct object of reddet.

Morphology

  1. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable conditional conjunction; Function: Introduces the conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: establishes the legal circumstance under which the following obligation remains valid.
  2. audierit — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person singular future perfect active indicative, fourth conjugation; Function: Verb of the conditional clause; Translation: “he shall have heard”; Notes: presents the husband’s hearing as completed before the legal consequence follows.
  3. vir — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: Subject of audierit, tacuerit, and contradixerit; Translation: “the husband”; Notes: refers to the married woman’s husband, who has authority to confirm or annul her vow.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects the first and second verbal clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: joins hearing with remaining silent.
  5. tacuerit — Lemma: taceo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person singular future perfect active indicative, second conjugation; Function: Coordinated verb of the conditional clause; Translation: “he shall have remained silent”; Notes: indicates that the husband gives no verbal objection.
  6. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable negative coordinating conjunction; Function: Introduces the negative coordinated clause; Translation: “and not”; Notes: strengthens the statement that no objection is raised.
  7. contradixerit — Lemma: contradico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person singular future perfect active indicative, third conjugation; Function: Verb of the negative coordinated clause; Translation: “he shall have objected”; Notes: its negation means the woman’s promise remains binding.
  8. sponsioni — Lemma: sponsio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: dative singular feminine, third declension; Function: Dative complement of contradixerit; Translation: “to the promise”; Notes: identifies the promise to which the husband could have objected.
  9. reddet — Lemma: reddo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person singular future active indicative, third conjugation; Function: Verb of the main clause; Translation: “she shall fulfil”; Notes: states that the woman must carry out her promise because it has not been annulled.
  10. quodcumque — Lemma: quicumque; Part of Speech: Indefinite relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of reddet; Translation: “whatever”; Notes: comprehensively includes every promise she made.
  11. promiserat — Lemma: promitto; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person singular pluperfect active indicative, third conjugation; Function: Verb of the free relative clause modifying quodcumque; Translation: “she had promised”; Notes: refers to the promise made before the husband’s opportunity to object.

 

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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