Numeri 31:15 (Numbers 31:15)

Posted on May 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 31:15 ait: Cur feminas reservastis?

he said: “Why have you spared the women?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ait he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
2 Cur why INTERROG.ADV
3 feminas the women ACC.PL.F
4 reservastis you have spared 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

1. Introductory Reporting Clause
The sentence begins with the reporting verb ait, introducing Moses’ direct speech. The verb is third-person singular present indicative but is commonly used in narrative with the meaning “he said.”

2. Direct Question
The words Cur feminas reservastis? form a direct interrogative sentence. The interrogative adverb Cur stands first, introducing a question that seeks the reason for the action.

3. Direct Object
feminas is the accusative plural direct object of reservastis. It identifies those whom the soldiers had spared alive.

4. Main Verb
reservastis is a second-person plural perfect active indicative. Moses addresses the officers directly, asking why they completed the action of sparing the women. The perfect tense views the action as already accomplished.

5. Overall Sentence Structure
The verse consists of a brief reporting clause followed immediately by a direct question. The concise wording reflects the sharpness of Moses’ rebuke and leads naturally into the explanation that follows in the subsequent verses.

Morphology

  1. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person singular present active indicative; Function: Reporting verb introducing direct speech; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Frequently used in narrative as a historical present.
  2. Cur — Lemma: cur; Part of Speech: Interrogative adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces a direct question; Translation: “why”; Notes: Asks for the reason or cause of the action.
  3. feminas — Lemma: femina; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: Direct object of reservastis; Translation: “the women”; Notes: Refers to the Midianite women who had been kept alive.
  4. reservastis — Lemma: reservo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second-person plural perfect active indicative, first conjugation; Function: Main verb of the direct question; Translation: “you have spared”; Notes: Addresses the military officers directly concerning their completed action.

 

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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