Numeri 31:16 (Numbers 31:16)

Posted on May 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 31:16 Nonne istæ sunt, quæ deceperunt filios Israel ad suggestionem Balaam, et prævaricari vos fecerunt in Domino super peccato Phogor, unde et percussus est populus?

Are not these the ones who deceived the sons of Israel at the suggestion of Balaam, and caused you to transgress against the LORD concerning the sin of Phogor, from which the people also were struck down?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nonne are not INTERROG.PART
2 istæ these NOM.PL.F.DEM.PRON
3 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
4 quæ who NOM.PL.F.REL.PRON
5 deceperunt deceived 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
6 filios the sons ACC.PL.M
7 Israel Israel INDECL.PROPN
8 ad at PREP+ACC
9 suggestionem the suggestion ACC.SG.F
10 Balaam Balaam INDECL.PROPN
11 et and CONJ
12 prævaricari to transgress PRES.ACT.INF
13 vos you ACC.PL.2P.PRON
14 fecerunt caused 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
15 in against PREP+ABL
16 Domino the LORD ABL.SG.M
17 super concerning PREP+ABL
18 peccato the sin ABL.SG.N
19 Phogor Peor INDECL.PROPN
20 unde from which REL.ADV
21 et also ADV
22 percussus struck down PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
23 est was 3SG.PRES.IND
24 populus the people NOM.SG.M

Syntax

1. Rhetorical Question
The sentence begins with Nonne, an interrogative particle introducing a question that expects the answer “yes.” The main clause is Nonne istæ sunt, identifying the women under discussion.

2. Relative Clause
quæ deceperunt… modifies istæ. The relative pronoun quæ is nominative plural feminine and serves as the subject of the verbs deceperunt and fecerunt.

3. Direct Object
filios Israel is the direct object of deceperunt. Israel depends upon filios, forming the expression “the sons of Israel.”

4. Prepositional Phrase
ad suggestionem Balaam explains the means or occasion of the deception. The preposition ad governs the accusative, while Balaam identifies whose suggestion is meant.

5. Complementary Infinitive Construction
The expression prævaricari vos fecerunt is a causative construction. The verb fecerunt takes the infinitive prævaricari and the accusative vos, meaning “they caused you to transgress.”

6. Prepositional Phrases
in Domino expresses the sphere or object against whom the transgression was committed, while super peccato Phogor specifies the matter concerning which the offence occurred. Both prepositions govern the ablative in this passage.

7. Relative Adverbial Clause
unde introduces a clause expressing consequence or source: “from which.” It refers back to the sin at Phogor as the cause of what followed.

8. Passive Construction
percussus est populus is a perfect passive construction consisting of the perfect passive participle percussus with the auxiliary est. The subject is populus. The adverb et means “also.”

9. Overall Sentence Structure
The verse begins with a rhetorical identification of the women, expands through a relative clause recounting their deception of Israel and their role in causing transgression, and concludes with the consequence that the people were also struck because of the sin at Phogor.

Morphology

  1. Nonne — Lemma: nonne; Part of Speech: Interrogative particle; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces a question expecting an affirmative answer; Translation: “are not”; Notes: Used for rhetorical questions.
  2. istæ — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: Subject of sunt; Translation: “these”; Notes: Refers to the Midianite women.
  3. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person plural present active indicative; Function: Main verb of the principal clause; Translation: “are”; Notes: Links the subject with the following relative clause.
  4. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: Subject of deceperunt and fecerunt; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to istæ.
  5. deceperunt — Lemma: decipio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person plural perfect active indicative, third conjugation (-io); Function: Verb of the relative clause; Translation: “deceived”; Notes: Expresses a completed historical action.
  6. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, second declension; Function: Direct object of deceperunt; Translation: “the sons”; Notes: Forms the expression filios Israel.
  7. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Dependent upon filios; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: Completes the expression “sons of Israel.”
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the accusative case; Function: Introduces the phrase of reference; Translation: “at”; Notes: Here indicates “at” or “according to” the suggestion.
  9. suggestionem — Lemma: suggestio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, third declension; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “the suggestion”; Notes: Refers to Balaam’s counsel.
  10. Balaam — Lemma: Balaam; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Dependent upon suggestionem; Translation: “Balaam”; Notes: Identifies whose suggestion is meant.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects the two coordinated verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the two actions performed by the women.
  12. prævaricari — Lemma: prævaricor; Part of Speech: Deponent verb; Form: present infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive dependent upon fecerunt; Translation: “to transgress”; Notes: Has active meaning because it is deponent.
  13. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural second person; Function: Subject of the infinitive prævaricari in the causative construction; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to the Israelites.
  14. fecerunt — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person plural perfect active indicative, third conjugation (-io); Function: Causative verb governing vos prævaricari; Translation: “caused”; Notes: Means “caused you to transgress.”
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative case; Function: Introduces the object against whom the transgression was committed; Translation: “against”; Notes: With Domino it expresses relation to the Lord.
  16. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, second declension; Function: Object of in; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to the covenant God of Israel.
  17. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative case; Function: Introduces the matter concerned; Translation: “concerning”; Notes: Indicates the subject of the transgression.
  18. peccato — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, second declension; Function: Object of super; Translation: “the sin”; Notes: Refers to the offence committed at Phogor.
  19. Phogor — Lemma: Phogor; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Dependent upon peccato; Translation: “Phogor”; Notes: The place associated with Israel’s apostasy.
  20. unde — Lemma: unde; Part of Speech: Relative adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces the concluding clause; Translation: “from which”; Notes: Refers back to the sin at Phogor.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Modifies the passive verb; Translation: “also”; Notes: Adds the consequence affecting the people.
  22. percussus — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: Verb (perfect passive participle); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: Forms the perfect passive with est; Translation: “struck down”; Notes: Agrees with populus.
  23. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person singular present indicative; Function: Auxiliary verb forming the perfect passive; Translation: “was”; Notes: Completes the passive verbal construction.
  24. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: Subject of percussus est; Translation: “the people”; Notes: Refers to the people of Israel.

 

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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