Numeri 31:3 (Numbers 31:3)

Posted on May 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 31:3 Statimque Moyses, Armate, inquit, ex vobis viros ad pugnam, qui possint ultionem Domini expetere de Madianitis.

And immediately Moyses said, “Arm from among yourselves men for battle, who may carry out the vengeance of the LORD against the Madianites.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Statimque and immediately ADV+CONJ
2 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
3 Armate arm 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
4 inquit said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 ex from PREP+ABL
6 vobis yourselves ABL.PL.2P.PERS.PRON
7 viros men ACC.PL.M
8 ad for PREP+ACC
9 pugnam battle ACC.SG.F
10 qui who NOM.PL.M.REL.PRON
11 possint may be able 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
12 ultionem vengeance ACC.SG.F
13 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
14 expetere to carry out PRES.ACT.INF
15 de against PREP+ABL
16 Madianitis the Midianites ABL.PL.M

Syntax

1. Narrative Introduction
The verse opens with Statimque, meaning “and immediately.” The enclitic -que joins this verse to the previous command from the LORD, while statim emphasizes Moses’ immediate obedience. Rather than delaying, Moses acts at once, illustrating the close connection between divine command and human response.

2. Parenthetical Verb of Speaking
The principal reporting clause is Moyses inquit (“Moyses said”). The verb inquit is a defective verb commonly used to introduce direct speech. It is frequently placed after the opening words of the quotation rather than before it, creating a parenthetical interruption: Armate, inquit… (“‘Arm yourselves,’ he said…”).

3. Imperative Clause
The command begins with Armate, a second-person plural present imperative addressed to the Israelites. The imperative governs the accusative object viros. The expression ex vobis viros literally means “arm men from among yourselves,” indicating that selected men are to be chosen from the people for military service.

4. Prepositional Phrases
The phrase ex vobis expresses source or origin, identifying the community from which the warriors are to be chosen. The phrase ad pugnam expresses purpose, indicating that the selected men are to be equipped specifically for battle rather than for general service.

5. Relative Clause of Characteristic
The clause qui possint ultionem Domini expetere de Madianitis modifies viros. The subjunctive possint, rather than the indicative, presents the desired quality of the men being selected. This is a classic relative clause of characteristic: they are to be men who are able or who would be capable of carrying out the LORD’s vengeance.

6. Complementary Infinitive
The infinitive expetere depends upon possint. After verbs expressing ability, Latin commonly employs the complementary infinitive to complete the verbal idea. Thus possint expetere means “may be able to carry out.”

7. Direct Object and Possessive Genitive
ultionem is the direct object of expetere. The genitive Domini modifies ultionem, indicating that the vengeance belongs to the LORD. The warriors are therefore not acting for personal revenge but as instruments executing divine judgment.

8. Final Prepositional Phrase
de Madianitis completes the idea of vengeance. The preposition de, governing the ablative, expresses the people against whom the vengeance is directed. In this legal and military context, it carries the sense “against” or “upon” rather than its ordinary meaning “from.”

9. Overall Structure
The sentence progresses naturally from narrative introduction (Statimque Moyses), to direct command (Armate), to specification of those to be selected (ex vobis viros), and finally to a relative clause defining their mission (qui possint…). The increasingly specific syntax mirrors Moses’ orderly transmission of the LORD’s command.

Morphology

  1. Statimque — Lemma: statim + -que; Part of Speech: Adverb with enclitic conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces the narrative and connects it to the preceding verse; Translation: “and immediately”; Notes: The enclitic -que means “and,” while statim emphasizes Moses’ immediate obedience.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of inquit; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: The mediator of the LORD’s command.
  3. Armate — Lemma: armo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second-person plural present active imperative, first conjugation; Function: Main imperative of the direct speech; Translation: “arm”; Notes: Commands the people to equip selected men for battle.
  4. inquit — Lemma: inquam; Part of Speech: Defective verb; Form: third-person singular present indicative; Function: Introduces the quotation; Translation: “said”; Notes: Frequently appears parenthetically within direct speech.
  5. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative case; Function: Introduces the source from which the men are selected; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates origin or separation.
  6. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: ablative plural, second person; Function: Object of ex; Translation: “yourselves”; Notes: Refers to the Israelite community.
  7. viros — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, second declension; Function: Direct object of Armate; Translation: “men”; Notes: The warriors to be equipped.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the accusative case; Function: Introduces a phrase expressing purpose; Translation: “for”; Notes: Indicates the purpose of arming the men.
  9. pugnam — Lemma: pugna; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, first declension; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “battle”; Notes: Specifies the intended military action.
  10. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of possint; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to viros.
  11. possint — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person plural present active subjunctive; Function: Verb of the relative clause of characteristic; Translation: “may be able”; Notes: Describes the desired quality of the selected men.
  12. ultionem — Lemma: ultio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, third declension; Function: Direct object of expetere; Translation: “vengeance”; Notes: Refers to the LORD’s judgment.
  13. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, second declension; Function: Possessive genitive modifying ultionem; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Indicates that the vengeance belongs to the LORD.
  14. expetere — Lemma: expeto; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: present active infinitive, third conjugation; Function: Complementary infinitive dependent on possint; Translation: “to carry out”; Notes: Completes the meaning of the verb of ability.
  15. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative case; Function: Introduces the object against whom the vengeance is directed; Translation: “against”; Notes: Here it denotes the target of divine vengeance.
  16. Madianitis — Lemma: Madianita; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, first declension; Function: Object of de; Translation: “the Midianites”; Notes: The nation upon whom the LORD’s judgment is to fall.

 

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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