Numeri 31:43 (Numbers 31:43)

Posted on May 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 31:43 De media vero parte, quæ contigerat reliquæ multitudini, id est, de ovibus trecentis triginta septem millibus quingentis,

But from the half that had fallen to the rest of the multitude, that is, from the three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 De from PREP
2 media half ABL.SG.F
3 vero however PART
4 parte portion ABL.SG.F
5 quæ which NOM.SG.F.REL
6 contigerat had fallen 3SG.PLUPERF.IND.ACT
7 reliquæ to the remaining DAT.SG.F
8 multitudini multitude DAT.SG.F
9 id that NOM.SG.N
10 est is 3SG.PRES.IND.ACT
11 de from PREP
12 ovibus sheep ABL.PL.F
13 trecentis three hundred ABL.PL.F
14 triginta thirty INDECL.NUM
15 septem seven INDECL.NUM
16 millibus thousand ABL.PL.N
17 quingentis five hundred ABL.PL.F

Syntax

This sentence begins a new section describing the tribute taken from the half of the spoil assigned to the rest of the Israelites rather than to the warriors. The principal prepositional phrase is De media vero parte, where de governs the ablative media parte. The particle vero marks the transition, meaning “however” or “but.”

The relative clause quæ contigerat reliquæ multitudini modifies parte. The relative pronoun quæ is nominative singular feminine, agreeing with pars, and serves as the subject of contigerat. The pluperfect verb contigerat means “had fallen,” “had come,” or “had been allotted.” The dative phrase reliquæ multitudini expresses the recipient of the allotted share, namely the remainder of the Israelite community that had not participated directly in the battle.

The parenthetical clarification id est (“that is”) introduces a more precise specification of the portion under discussion. The second prepositional phrase de ovibus trecentis triginta septem millibus quingentis identifies the category and total number of sheep from which the Levites’ tribute would be calculated. The preposition de governs the ablative throughout the entire numeral expression.

This introductory clause prepares for the following verse, where one out of every fifty animals from the people’s half is assigned to the Levites in accordance with the LORD’s command.

Morphology

  1. De — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative case; Parsing: Introduces the source phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates origin or source.
  2. media — Lemma: medius, media, medium; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Parsing: Modifies parte; Translation: “half”; Notes: Literally “middle,” here meaning “half.”
  3. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: Particle; Form: indeclinable; Parsing: Transitional particle; Translation: “however”; Notes: Marks a contrast with the preceding section.
  4. parte — Lemma: pars, partis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, third declension; Parsing: Object of the preposition de; Translation: “portion”; Notes: Refers to the half assigned to the rest of Israel.
  5. quæ — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Parsing: Subject of contigerat; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to pars.
  6. contigerat — Lemma: contingo, contingere, contigi; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person singular pluperfect indicative active; Parsing: Main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “had fallen” / “had been allotted”; Notes: Indicates a previously assigned share.
  7. reliquæ — Lemma: reliquus, reliqua, reliquum; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: dative singular feminine; Parsing: Modifies multitudini; Translation: “to the remaining”; Notes: Refers to the rest of the Israelite community.
  8. multitudini — Lemma: multitudo, multitudinis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: dative singular feminine, third declension; Parsing: Indirect object of contigerat; Translation: “multitude”; Notes: The non-combatant Israelites.
  9. id — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Parsing: Subject of est; Translation: “that”; Notes: Forms the explanatory expression id est.
  10. est — Lemma: sum, esse, fui; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person singular present indicative active; Parsing: Verb of the explanatory phrase; Translation: “is”; Notes: Together with id means “that is.”
  11. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative case; Parsing: Introduces the explanatory source phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: Begins the specification of the sheep.
  12. ovibus — Lemma: ovis, ovis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural feminine, third declension; Parsing: Object of the preposition de; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: The category of spoil.
  13. trecentis — Lemma: trecenti, trecentæ, trecenta; Part of Speech: Cardinal numeral adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Parsing: Modifies ovibus; Translation: “three hundred”; Notes: First element of the numeral.
  14. triginta — Lemma: triginta; Part of Speech: Cardinal numeral; Form: indeclinable; Parsing: Part of the compound numeral; Translation: “thirty”; Notes: Combines with septem.
  15. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: Cardinal numeral; Form: indeclinable; Parsing: Completes the numeral thirty-seven; Translation: “seven”; Notes: Part of the compound number.
  16. millibus — Lemma: mille; Part of Speech: Cardinal numeral used substantivally; Form: ablative plural neuter, third declension; Parsing: Governed by de; Translation: “thousand”; Notes: Required in the ablative plural after the preposition.
  17. quingentis — Lemma: quingenti, quingentæ, quingenta; Part of Speech: Cardinal numeral adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Parsing: Modifies the understood noun ovibus; Translation: “five hundred”; Notes: Completes the total of 337,500 sheep.

 

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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