Numeri 31:45 (Numbers 31:45)

Posted on May 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 31:45 et de asinis triginta millibus quingentis,

and from the thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 de from PREP
3 asinis donkeys ABL.PL.M
4 triginta thirty INDECL.NUM
5 millibus thousand ABL.PL.N
6 quingentis five hundred ABL.PL.M

Syntax

This is another elliptical prepositional phrase in the continuing inventory of the Israelites’ half of the spoil. The conjunction et links this clause with the preceding categories of sheep and cattle.

The prepositional phrase de asinis triginta millibus quingentis is governed by de, which requires the ablative case. The noun asinis is the ablative plural object of the preposition. The numeral expression triginta millibus quingentis specifies the quantity, meaning “thirty thousand five hundred.” Both millibus and quingentis are in the ablative because they belong to the phrase governed by de.

No finite verb appears in this clause. It serves as another introductory element preparing for the following verse, where the number of donkeys assigned to the Levites will be stated. Like the preceding inventory phrases, it functions as part of the larger enumeration rather than as a complete independent sentence.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Parsing: Connects this phrase with the preceding enumeration; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the sequence of listed categories.
  2. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative case; Parsing: Introduces the source phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates the category from which the Levites’ portion will be taken.
  3. asinis — Lemma: asinus, asini; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, second declension; Parsing: Object of the preposition de; Translation: “donkeys”; Notes: Refers to the donkeys belonging to the Israelites’ half of the spoil.
  4. triginta — Lemma: triginta; Part of Speech: Cardinal numeral; Form: indeclinable; Parsing: Modifies millibus; Translation: “thirty”; Notes: First element of the compound numeral.
  5. millibus — Lemma: mille; Part of Speech: Cardinal numeral used substantivally; Form: ablative plural neuter, third declension; Parsing: Governed by the preposition de; Translation: “thousand”; Notes: Together with triginta and quingentis, forms the quantity “thirty thousand five hundred.”
  6. quingentis — Lemma: quingenti, quingentæ, quingenta; Part of Speech: Cardinal numeral adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Parsing: Modifies the understood noun asinis; Translation: “five hundred”; Notes: Completes the total of 30,500 donkeys and agrees in case with the ablative construction governed by de.

 

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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