Numeri 31:47 (Numbers 31:47)

Posted on May 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 31:47 tulit Moyses quinquagesimum caput, et dedit Levitis, qui excubabant in tabernaculo Domini, sicut præceperat Dominus.

Moyses took the one-fiftieth portion, and gave it to the Levites, who were keeping watch over the Tabernacle of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 tulit took 3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
2 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
3 quinquagesimum one-fiftieth ACC.SG.N
4 caput portion ACC.SG.N
5 et and CONJ
6 dedit gave 3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
7 Levitis to the Levites DAT.PL.M
8 qui who NOM.PL.M.REL
9 excubabant were keeping watch 3PL.IMPF.IND.ACT
10 in over PREP
11 tabernaculo the Tabernacle ABL.SG.N
12 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
13 sicut just as CONJ
14 præceperat had commanded 3SG.PLUPERF.IND.ACT
15 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M

Syntax

The principal clause is tulit Moyses quinquagesimum caput, et dedit Levitis. The two perfect indicative verbs tulit and dedit, joined by et, describe successive completed actions performed by the subject Moyses. The direct object of tulit is quinquagesimum caput, literally “the fiftieth head,” an idiomatic expression referring to the one-fiftieth portion selected from the people’s share. The indirect object Levitis is in the dative case, indicating the recipients of this tribute.

The relative clause qui excubabant in tabernaculo Domini modifies Levitis. The relative pronoun qui is nominative plural masculine and serves as the subject of excubabant. The imperfect tense describes the Levites’ ongoing duty of guarding or keeping watch over the Tabernacle. The prepositional phrase in tabernaculo Domini complements the verb, with in governing the ablative to indicate location or sphere of service.

The comparative clause sicut præceperat Dominus expresses the standard according to which Moses acted. The conjunction sicut introduces the clause, while Dominus is the subject of the pluperfect verb præceperat. The pluperfect indicates that the LORD’s command had already been given before Moses carried out these actions. The verse concludes by emphasizing Moses’ precise obedience to the divine command.

Morphology

  1. tulit — Lemma: fero, ferre, tuli, latum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person singular perfect indicative active; Parsing: Main verb of the first clause; Translation: “took”; Notes: Irregular verb fero.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Parsing: Subject of tulit and dedit; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: Leader of Israel.
  3. quinquagesimum — Lemma: quinquagesimus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: Ordinal numeral adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Parsing: Modifies caput; Translation: “one-fiftieth”; Notes: Refers to the one-fiftieth tribute prescribed for the Levites.
  4. caput — Lemma: caput, capitis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, third declension; Parsing: Direct object of tulit; Translation: “portion”; Notes: Literally “head”; here denotes an individual unit or one-fiftieth share.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable coordinating conjunction; Parsing: Joins the two main verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects successive actions.
  6. dedit — Lemma: do, dare, dedi, datum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person singular perfect indicative active; Parsing: Second main verb; Translation: “gave”; Notes: Describes Moses’ distribution of the tribute.
  7. Levitis — Lemma: Levita, Levitæ; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: dative plural masculine, first declension; Parsing: Indirect object of dedit; Translation: “to the Levites”; Notes: Recipients of the one-fiftieth tribute.
  8. qui — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Parsing: Subject of excubabant; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to the Levites.
  9. excubabant — Lemma: excubo, excubare, excubui; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person plural imperfect indicative active; Parsing: Verb of the relative clause; Translation: “were keeping watch”; Notes: Describes the Levites’ continual service.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the ablative case; Parsing: Introduces the location phrase; Translation: “in” / “over”; Notes: Governs the ablative because it expresses location.
  11. tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum, tabernaculi; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, second declension; Parsing: Object of the preposition in; Translation: “the Tabernacle”; Notes: The sanctuary where the Levites served.
  12. Domini — Lemma: Dominus, Domini; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, second declension; Parsing: Possessive genitive modifying tabernaculo; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Indicates the Tabernacle belonged to the LORD.
  13. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Parsing: Introduces the comparative clause; Translation: “just as”; Notes: Expresses conformity with the LORD’s command.
  14. præceperat — Lemma: præcipio, præcipere, præcepi, præceptum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third-person singular pluperfect indicative active; Parsing: Verb of the comparative clause; Translation: “had commanded”; Notes: Indicates the command preceded Moses’ actions.
  15. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus, Domini; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Parsing: Subject of præceperat; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: The one who gave the command.

 

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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