Numeri 31:48 (Numbers 31:48)

Posted on May 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 31:48 Cumque accessissent principes exercitus ad Moysen, et tribuni, centurionesque dixerunt:

And when the commanders of the army had approached Moyses, the tribunes and the centurions said:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 accessissent they had approached 3PL.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
3 principes the commanders NOM.PL.M
4 exercitus of the army GEN.SG.M
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
7 et and CONJ
8 tribuni the tribunes NOM.PL.M
9 centurionesque and the centurions NOM.PL.M
10 dixerunt said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque accessissent principes exercitus ad Moysen forms a circumstantial temporal clause: “and when the commanders of the army had approached Moyses.”

Subject: principes is the nominative plural subject of accessissent.

Verb: accessissent is a pluperfect active subjunctive governed by circumstantial Cumque. It describes an action completed before the main action expressed by dixerunt.

Genitive Phrase: exercitus modifies principes and identifies them as “commanders of the army.”

Prepositional Phrase: ad Moysen modifies accessissent and expresses movement toward Moyses.

Main Clause: et tribuni, centurionesque dixerunt is the main clause. tribuni and centurionesque are coordinated subjects of dixerunt.

Coordination: et introduces tribuni, while the enclitic -que attached to centurionesque coordinates the centurions with the tribunes.

Clause Function: The main verb dixerunt introduces the direct speech that follows in the next verse.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + -que; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction with enclitic coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a circumstantial temporal clause and connects it with the preceding narrative; Translation: “and when”; Notes: The conjunction cum governs the subjunctive here, while -que adds the coordinating sense “and.”
  2. accessissent — Lemma: accedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural, pluperfect active subjunctive, third conjugation; Function: verbal predicate of the circumstantial temporal clause; Translation: “they had approached”; Notes: The pluperfect places the approach before the speaking expressed by dixerunt.
  3. principes — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine, third declension; Function: subject of accessissent; Translation: “the commanders”; Notes: In this military context, the noun denotes chief officers or commanders.
  4. exercitus — Lemma: exercitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, fourth declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying principes; Translation: “of the army”; Notes: The genitive specifies the military body commanded by the principes.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: invariable and governing the accusative; Function: introduces a prepositional phrase expressing movement toward a person; Translation: “to”; Notes: With Moysen, it marks the person approached by the commanders.
  6. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: This Greek-form proper name uses the accusative ending -en.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces and coordinates tribuni within the main clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: It continues the enumeration of the military officers who spoke.
  8. tribuni — Lemma: tribunus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine, second declension; Function: first element of the compound subject of dixerunt; Translation: “the tribunes”; Notes: The term denotes senior military officers commanding substantial divisions of troops.
  9. centurionesque — Lemma: centurio + -que; Part of Speech: noun with enclitic coordinating conjunction; Form: nominative plural masculine, third declension; Function: second element of the compound subject of dixerunt; Translation: “and the centurions”; Notes: The enclitic -que joins the centurions to the tribunes as fellow speakers.
  10. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural, perfect active indicative, third conjugation; Function: main verbal predicate introducing direct speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: The perfect presents their speaking as the next completed event in the narrative.

 

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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