Numeri 31:52 (Numbers 31:52)

Posted on May 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 31:52 pondo sedecim millia, septingentos quinquaginta siclos a tribunis et centurionibus.

sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels by weight, from the tribunes and centurions.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 pondo by weight ADV.INVAR
2 sedecim sixteen ADJ.INDECL
3 millia thousand ACC.PL.N
4 septingentos seven hundred ACC.PL.M
5 quinquaginta fifty ADJ.INDECL
6 siclos shekels ACC.PL.M.OBJ
7 a from PREP+ABL
8 tribunis the tribunes ABL.PL.M
9 et and CONJ.INVAR
10 centurionibus the centurions ABL.PL.M

Syntax

Elliptical Continuation: This phrase continues the preceding sentence and supplies the measured amount and source of omne aurum. The finite verb Susceperuntque from the preceding verse remains understood.

Adverbial Expression: pondo modifies the understood verbal idea and specifies that the gold was reckoned by weight.

Measure Phrase: sedecim millia, septingentos quinquaginta siclos states the total weight. millia expresses the thousands, while septingentos quinquaginta siclos supplies the additional seven hundred and fifty shekels.

Numerical Construction: sedecim millia is followed appositionally by septingentos quinquaginta siclos, together yielding the total of sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.

Prepositional Phrase: a tribunis et centurionibus expresses the source from which the gold was received. The preposition a governs the ablative nouns tribunis and centurionibus.

Morphology

  1. pondo — Lemma: pondo; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable adverb of measure; Function: Specifies the manner in which the gold was reckoned; Translation: “by weight”; Notes: The word is commonly used with numerals to indicate a stated weight.
  2. sedecim — Lemma: sedecim; Part of Speech: Cardinal numeral adjective; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Modifies millia; Translation: “sixteen”; Notes: It gives the number of thousands in the total weight.
  3. millia — Lemma: mille; Part of Speech: Cardinal numeral noun; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Part of the accusative measure phrase dependent on the understood verb; Translation: “thousand”; Notes: In the plural, millia functions as a neuter noun meaning “thousands.”
  4. septingentos — Lemma: septingenti; Part of Speech: Cardinal numeral adjective; Form: Accusative plural masculine; Function: Modifies siclos; Translation: “seven hundred”; Notes: It agrees with the masculine plural noun siclos.
  5. quinquaginta — Lemma: quinquaginta; Part of Speech: Cardinal numeral adjective; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Modifies siclos together with septingentos; Translation: “fifty”; Notes: It adds fifty to the seven hundred shekels already stated.
  6. siclos — Lemma: siclus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural masculine, second declension; Function: Noun of measure in the numerical phrase; Translation: “shekels”; Notes: It names the unit by which the weight of the gold was calculated.
  7. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the source phrase a tribunis et centurionibus; Translation: “from”; Notes: It marks the persons from whom Moyses and Eleazar received the gold.
  8. tribunis — Lemma: tribunus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine, second declension; Function: First object of the preposition a; Translation: “the tribunes”; Notes: The term refers to higher-ranking military officers.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects tribunis and centurionibus; Translation: “and”; Notes: It joins the two groups of military officers who supplied the gold.
  10. centurionibus — Lemma: centurio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine, third declension; Function: Second object of the preposition a; Translation: “the centurions”; Notes: The noun designates officers responsible for military units traditionally associated with one hundred men.

 

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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