Numeri 31:53 (Numbers 31:53)

Posted on May 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 31:53 Unusquisque enim quod in præda rapuerat, suum erat.

For each man, whatever he had taken as plunder was his own.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Unusquisque each one NOM.SG.M
2 enim for CONJ.INVAR
3 quod whatever ACC.SG.N.REL.OBJ
4 in as PREP+ABL
5 præda plunder ABL.SG.F
6 rapuerat had taken 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
7 suum his own NOM.SG.N.POSS
8 erat was 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Unusquisque is the subject of erat. The predicate nominative is suum, forming the expression suum erat, literally “was his own.”

Explanatory Particle: enim introduces the sentence as an explanation of the preceding statement, giving the reason why the officers could make voluntary offerings.

Substantive Relative Clause: quod in præda rapuerat functions as the grammatical subject of erat. The relative pronoun quod is used substantivally with the meaning “whatever” and serves as the direct object of rapuerat.

Prepositional Phrase: in præda modifies rapuerat. The phrase indicates the sphere or source from which the objects were taken, that is, “as plunder” or “among the spoil.”

Predicate Construction: suum erat expresses possession, stating that whatever each man had taken belonged to him personally.

Morphology

  1. Unusquisque — Lemma: unusquisque; Part of Speech: Indefinite pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of erat; Translation: “each one”; Notes: It emphasizes every individual soldier separately.
  2. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Introduces an explanatory statement; Translation: “for”; Notes: It explains the basis for the preceding action.
  3. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of rapuerat and substantive relative clause; Translation: “whatever”; Notes: Used without an expressed antecedent, it means “whatever thing.”
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the ablative; Function: Introduces in præda; Translation: “as”; Notes: With the ablative, it denotes the sphere or circumstance, here referring to spoil or plunder.
  5. præda — Lemma: præda; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine, first declension; Function: Object of the preposition in; Translation: “plunder”; Notes: Refers to property seized after victory in battle.
  6. rapuerat — Lemma: rapio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular, pluperfect active indicative, third conjugation (-io); Function: Verb of the substantive relative clause; Translation: “had taken”; Notes: The pluperfect indicates action completed before the ownership being described.
  7. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective used substantivally; Form: Nominative singular neuter, positive degree; Function: Predicate nominative with erat; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Used substantivally to denote one’s own property or possession.
  8. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular, imperfect active indicative; Function: Main verb of the sentence; Translation: “was”; Notes: The imperfect states the continuing legal status of the captured property as belonging to each individual.

 

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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