Numeri 31:54 (Numbers 31:54)

Posted on May 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 31:54 Et susceptum intulerunt in tabernaculum testimonii, in monimentum filiorum Israel coram Domino.

And having received it, they brought it into the Tabernacle of the Testimony as a memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ.INVAR
2 susceptum having received it PPP.ACC.SG.N
3 intulerunt they brought 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
4 in into PREP+ACC
5 tabernaculum the Tabernacle ACC.SG.N
6 testimonii of the Testimony GEN.SG.N
7 in as PREP+ACC
8 monimentum a memorial ACC.SG.N
9 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M
10 Israel of Israel INDECL
11 coram before PREP+ABL
12 Domino the LORD ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Et … intulerunt is the principal clause. The conjunction Et links this action with the preceding narrative. The subject (Moyses and Eleazar) is understood from the previous verse.

Participle: susceptum is a perfect passive participle used substantivally, referring to the gold that had been received. It functions as the direct object of intulerunt, with the sense “the thing received.”

Prepositional Phrase: in tabernaculum testimonii modifies intulerunt. The preposition in governs the accusative to express motion into the Tabernacle, while testimonii is a dependent genitive identifying it as the Tabernacle of the Testimony.

Purpose / Result Phrase: in monimentum filiorum Israel expresses the purpose or function of depositing the gold. The accusative after in means “as a memorial,” and filiorum Israel is a possessive genitive indicating for whom the memorial stands.

Prepositional Phrase: coram Domino modifies the entire action and indicates that the memorial was placed before the LORD, that is, in His presence.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects this sentence with the preceding narrative; Translation: “and”; Notes: It continues the sequence of events.
  2. susceptum — Lemma: suscipio; Part of Speech: Perfect passive participle; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of intulerunt; Translation: “having received it” / “the thing received”; Notes: Refers to the gold that Moyses and Eleazar had accepted from the officers.
  3. intulerunt — Lemma: infero; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural, perfect active indicative, irregular compound of fero; Function: Main verb of the sentence; Translation: “they brought”; Notes: The subject, Moyses and Eleazar, is understood from the previous verse.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the accusative; Function: Introduces in tabernaculum; Translation: “into”; Notes: With the accusative it expresses motion toward the interior of the Tabernacle.
  5. tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: Object of the preposition in; Translation: “the Tabernacle”; Notes: Refers to the sacred Tent where the LORD dwelt among Israel.
  6. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter, second declension; Function: Dependent genitive modifying tabernaculum; Translation: “of the Testimony”; Notes: Identifies the sanctuary containing the Testimony (the covenant tablets).
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the accusative; Function: Introduces in monimentum; Translation: “as”; Notes: With the accusative it expresses purpose or result.
  8. monimentum — Lemma: monimentum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: Object of the preposition in; Translation: “a memorial”; Notes: The deposited gold serves as a lasting remembrance before the LORD.
  9. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine, second declension; Function: Genitive modifying monimentum; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: Specifies those whom the memorial represents.
  10. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Completes the expression filiorum Israel; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: An indeclinable proper name identifying the covenant people.
  11. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the ablative; Function: Introduces coram Domino; Translation: “before”; Notes: Denotes being in the presence of the LORD.
  12. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine, second declension; Function: Object of the preposition coram; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, before whose presence the memorial was placed.

 

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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