Numeri 32:1 (Numbers 32:1)

Posted on May 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 32:1 Filii autem Ruben et Gad habebant pecora multa, et erat illis in iumentis infinita substantia. Cumque vidissent Iazer, et Galaad aptas animalibus alendis terras,

Now the sons of Ruben and the sons of Gad had many livestock, and they possessed an exceedingly great abundance of beasts. And when they had seen that Jazer and Galaad were lands suitable for raising animals,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Filii sons NOM.PL.M
2 autem now CONJ.INVAR
3 Ruben Ruben GEN.SG.M.INDECL
4 et and CONJ.INVAR
5 Gad Gad GEN.SG.M.INDECL
6 habebant had 3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
7 pecora livestock ACC.PL.N.OBJ
8 multa many ACC.PL.N
9 et and CONJ.INVAR
10 erat there was 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
11 illis to them DAT.PL.PERS
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 iumentis beasts ABL.PL.N
14 infinita boundless NOM.SG.F
15 substantia abundance NOM.SG.F
16 Cumque and when CONJ.INVAR
17 vidissent they had seen 3PL.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
18 Iazer Jazer ACC.SG.F.INDECL
19 et and CONJ.INVAR
20 Galaad Gilead ACC.SG.M.INDECL
21 aptas suitable ACC.PL.F
22 animalibus for animals DAT.PL.N
23 alendis to be fed GERUNDV.DAT.PL.N
24 terras lands ACC.PL.F.OBJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Filii Ruben et Gad is the compound subject of habebant. The direct object is pecora multa.

Coordinated Clause: erat illis in iumentis infinita substantia is joined by et. The verb erat takes substantia as its subject, illis as a dative of possession, and in iumentis specifies the sphere in which their wealth consisted.

Subordinate Temporal Clause: Cumque vidissent… introduces a temporal clause. The conjunction Cumque governs the pluperfect subjunctive vidissent.

Object of the Temporal Clause: Iazer et Galaad together with terras form the object of vidissent. The adjective aptas modifies terras.

Gerundive Construction: animalibus alendis is a gerundive of purpose with the dative, meaning “for feeding animals” or “for raising livestock.” It modifies aptas terras.

Morphology

  1. Filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine, second declension; Function: Subject of habebant; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Introduces the descendants of the two tribes.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connective particle; Translation: “now”; Notes: Marks a transition to a new episode.
  3. Ruben — Lemma: Ruben; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular, indeclinable; Function: Modifies Filii; Translation: “Ruben”; Notes: Identifies the first tribe mentioned.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Joins Ruben and Gad; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinates the two tribal names.
  5. Gad — Lemma: Gad; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular, indeclinable; Function: Modifies Filii; Translation: “Gad”; Notes: Identifies the second tribe mentioned.
  6. habebant — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural, imperfect active indicative, second conjugation; Function: Main verb; Translation: “had”; Notes: Describes their continuing possession.
  7. pecora — Lemma: pecus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural neuter, third declension; Function: Direct object of habebant; Translation: “livestock”; Notes: Refers collectively to domesticated animals.
  8. multa — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative plural neuter, positive degree; Function: Modifies pecora; Translation: “many”; Notes: Emphasizes the large number of animals.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects the two main clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the description.
  10. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular, imperfect active indicative; Function: Main verb of the second clause; Translation: “there was”; Notes: Used with the dative of possession.
  11. illis — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Dative plural; Function: Dative of possession; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Indicates the possessors of the wealth.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the ablative; Function: Introduces in iumentis; Translation: “in”; Notes: Expresses the sphere in which their wealth consisted.
  13. iumentis — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural neuter, second declension; Function: Object of in; Translation: “beasts”; Notes: Refers to beasts of burden and domestic animals.
  14. infinita — Lemma: infinitus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular feminine, positive degree; Function: Modifies substantia; Translation: “boundless”; Notes: A hyperbolic description of their wealth.
  15. substantia — Lemma: substantia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine, first declension; Function: Subject of erat; Translation: “abundance”; Notes: Denotes considerable material wealth.
  16. Cumque — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: Conjunction with enclitic -que; Form: Invariable; Function: Introduces the temporal subordinate clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: Links the new action to what precedes.
  17. vidissent — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural, pluperfect active subjunctive, second conjugation; Function: Verb of the temporal clause; Translation: “they had seen”; Notes: The pluperfect subjunctive follows cum in narrative temporal clauses.
  18. Iazer — Lemma: Iazer; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular, indeclinable; Function: Part of the object of vidissent; Translation: “Jazer”; Notes: A region east of the Jordan noted for pastureland.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects Iazer and Galaad; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the two regions.
  20. Galaad — Lemma: Galaad; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular, indeclinable; Function: Part of the object of vidissent; Translation: “Galaad”; Notes: The hill country renowned for fertile grazing land.
  21. aptas — Lemma: aptus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative plural feminine, positive degree; Function: Modifies terras; Translation: “suitable”; Notes: Describes the quality of the land.
  22. animalibus — Lemma: animal; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative plural neuter, third declension; Function: Dative with the gerundive alendis; Translation: “for animals”; Notes: Indicates those for whose benefit the land was suitable.
  23. alendis — Lemma: alo; Part of Speech: Gerundive; Form: Dative plural neuter; Function: Completes the gerundive construction with animalibus; Translation: “to be fed”; Notes: Expresses suitability for nourishing or grazing livestock.
  24. terras — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: Direct object of vidissent; Translation: “lands”; Notes: Refers to the fertile pasture regions of Jazer and Galaad.

 

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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