Numeri 32:11 (Numbers 32:11)

Posted on May 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 32:11 Si videbunt homines isti, qui ascenderunt ex Ægypto a viginti annis et supra, Terram, quam sub iuramento pollicitus sum Abraham, Isaac, et Iacob: et noluerunt sequi me,

‘Surely these men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall not see the Land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that I would give, because they were unwilling to follow me.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si surely CONJ.INVAR
2 videbunt they shall see 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
3 homines the men NOM.PL.M
4 isti these NOM.PL.M.DEM
5 qui who NOM.PL.M.REL
6 ascenderunt came up 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
7 ex from PREP+ABL
8 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F
9 a from PREP+ABL
10 viginti twenty INDECL.NUM
11 annis years ABL.PL.M
12 et and CONJ.INVAR
13 supra above ADV.INVAR
14 Terram the Land ACC.SG.F.OBJ
15 quam which ACC.SG.F.REL.OBJ
16 sub under PREP+ABL
17 iuramento oath ABL.SG.N
18 pollicitus having promised NOM.SG.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
19 sum I have 1SG.PRES.IND
20 Abraham Abraham DAT.SG.M.INDECL
21 Isaac Isaac DAT.SG.M.INDECL
22 et and CONJ.INVAR
23 Iacob Jacob DAT.SG.M.INDECL
24 et because CONJ.INVAR
25 noluerunt they were unwilling 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
26 sequi to follow PRES.ACT.INF
27 me me ACC.SG.PERS

Syntax

Oath Formula: Si videbunt… is an elliptical oath formula. In this idiom, si does not introduce a real condition but has the force of a solemn denial: “Surely they shall not see.”

Main Clause: homines isti is the subject of videbunt, while Terram is its direct object.

Relative Clause: qui ascenderunt ex Ægypto a viginti annis et supra modifies homines isti. The verb is ascenderunt, with ex Ægypto expressing origin and a viginti annis et supra specifying the age qualification.

Second Relative Clause: quam sub iuramento pollicitus sum Abraham, Isaac, et Iacob modifies Terram. The relative pronoun quam is the object of the deponent verb pollicitus sum. Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob are indirect objects of the promise.

Prepositional Phrase: sub iuramento modifies pollicitus sum, expressing that the promise was confirmed by an oath.

Coordinated Clause: et noluerunt sequi me gives the reason for the divine judgment. The infinitive sequi depends on noluerunt, with me as its direct object.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Introduces an oath formula; Translation: “surely”; Notes: In divine oaths, si is elliptical and expresses a strong negative: “they shall certainly not.”
  2. videbunt — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural, future active indicative, second conjugation; Function: Main verb of the oath; Translation: “they shall see”; Notes: Within the oath formula, the verb conveys a solemn denial.
  3. homines — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine, third declension; Function: Subject of videbunt; Translation: “the men”; Notes: Refers to the unbelieving generation that left Egypt.
  4. isti — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Modifies homines; Translation: “these”; Notes: Points emphatically to the guilty generation.
  5. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of ascenderunt; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces a clause describing the condemned men.
  6. ascenderunt — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural, perfect active indicative, third conjugation; Function: Verb of the relative clause; Translation: “came up”; Notes: Refers to the exodus from Egypt.
  7. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the ablative; Function: Introduces place of origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates departure from Egypt.
  8. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine, second declension; Function: Object of ex; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: The land from which Israel departed.
  9. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the age expression; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks the lower limit of age.
  10. viginti — Lemma: viginti; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: Indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: Modifies annis; Translation: “twenty”; Notes: Specifies the age threshold.
  11. annis — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine, second declension; Function: Object of a; Translation: “years”; Notes: Forms the idiom “from twenty years old.”
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects the age expression; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the phrase with supra.
  13. supra — Lemma: supra; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable; Function: Completes the age expression; Translation: “above”; Notes: Means “and upward.”
  14. Terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine, first declension; Function: Direct object of videbunt; Translation: “the Land”; Notes: Refers to the promised land.
  15. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of pollicitus sum; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to Terram.
  16. sub — Lemma: sub; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the ablative; Function: Introduces sub iuramento; Translation: “under”; Notes: Indicates that the promise was made under oath.
  17. iuramento — Lemma: iuramentum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter, second declension; Function: Object of sub; Translation: “oath”; Notes: Emphasizes the solemnity of the divine promise.
  18. pollicitus — Lemma: polliceor; Part of Speech: Perfect participle of a deponent verb; Form: Nominative singular masculine, perfect deponent participle, second conjugation; Function: Forms the perfect tense with sum; Translation: “having promised”; Notes: Although passive in form, it has active meaning because the verb is deponent.
  19. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: First person singular, present active indicative; Function: Auxiliary verb completing the perfect deponent; Translation: “I have”; Notes: Together with pollicitus, it means “I have promised.”
  20. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Dative singular, indeclinable; Function: Indirect object of pollicitus sum; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: First recipient of the covenant promise.
  21. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Dative singular, indeclinable; Function: Indirect object of pollicitus sum; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: Second patriarch named in the covenant.
  22. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects the patriarchal names; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins Isaac with Iacob.
  23. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Dative singular, indeclinable; Function: Indirect object of pollicitus sum; Translation: “Iacob”; Notes: Third patriarch receiving the covenant promise.
  24. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects the final explanatory clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the judgment.
  25. noluerunt — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural, perfect active indicative; Function: Main verb of the explanatory clause; Translation: “they were unwilling”; Notes: Expresses deliberate refusal rather than inability.
  26. sequi — Lemma: sequor; Part of Speech: Deponent verb; Form: Present infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive with noluerunt; Translation: “to follow”; Notes: Although deponent, the infinitive has active meaning.
  27. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Accusative singular, first person; Function: Direct object of sequi; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to the LORD Himself, whom the people refused to follow.

 

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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