Numeri 32:15 (Numbers 32:15)

Posted on May 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 32:15 Quod si nolueritis sequi eum, in solitudine populum derelinquet, et vos causa eritis necis omnium.

But if you are unwilling to follow him, he will leave the people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of the death of them all.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quod but CONJ.INVAR
2 si if CONJ.INVAR
3 nolueritis you are unwilling 2PL.FUTP.ACT.IND
4 sequi to follow PRES.DEP.INF
5 eum him ACC.SG.M.PERS.OBJ
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 solitudine the wilderness ABL.SG.F
8 populum the people ACC.SG.M.OBJ
9 derelinquet he will leave 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 et and CONJ.INVAR
11 vos you NOM.PL.PERS
12 causa the cause NOM.SG.F.PRED
13 eritis you will be 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
14 necis of the death GEN.SG.F
15 omnium of all GEN.PL.C

Syntax

Conditional Clause: Quod si nolueritis sequi eum introduces a warning. The combination Quod si has the connective force “but if.” The subject of nolueritis is the understood second-person plural “you,” while sequi is its complementary infinitive and eum is the direct object of sequi.

Main Clause: in solitudine populum derelinquet states the consequence of the condition. The subject of derelinquet is understood as the LORD, populum is the direct object, and in solitudine indicates where the people would be left.

Prepositional Phrase: in solitudine modifies derelinquet and identifies the wilderness as the place in which the people would remain abandoned.

Coordinated Clause: et vos causa eritis necis omnium is joined to the preceding consequence by et. The emphatic pronoun vos is the subject, eritis is the linking verb, and causa is the predicate nominative.

Genitive Phrase: necis omnium depends on causa. The noun necis specifies the result of which they would be the cause, while omnium identifies all the people as those whose death is meant.

Morphology

  1. Quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable connective conjunction; Function: Combines with si to introduce a contrasting condition; Translation: “but”; Notes: In the expression Quod si, it connects the warning closely with the preceding accusation.
  2. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable subordinating conjunction; Function: Introduces the conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: It presents refusal to follow the LORD as the condition leading to the threatened consequence.
  3. nolueritis — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Second person plural, future perfect active indicative, irregular; Function: Verb of the conditional clause; Translation: “you are unwilling”; Notes: The future perfect presents their refusal as completed before the consequence expressed by derelinquet.
  4. sequi — Lemma: sequor; Part of Speech: Deponent verb; Form: Present deponent infinitive, third conjugation; Function: Complementary infinitive dependent on nolueritis; Translation: “to follow”; Notes: Although passive in form, it has active meaning because sequor is deponent.
  5. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of sequi; Translation: “him”; Notes: It refers to the LORD, whom the tribes are warned not to cease following.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces in solitudine; Translation: “in”; Notes: With the ablative, it indicates a fixed location.
  7. solitudine — Lemma: solitudo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine, third declension; Function: Object of the preposition in; Translation: “the wilderness”; Notes: It recalls the place of Israel’s former prolonged wandering and judgment.
  8. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine, second declension; Function: Direct object of derelinquet; Translation: “the people”; Notes: The singular noun refers collectively to the nation of Israel.
  9. derelinquet — Lemma: derelinquo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular, future active indicative, third conjugation; Function: Main verb expressing the consequence of the condition; Translation: “he will leave”; Notes: The understood subject is the LORD, who would leave Israel in the wilderness if the tribes turned away.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects the second consequence to the first; Translation: “and”; Notes: It adds personal responsibility to the threatened national consequence.
  11. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Nominative plural, second person; Function: Subject of eritis; Translation: “you”; Notes: The expressed pronoun is emphatic, assigning responsibility directly to the hearers.
  12. causa — Lemma: causa; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine, first declension; Function: Predicate nominative with eritis; Translation: “the cause”; Notes: Although singular, it is predicated collectively of the plural subject vos.
  13. eritis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Second person plural, future active indicative; Function: Linking verb joining vos with causa; Translation: “you will be”; Notes: It presents their culpability as the future result of refusing to follow the LORD.
  14. necis — Lemma: nex; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine, third declension; Function: Genitive dependent on causa; Translation: “of the death”; Notes: It denotes violent destruction or death resulting from the threatened abandonment.
  15. omnium — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective used substantivally; Form: Genitive plural common gender, third declension; Function: Genitive dependent on necis; Translation: “of all”; Notes: Used substantivally, it refers to all the members of the people who would suffer the consequence.

 

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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