Numeri 32:19 (Numbers 32:19)

Posted on May 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 32:19 nec quidquam quæremus trans Iordanem, quia iam habemus nostram possessionem in orientali eius plaga.

nor will we seek anything beyond the Jordan, because we already have our possession on its eastern side.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 nec nor CONJ.INVAR
2 quidquam anything ACC.SG.N.INDEF.OBJ
3 quæremus we will seek 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
4 trans beyond PREP+ACC
5 Iordanem the Jordan ACC.SG.M
6 quia because CONJ.INVAR
7 iam already ADV.INVAR
8 habemus we have 1PL.PRES.ACT.IND
9 nostram our ACC.SG.F.POSS
10 possessionem possession ACC.SG.F.OBJ
11 in on PREP+ABL
12 orientali eastern ABL.SG.F
13 eius its GEN.SG.M.PERS
14 plaga side ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: nec quidquam quæremus trans Iordanem continues the speakers’ commitment. nec coordinates this negative statement with the preceding promise, quidquam is the direct object of quæremus, and trans Iordanem indicates the territory beyond the river.

Prepositional Phrase: trans Iordanem modifies quæremus. The preposition trans governs the accusative and means “beyond” or “across.”

Causal Clause: quia iam habemus nostram possessionem in orientali eius plaga explains why they will seek no inheritance beyond the Jordan. The conjunction quia introduces the clause, habemus is its verb, and nostram possessionem is the direct object.

Prepositional Phrase: in orientali eius plaga modifies habemus or possessionem and identifies the location of their inheritance. orientali modifies plaga, while eius refers to the Jordan and indicates its eastern side.

Morphology

  1. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable negative coordinating conjunction; Function: Introduces a negative clause coordinated with the preceding statement; Translation: “nor”; Notes: It continues the speakers’ declaration that they will not claim territory west of the Jordan.
  2. quidquam — Lemma: quisquam; Part of Speech: Indefinite pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of quæremus; Translation: “anything”; Notes: Commonly used in negative contexts, it emphasizes that they will seek no additional possession.
  3. quæremus — Lemma: quæro; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: First person plural, future active indicative, third conjugation; Function: Main verb of the first clause; Translation: “we will seek”; Notes: It expresses their renunciation of any further territorial claim beyond the Jordan.
  4. trans — Lemma: trans; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the accusative; Function: Introduces trans Iordanem; Translation: “beyond”; Notes: It indicates the opposite side of the Jordan from the territory they have requested.
  5. Iordanem — Lemma: Iordanes; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine, third declension; Function: Object of trans; Translation: “the Jordan”; Notes: The river serves as the geographical boundary between their requested inheritance and the western territory.
  6. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable subordinating conjunction; Function: Introduces the causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: It supplies the reason for their refusal to seek additional land.
  7. iam — Lemma: iam; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable adverb of time; Function: Modifies habemus; Translation: “already”; Notes: It emphasizes that their inheritance is regarded as already secured east of the Jordan.
  8. habemus — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: First person plural, present active indicative, second conjugation; Function: Main verb of the causal clause; Translation: “we have”; Notes: It presents the eastern territory as their present possession.
  9. nostram — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine, positive degree; Function: Modifier of possessionem; Translation: “our”; Notes: It identifies the possession as the inheritance belonging to the speakers.
  10. possessionem — Lemma: possessio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine, third declension; Function: Direct object of habemus; Translation: “possession”; Notes: It denotes the territorial inheritance requested by the tribes east of the Jordan.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces in orientali eius plaga; Translation: “on”; Notes: With the ablative, it specifies the location of their possession.
  12. orientali — Lemma: orientalis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative singular feminine, positive degree, third declension; Function: Modifier of plaga; Translation: “eastern”; Notes: It identifies the side of the Jordan on which their inheritance lies.
  13. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Genitive modifying plaga; Translation: “its”; Notes: It refers to the Jordan and indicates the river’s eastern side.
  14. plaga — Lemma: plaga; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine, first declension; Function: Object of the preposition in; Translation: “side”; Notes: Here it means a geographical region or quarter, specifically the eastern side of the Jordan.

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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