Numeri 32:38 (Numbers 32:38)

Posted on May 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 32:38 et Nabo, et Baalmeon versis nominibus, Sabama quoque: imponentes vocabula urbibus, quas extruxerunt.

and Nabo, and Baalmeon, their names having been changed, and Sabama also: giving names to the cities which they built.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ.INVAR
2 Nabo Nebo INDECL.OBJ
3 et and CONJ.INVAR
4 Baalmeon Baalmeon INDECL.OBJ
5 versis having been changed ABL.PL.N.PERF.PASS.PTCP.ABL.ABS
6 nominibus the names ABL.PL.N.ABL.ABS
7 Sabama Sibmah INDECL.OBJ
8 quoque also ADV.INVAR
9 imponentes giving NOM.PL.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
10 vocabula names ACC.PL.N.OBJ
11 urbibus to the cities DAT.PL.F.IOBJ
12 quas which ACC.PL.F.REL.OBJ
13 extruxerunt they built 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Continuation of the Previous Clause: et Nabo, et Baalmeon … Sabama quoque continues the list of cities governed by ædificaverunt in the preceding verse. Nabo, Baalmeon, and Sabama are additional coordinated direct objects.

Ablative Absolute: versis nominibus consists of the perfect passive participle versis agreeing with nominibus. It indicates that the names of the places were changed and may be rendered “their names having been changed.”

Additive Expression: Sabama quoque means “Sabama also.” The postpositive quoque adds Sabama to the preceding enumeration.

Participial Phrase: imponentes vocabula urbibus describes the sons of Ruben as giving or assigning names to the cities. imponentes agrees with the understood masculine plural subject, vocabula is its direct object, and urbibus is the dative recipient.

Relative Clause: quas extruxerunt modifies urbibus. quas refers back to urbibus and functions as the direct object of extruxerunt, whose understood subject is the sons of Ruben.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: Continues the enumeration from the preceding verse; Translation: “and”; Notes: It adds another city to those built or rebuilt by the sons of Ruben.
  2. Nabo — Lemma: Nabo; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable, functioning as accusative; Function: Direct object of the preceding ædificaverunt; Translation: “Nabo”; Notes: It names another settlement included in the construction or restoration undertaken by Ruben.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects Nabo with Baalmeon; Translation: “and”; Notes: It continues the coordinated list of cities.
  4. Baalmeon — Lemma: Baalmeon; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable, functioning as accusative; Function: Direct object of the preceding ædificaverunt; Translation: “Baalmeon”; Notes: It names another settlement whose designation is connected contextually with the following statement about changed names.
  5. versis — Lemma: verto; Part of Speech: Perfect passive participle; Form: Ablative plural neuter, perfect passive participle, third conjugation; Function: Participial element of the ablative absolute versis nominibus; Translation: “having been changed”; Notes: With nominibus, it indicates a change in the names associated with the places.
  6. nominibus — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural neuter, third declension; Function: Nominal element of the ablative absolute versis nominibus; Translation: “the names”; Notes: It identifies what was altered in connection with the named settlements.
  7. Sabama — Lemma: Sabama; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable, functioning as accusative; Function: Coordinated direct object of the preceding ædificaverunt; Translation: “Sabama”; Notes: It adds another settlement to the list of places built or rebuilt by the sons of Ruben.
  8. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable additive particle; Function: Adds Sabama to the preceding list; Translation: “also”; Notes: As a postpositive particle, it follows the word to which its additive emphasis chiefly belongs.
  9. imponentes — Lemma: impono; Part of Speech: Present active participle; Form: Nominative plural masculine, present active participle, third conjugation; Function: Circumstantial participle agreeing with the understood sons of Ruben; Translation: “giving”; Notes: In the construction imponere vocabula, the verb expresses assigning or giving names.
  10. vocabula — Lemma: vocabulum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural neuter, second declension; Function: Direct object of imponentes; Translation: “names”; Notes: Here the word denotes the designations assigned to the rebuilt cities.
  11. urbibus — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative plural feminine, third declension; Function: Indirect object of imponentes; Translation: “to the cities”; Notes: The dative identifies the cities to which the names were assigned.
  12. quas — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Direct object of extruxerunt and relative modifier referring back to urbibus; Translation: “which”; Notes: Its feminine plural form agrees with its antecedent urbibus, while its accusative case comes from its function within the relative clause.
  13. extruxerunt — Lemma: extruo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural, perfect active indicative, third conjugation; Function: Verb of the relative clause quas extruxerunt; Translation: “they built”; Notes: It refers to the construction or rebuilding of the cities to which the sons of Ruben assigned names.

 

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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