Numeri 32:40 (Numbers 32:40)

Posted on May 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 32:40 Dedit ergo Moyses Terram Galaad Machir filio Manasse, qui habitavit in ea.

Therefore Moyses gave the Land of Galaad to Machir, the son of Manasses, who dwelt in it.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dedit gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore CONJ.INVAR
3 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
4 Terram the Land ACC.SG.F.OBJ
5 Galaad of Gilead INDECL
6 Machir to Machir INDECL.IOBJ
7 filio the son DAT.SG.M.APPOS
8 Manasse of Manasseh GEN.SG.M
9 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
10 habitavit dwelt 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 ea it ABL.SG.F.DEM

Syntax

Main Clause: Dedit ergo Moyses Terram Galaad Machir filio Manasse presents the territorial grant as the consequence of Machir’s conquest described in the preceding verse. Moyses is the subject and Dedit is the main verb.

Direct Object: Terram Galaad is the direct object of Dedit. Terram denotes the land being granted, while Galaad specifies the territory.

Indirect Object: Machir filio Manasse identifies the recipient of the grant. The indeclinable Machir functions as the dative indirect object, while filio stands in apposition to it.

Genealogical Phrase: filio Manasse means “the son of Manasses.” filio agrees syntactically with Machir, and Manasse identifies Machir’s father.

Relative Clause: qui habitavit in ea modifies Machir. qui is the subject of habitavit, while in ea expresses the place where he dwelt.

Prepositional Phrase: in ea means “in it.” The preposition in governs the ablative because the phrase denotes location rather than movement, and ea refers back to Terram Galaad.

Morphology

  1. Dedit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular, perfect active indicative, first conjugation; Function: Main verb of the sentence; Translation: “gave”; Notes: It describes Moyses’ formal assignment of Galaad following the conquest reported immediately before.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable inferential conjunction; Function: Connects the grant with the preceding conquest; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: It presents the giving of Galaad to Machir as the resulting action after Machir’s descendants had taken the territory.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of Dedit; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: Moyses acts as the authority who formally assigns the conquered territory.
  4. Terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine, first declension; Function: Direct object of Dedit; Translation: “the Land”; Notes: It denotes the territory transferred to Machir as his possession.
  5. Galaad — Lemma: Galaad; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Genitival specification of Terram; Translation: “of Galaad”; Notes: It identifies the particular territory granted by Moyses.
  6. Machir — Lemma: Machir; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable, functioning as dative singular; Function: Indirect object of Dedit; Translation: “to Machir”; Notes: The indeclinable name identifies the recipient of Galaad.
  7. filio — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative singular masculine, second declension; Function: Apposition to Machir; Translation: “the son”; Notes: Its dative case reflects its apposition to the recipient Machir.
  8. Manasse — Lemma: Manasses; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Genitival complement of filio; Translation: “of Manasses”; Notes: It identifies Machir genealogically as the son of Manasses.
  9. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of habitavit and relative modifier referring to Machir; Translation: “who”; Notes: Its masculine singular form agrees with its antecedent Machir, while its nominative case comes from its role as subject of the relative clause.
  10. habitavit — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular, perfect active indicative, first conjugation; Function: Verb of the relative clause; Translation: “dwelt”; Notes: It indicates that Machir took up residence in the territory granted to him.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the locative phrase in ea; Translation: “in”; Notes: It governs the ablative because the expression denotes settled location rather than movement toward a destination.
  12. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of the preposition in; Translation: “it”; Notes: The feminine singular pronoun refers back to Terram Galaad, the land in which Machir settled.

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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