Numeri 33:25 (Numbers 33:25)

Posted on May 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 33:25 Inde proficiscentes, castrametati sunt in Maceloth.

Setting out from there, they encamped at Maceloth.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Inde from there ADV.INVAR
2 proficiscentes setting out NOM.PL.M.PRES.DEP.PTCP
3 castrametati encamped NOM.PL.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
4 sunt they encamped 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
5 in at PREP+ABL
6 Maceloth Makheloth INDECL

Syntax

Main Clause: Inde proficiscentes, castrametati sunt in Maceloth continues the itinerary of the sons of Israel. The sons of Israel are the understood subject. proficiscentes describes their departure from the preceding station, while castrametati sunt is the finite perfect deponent construction describing their encampment at Maceloth.

Participial Phrase: Inde proficiscentes means “setting out from there.” Inde indicates the place from which the movement begins and refers back to Arada. proficiscentes is a present deponent participle agreeing with the understood masculine plural subject, the sons of Israel.

Aspect of the Participle: proficiscentes is present rather than perfect and therefore presents the departure as an action accompanying or forming the circumstantial setting for the subsequent encampment. As a deponent form, it has active meaning despite its passive morphological form.

Verb Phrase: castrametati sunt is the perfect tense of the deponent verb castrametor. castrametati agrees with the understood masculine plural subject, while sunt serves as the auxiliary completing the perfect deponent construction.

Place of Encampment: in Maceloth expresses place where. in therefore governs the ablative function, while the indeclinable place-name Maceloth identifies the location of the encampment.

Morphology

  1. Inde — Lemma: inde; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable adverb of place expressing source; Function: Modifies proficiscentes and indicates the point of departure; Translation: “from there”; Notes: In the continuing itinerary, Inde refers back to Arada, the station reached immediately before this departure.
  2. proficiscentes — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: Present participle of a deponent verb; Form: Nominative plural masculine, present deponent participle, third conjugation; Function: Circumstantial participle agreeing with the understood subject, the sons of Israel; Translation: “setting out”; Notes: The present participle depicts the Israelites in the act of departing from the preceding station. Because proficiscor is deponent, the form has active meaning despite its passive verbal morphology.
  3. castrametati — Lemma: castrametor; Part of Speech: Perfect participle of a deponent verb; Form: Nominative plural masculine, perfect deponent participle, first conjugation; Function: Forms the perfect deponent construction castrametati sunt and agrees with the understood subject, the sons of Israel; Translation: “encamped”; Notes: The deponent verb castrametor means to pitch or establish a camp and has active meaning despite its passive morphological form.
  4. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural, present active indicative, irregular; Function: Auxiliary completing the perfect deponent construction castrametati sunt; Translation: “they encamped”; Notes: Together with castrametati, it forms the perfect tense and presents the encampment at Maceloth as a completed event.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the place where the Israelites encamped; Translation: “at”; Notes: Here in expresses location rather than motion toward a destination and therefore requires an ablative function.
  6. Maceloth — Lemma: Maceloth; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable place-name functioning as an ablative complement after in; Function: Object of the locative preposition in and location of castrametati sunt; Translation: “Maceloth”; Notes: The geographical name identifies the next encampment of the sons of Israel after their departure from Arada.

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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