Numeri 33:3 (Numbers 33:3)

Posted on May 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 33:3 Profecti igitur de Ramesse mense primo, quintadecima die mensis primi, altera die Phase filii Israel in manu excelsa videntibus cunctis Ægyptiis,

Therefore, setting out from Ramesse in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month, on the day after the Phase, the sons of Israel went forth with a high hand, while all the Egyptians were watching.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Profecti having set out NOM.PL.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
2 igitur therefore CONJ.INVAR
3 de from PREP+ABL
4 Ramesse Rameses INDECL
5 mense in the month ABL.SG.M
6 primo first ABL.SG.M.ADJ
7 quintadecima on the fifteenth ABL.SG.F.ADJ
8 die day ABL.SG.F
9 mensis of the month GEN.SG.M
10 primi first GEN.SG.M.ADJ
11 altera on the next ABL.SG.F.ADJ
12 die day ABL.SG.F
13 Phase of the Passover GEN.SG.N.INDECL
14 filii the sons NOM.PL.M
15 Israel of Israel INDECL
16 in with PREP+ABL
17 manu a hand ABL.SG.F
18 excelsa high ABL.SG.F.ADJ
19 videntibus while watching ABL.PL.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP.ABL.ABS
20 cunctis all ABL.PL.M.ADJ.ABL.ABS
21 Ægyptiis the Egyptians ABL.PL.M.ABL.ABS

Syntax

Main Construction: Profecti igitur de Ramesse … filii Israel introduces the departure of the sons of Israel from Ramesse. Profecti is a perfect deponent participle agreeing with filii Israel. In the continuing itinerary narrative, it presents their setting out from Ramesse.

Place of Departure: de Ramesse expresses the point from which the Israelites set out. de governs the place-name Ramesse, which is indeclinable in this construction.

Time: mense primo, quintadecima die mensis primi precisely dates the departure. mense primo means “in the first month,” while quintadecima die mensis primi means “on the fifteenth day of the first month.” The ablatives mense and die express time when.

Temporal Specification: altera die Phase further identifies the departure as occurring on the day following the Phase. altera die means “on the next day,” while Phase specifies the feast in relation to which that day is identified.

Subject: filii Israel is the masculine plural subject to which Profecti refers. Israel specifies whose sons are meant.

Manner: in manu excelsa is an idiomatic expression literally meaning “with a high hand.” It characterizes Israel’s departure as open, bold, and triumphant rather than secret or furtive.

Ablative Absolute: videntibus cunctis Ægyptiis consists of the present active participle videntibus with cunctis Ægyptiis. It provides the circumstance accompanying Israel’s departure: all the Egyptians were looking on as the Israelites went forth.

Morphology

  1. Profecti — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: Perfect participle of a deponent verb; Form: Nominative plural masculine, perfect deponent participle, third conjugation; Function: Agrees with filii Israel and introduces their departure from Ramesse; Translation: “having set out”; Notes: Although morphologically passive in form, the participle has active meaning because proficiscor is deponent and commonly denotes setting out on a journey.
  2. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable postpositive connective; Function: Connects the specific departure from Ramesse with the introductory description of Israel’s itinerary; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: It moves the narrative from the general statement about the recorded stations to the actual sequence of departures and encampments.
  3. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the place of departure; Translation: “from”; Notes: It marks Ramesse as the point from which this stage of the journey began.
  4. Ramesse — Lemma: Ramesse; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable, functioning as ablative after de; Function: Object of de; Translation: “Ramesse”; Notes: It identifies the Egyptian location from which the Israelites began the itinerary described here.
  5. mense — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine, third declension; Function: Ablative of time when; Translation: “in the month”; Notes: Together with primo, it establishes the first month as the broader chronological setting of the departure.
  6. primo — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative singular masculine, positive degree, first and second declension adjective; Function: Modifies mense; Translation: “first”; Notes: It identifies the month in which the departure took place.
  7. quintadecima — Lemma: quintusdecimus; Part of Speech: Ordinal adjective; Form: Ablative singular feminine, positive degree, first and second declension adjective; Function: Modifies die; Translation: “on the fifteenth”; Notes: It specifies the exact day within the first month on which the Israelites departed.
  8. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine, fifth declension; Function: Ablative of time when; Translation: “day”; Notes: With quintadecima, it gives the precise calendar day of Israel’s departure.
  9. mensis — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine, third declension; Function: Genitive dependent on die; Translation: “of the month”; Notes: It specifies the month to which the fifteenth day belongs.
  10. primi — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive singular masculine, positive degree, first and second declension adjective; Function: Modifies mensis; Translation: “first”; Notes: It repeats the identification of the month and reinforces the exact dating of the departure.
  11. altera — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Modifies die in an expression of time when; Translation: “on the next”; Notes: In this chronological expression it denotes the following or next day.
  12. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine, fifth declension; Function: Ablative of time when; Translation: “day”; Notes: Together with altera and Phase, it identifies the departure as occurring on the day following the Phase.
  13. Phase — Lemma: Phase; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Indeclinable, functioning as genitive singular neuter; Function: Genitival specification associated with altera die; Translation: “of the Phase”; Notes: The biblical term denotes the Passover observance; here it serves as the chronological reference point for the following day.
  14. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine, second declension; Function: Subject associated with Profecti; Translation: “the sons”; Notes: It identifies the Israelites as the people undertaking the departure described in the verse.
  15. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable, functioning genitivally; Function: Specifies filii; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: It completes the conventional biblical designation filii Israel.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the expression in manu excelsa; Translation: “with”; Notes: Here the preposition forms part of an idiomatic expression describing the manner and confidence of Israel’s departure.
  17. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine, fourth declension; Function: Object of in; Translation: “a hand”; Notes: In in manu excelsa, “hand” figuratively conveys strength, boldness, or manifest power.
  18. excelsa — Lemma: excelsus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative singular feminine, positive degree, first and second declension adjective; Function: Modifies manu; Translation: “high”; Notes: The expression manu excelsa is idiomatic and portrays the Israelites as departing openly and triumphantly.
  19. videntibus — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: Present active participle; Form: Ablative plural masculine, present active participle, second conjugation; Function: Participial element of the ablative absolute videntibus cunctis Ægyptiis; Translation: “while watching”; Notes: The present participle indicates that the Egyptians’ watching was simultaneous with Israel’s departure.
  20. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative plural masculine, positive degree, first and second declension adjective; Function: Modifies Ægyptiis within the ablative absolute; Translation: “all”; Notes: It emphasizes the public and visible character of Israel’s departure by presenting the Egyptians collectively as witnesses.
  21. Ægyptiis — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine, second declension; Function: Nominal element of the ablative absolute with videntibus; Translation: “the Egyptians”; Notes: They are represented as looking on while the sons of Israel depart openly from Egypt.

 

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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