Numeri 33:44 (Numbers 33:44)

Posted on May 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 33:44 Et de Oboth, venerunt in Iieabarim, quæ est in finibus Moabitarum.

And from Oboth, they came to Iieabarim, which is in the borders of the Moabites.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ.INVAR
2 de from PREP+ABL
3 Oboth Oboth INDECL
4 venerunt they came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
5 in to PREP+ACC
6 Iieabarim Iye-abarim INDECL
7 quæ which NOM.SG.F.REL
8 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 finibus the borders ABL.PL.M
11 Moabitarum of the Moabites GEN.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Et de Oboth, venerunt in Iieabarim means “And from Oboth, they came to Iieabarim.” The sons of Israel remain the understood subject of venerunt. de Oboth identifies their point of departure, while in Iieabarim identifies their destination.

Coordination: Et connects this stage of the journey with the preceding itinerary. The narrative moves directly from the encampment at Oboth to the arrival at Iieabarim.

Place of Departure: de Oboth means “from Oboth.” The preposition de governs the ablative in function. Because Oboth is an indeclinable geographical name, its form does not change to mark the ablative.

Destination: in Iieabarim means “to Iieabarim.” Since in accompanies the verb of motion venerunt, it expresses movement toward a destination and governs the accusative in function. Iieabarim is indeclinable and therefore does not display a separate accusative form.

Relative Clause: quæ est in finibus Moabitarum means “which is in the borders of the Moabites.” quæ is the subject of est and refers to Iieabarim as a feminine locality or station. The phrase in finibus Moabitarum specifies where it is situated.

Locative Phrase: in finibus Moabitarum expresses place where. Accordingly, in governs the ablative plural finibus. The genitive plural Moabitarum depends on finibus, identifying the borders as those of the Moabites.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects this itinerary statement with the preceding stage of the journey; Translation: “and”; Notes: It continues the sequence of Israel’s departures and arrivals.
  2. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the place of departure; Translation: “from”; Notes: It marks Oboth as the point from which the sons of Israel departed.
  3. Oboth — Lemma: Oboth; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable place-name, functioning as ablative after de; Function: Complement of de and point of departure; Translation: “Oboth”; Notes: The name remains morphologically unchanged despite its ablative function.
  4. venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural, perfect active indicative, fourth conjugation; Function: Main verb with the sons of Israel as the understood subject; Translation: “they came”; Notes: The perfect tense presents the arrival at Iieabarim as a completed stage of the itinerary.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the accusative; Function: Introduces the destination of venerunt; Translation: “to”; Notes: With a verb of motion, in indicates movement toward or into a destination.
  6. Iieabarim — Lemma: Iieabarim; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable place-name, functioning as accusative after in; Function: Destination of venerunt; Translation: “Iieabarim”; Notes: The geographical name remains unchanged despite its accusative function and is further described by the following relative clause.
  7. quæ — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of est in the relative clause and refers to Iieabarim as a locality or station; Translation: “which”; Notes: The feminine form reflects the understood feminine notion of a place or station associated with the geographical name.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular, present active indicative, irregular; Function: Finite verb of the relative clause; Translation: “is”; Notes: It links the locality represented by quæ with the locative description in finibus Moabitarum.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the phrase expressing the location of Iieabarim; Translation: “in”; Notes: Unlike the earlier in with Iieabarim, this occurrence expresses place where rather than motion and therefore governs the ablative.
  10. finibus — Lemma: finis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine, third declension; Function: Object of the locative preposition in; Translation: “the borders”; Notes: In the plural, fines commonly denotes boundaries, borders, or territorial limits.
  11. Moabitarum — Lemma: Moabitæ; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine, first declension; Function: Dependent genitive modifying finibus; Translation: “of the Moabites”; Notes: It identifies the people whose territorial borders are meant, yielding finibus Moabitarum, “the borders of the Moabites.”

 

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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