Numeri 33:49 (Numbers 33:49)

Posted on May 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 33:49 Ibique castrametati sunt de Bethsimoth usque ad Abelsatim in planioribus locis Moabitarum,

And there they encamped from Bethsimoth as far as Abelsatim, in the flatter places of the Moabites,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ibique and there ADV.INVAR
2 castrametati encamped NOM.PL.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
3 sunt they have 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
4 de from PREP+ABL
5 Bethsimoth Beth-jeshimoth INDECL
6 usque as far as ADV.INVAR
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 Abelsatim Abel-shittim INDECL
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 planioribus flatter ABL.PL.N.CMPR.ADJ
11 locis places ABL.PL.N
12 Moabitarum of the Moabites GEN.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Ibique castrametati sunt de Bethsimoth usque ad Abelsatim in planioribus locis Moabitarum means “And there they encamped from Bethsimoth as far as Abelsatim, in the flatter places of the Moabites.” The sons of Israel are the understood subject. The main verb phrase castrametati sunt describes their encampment, while the remaining expressions identify its geographical extent and location.

Locative Adverb and Coordination: Ibique combines the adverb ibi, meaning “there,” with the enclitic conjunction -que, meaning “and.” It refers back to the plains of Moab described in the preceding verse and connects the present statement with the continuing itinerary.

Perfect Deponent Verb: castrametati sunt is the third person plural perfect indicative of the deponent verb castrametor. The perfect participle castrametati agrees with the understood masculine plural subject, while sunt serves as the auxiliary. Together they mean “they encamped.”

Extent of the Encampment: de Bethsimoth usque ad Abelsatim means “from Bethsimoth as far as Abelsatim.” The preposition de introduces the starting point of the geographical extent, while usque ad introduces its endpoint. The construction describes the range occupied by the encampment rather than necessarily indicating a new journey from Bethsimoth to Abelsatim.

Starting Point: de Bethsimoth identifies Bethsimoth as one boundary of the encampment. The preposition de governs the ablative in function, although the indeclinable place-name Bethsimoth has no distinct ablative ending.

Endpoint: usque ad Abelsatim means “as far as Abelsatim.” The adverb usque strengthens the expression of extent, while ad governs the accusative in function. Abelsatim remains unchanged because it is an indeclinable geographical name.

Locative Phrase: in planioribus locis Moabitarum means “in the flatter places of the Moabites.” The preposition in expresses place where and governs the ablative plural locis. The comparative adjective planioribus agrees with locis in case, number, and gender. The genitive plural Moabitarum identifies the people associated with these places.

Comparative Adjective: planioribus is the comparative form of planus, meaning “flat” or “level.” It literally means “flatter” or “more level.” No explicit standard of comparison is supplied; the adjective characterizes the terrain as comparatively level.

Morphology

  1. Ibique — Lemma: ibi + -que; Part of Speech: Adverb with enclitic coordinating conjunction; Form: Invariable locative adverb with attached enclitic -que; Function: Locates the encampment and connects the statement with the preceding itinerary; Translation: “and there”; Notes: ibi refers to the plains of Moab mentioned previously. The enclitic -que adds the coordinating sense “and” without forming a separate orthographic word.
  2. castrametati — Lemma: castrametor; Part of Speech: Perfect participle of a deponent verb; Form: Nominative plural masculine, perfect deponent participle, first conjugation; Function: Combines with sunt to form the perfect indicative and agrees with the understood subject, the sons of Israel; Translation: “encamped”; Notes: The deponent verb castrametor means “to pitch camp” or “to encamp.” Its perfect participle has active meaning despite its passive morphology.
  3. 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 have,” as part of “they encamped”; Notes: Although morphologically present tense, sunt combines with the perfect participle to form the perfect indicative. The complete construction is naturally translated by the English simple past.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the starting boundary of the encampment’s geographical extent; Translation: “from”; Notes: Together with usque ad, it forms a construction specifying the area extending between two named places.
  5. Bethsimoth — Lemma: Bethsimoth; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable geographical name, functioning as ablative after de; Function: Starting boundary of the geographical extent; Translation: “Bethsimoth”; Notes: The name remains morphologically unchanged despite its ablative function. It marks one end of the area occupied by the Israelites.
  6. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable adverb of extent; Function: Modifies the following directional expression ad Abelsatim and marks the endpoint of the geographical range; Translation: “as far as”; Notes: The combination usque ad commonly expresses extension up to a specified place or boundary.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the accusative; Function: Introduces the endpoint of the geographical extent; Translation: “to”; Notes: With usque, it means “as far as” and establishes Abelsatim as the opposite boundary from Bethsimoth.
  8. Abelsatim — Lemma: Abelsatim; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable geographical name, functioning as accusative after ad; Function: Endpoint of the geographical range expressed by de Bethsimoth usque ad Abelsatim; Translation: “Abelsatim”; Notes: The name identifies the other boundary of the encampment’s extent and remains morphologically unchanged.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the location of the encampment; Translation: “in”; Notes: Here in expresses place where, not movement toward a destination, and therefore governs an ablative complement.
  10. planioribus — Lemma: planus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative plural neuter, comparative degree, from the comparative planior, planius; Function: Modifies locis and agrees with it in case, number, and gender; Translation: “flatter”; Notes: The comparative describes the places as more level or flatter. The standard of comparison is not explicitly stated in the Latin.
  11. locis — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural neuter, second declension; Function: Object of the locative preposition in and noun modified by planioribus; Translation: “places”; Notes: The neuter plural loca, with ablative locis, commonly denotes places, areas, or regions. Here it refers to the relatively level terrain occupied by the encampment.
  12. Moabitarum — Lemma: Moabita; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine, first declension; Function: Dependent genitive modifying locis; Translation: “of the Moabites”; Notes: The noun identifies the people associated with the region. Together planioribus locis Moabitarum means “the flatter places of the Moabites,” referring to the level territory of Moab.

 

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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