Numeri 33:50 (Numbers 33:50)

Posted on May 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 33:50 ubi locutus est Dominus ad Moysen:

where the LORD spoke to Moyses:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ubi where ADV.REL.INVAR
2 locutus spoken NOM.SG.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
3 est has (auxiliary) 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Relative Locative Clause: ubi locutus est Dominus ad Moysen means “where the LORD spoke to Moyses.” The clause is introduced by the relative adverb ubi, which refers back to the location of the Israelites’ encampment in the plains of Moab. It identifies the place where the LORD addressed Moyses.

Relative Adverb: ubi means “where.” It functions as a relative adverb of place, connecting the present clause with the geographical description in the preceding sentence. Unlike a relative pronoun, it does not change form according to case, number, or gender.

Finite Verb Phrase: locutus est means “spoke.” It is the third person singular perfect indicative of the deponent verb loquor. The perfect participle locutus agrees with the nominative singular masculine subject Dominus, while est completes the perfect-tense construction.

Subject: Dominus is the nominative singular masculine subject of locutus est. In this biblical context, it refers to the LORD, the God of Israel. Although the subject follows the verb, its nominative case clearly identifies its grammatical function.

Person Addressed: ad Moysen means “to Moyses.” The preposition ad governs the accusative singular Moysen. With the verb loquor, the phrase identifies the person to whom the speech is directed rather than indicating physical movement.

Word Order: The sequence ubi locutus est Dominus ad Moysen places the relative adverb first, followed by the verb phrase, the subject, and the prepositional complement. The construction emphasizes the location of the divine speech and then identifies the speaker and recipient.

Connection with the Following Speech: The colon after Moysen introduces the words spoken by the LORD. The present clause therefore serves as a narrative introduction to the divine instructions that follow.

Morphology

  1. ubi — Lemma: ubi; Part of Speech: Relative adverb; Form: Invariable relative adverb of place; Function: Introduces a subordinate locative clause referring to the previously mentioned encampment; Translation: “where”; Notes: The adverb connects the divine speech with the geographical setting in the plains of Moab. It does not undergo inflection for case, number, or gender.
  2. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: Perfect participle of a deponent verb; Form: Nominative singular masculine, perfect deponent participle, third conjugation; Function: Combines with est to form the perfect indicative and agrees with the subject Dominus; Translation: “spoken”; Notes: The verb loquor is deponent, having passive morphological forms but active meaning. The complete expression locutus est is translated “he spoke” or, with its expressed subject, “the LORD spoke.”
  3. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular, present active indicative, irregular; Function: Auxiliary completing the perfect deponent verb phrase locutus est; Translation: “has,” as an auxiliary in “has spoken”; Notes: Although est is morphologically present tense, its combination with the perfect participle locutus forms the perfect indicative. The resulting construction naturally takes the English simple past “spoke” in this narrative.
  4. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: Subject of the perfect deponent verb phrase locutus est; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: The noun ordinarily means “lord” or “master.” Here it designates the God of Israel and is translated “the LORD” according to biblical convention.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the accusative; Function: Introduces the person addressed by the speaker; Translation: “to”; Notes: With locutus est, the preposition marks the direction of communication rather than physical movement toward a location.
  6. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine, belonging to the Greek-derived declension of the personal name Moyses; Function: Object of the preposition ad and recipient of the LORD’s speech; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: The accusative form Moysen reflects the Greek-derived inflection of the name. The phrase ad Moysen identifies Moyses as the person directly addressed by the LORD.

 

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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