Numeri 33:6 (Numbers 33:6)

Posted on May 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

6 Et de Soccoth venerunt in Etham, quæ est in extremis finibus solitudinis.

And from Soccoth they came to Etham, which is at the farthest borders of the wilderness.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ.INVAR
2 de from PREP+ABL
3 Soccoth Succoth INDECL
4 venerunt they came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
5 in to PREP+ACC
6 Etham Etham INDECL
7 quæ which NOM.SG.F.REL
8 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 in at PREP+ABL
10 extremis farthest ABL.PL.M.SUPER
11 finibus borders ABL.PL.M
12 solitudinis of the wilderness GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Et de Soccoth venerunt in Etham continues the itinerary from the preceding encampment. The subject is the sons of Israel, understood from the preceding context. venerunt is the main verb, while de Soccoth expresses the point of departure and in Etham expresses the destination.

Place of Departure: de Soccoth indicates movement away from Soccoth. de governs the indeclinable place-name Soccoth with ablative function.

Destination: in Etham indicates movement toward Etham. Because the phrase expresses motion to a destination, in governs the accusative, with the indeclinable Etham functioning as its accusative complement.

Relative Clause: quæ est in extremis finibus solitudinis describes Etham. The feminine singular quæ refers to Etham as a place or station understood in the feminine, and est is the copular verb.

Locative Phrase: in extremis finibus solitudinis identifies Etham’s position. in governs the ablative finibus, while extremis modifies finibus and denotes the outermost or farthest borders. solitudinis is a genitive specifying the wilderness whose borders are meant.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects this stage of the itinerary with the preceding encampment at Soccoth; Translation: “and”; Notes: It marks the continuation of the sequential account of Israel’s journey from one station to the next.
  2. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the place from which the Israelites departed; Translation: “from”; Notes: It marks Soccoth as the point of departure for the next stage of the journey.
  3. Soccoth — Lemma: Soccoth; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable place-name, functioning as ablative after de; Function: Complement of de; Translation: “Soccoth”; Notes: This is the encampment named in the preceding verse and now serves as the starting point for the journey to Etham.
  4. venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural, perfect active indicative, fourth conjugation; Function: Main verb of the sentence, with the sons of Israel understood as its subject; Translation: “they came”; Notes: The perfect tense presents the movement from Soccoth to Etham 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 Etham; Translation: “to”; Notes: With a verb of movement, in plus the accusative expresses motion toward or into a destination.
  6. Etham — Lemma: Etham; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable place-name, functioning as accusative after in; Function: Complement of in and destination of venerunt; Translation: “Etham”; Notes: It is the next station in the itinerary and is further located by the relative clause that follows.
  7. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of est and relative reference to Etham; Translation: “which”; Notes: The feminine form treats the place-name through an understood feminine designation such as a station or locality.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular, present active indicative, irregular; Function: Verb of the relative clause describing the location of Etham; Translation: “is”; Notes: It links Etham with the locative description in extremis finibus solitudinis.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the ablative; Function: Introduces the phrase describing where Etham is situated; Translation: “at”; Notes: Unlike the earlier in expressing motion toward Etham, this occurrence expresses location and therefore takes the ablative.
  10. extremis — Lemma: extremus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative plural masculine, superlative degree, first and second declension adjective; Function: Modifies finibus; Translation: “farthest”; Notes: The adjective denotes the outermost or extreme boundaries and emphasizes Etham’s position at the edge of the wilderness.
  11. finibus — Lemma: finis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine, third declension; Function: Object of the locative preposition in; Translation: “borders”; Notes: In the plural, fines commonly denotes boundaries, borders, or territorial limits rather than merely an endpoint.
  12. solitudinis — Lemma: solitudo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine, third declension; Function: Genitive modifying finibus; Translation: “of the wilderness”; Notes: It specifies the geographical region whose outer borders locate Etham.

 

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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