Numeri 33:7 (Numbers 33:7)

Posted on May 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 33:7 Inde egressi venerunt contra Phihahiroth, quæ respicit Beelsephon, et castrametati sunt ante Magdalum.

Setting out from there, they came opposite Phihahiroth, which faces Beelsephon, and they encamped before Magdalum.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Inde from there ADV.INVAR
2 egressi setting out NOM.PL.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
3 venerunt they came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
4 contra opposite PREP+ACC
5 Phihahiroth Pi Hahiroth INDECL
6 quæ which NOM.SG.F.REL
7 respicit faces 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 Beelsephon Baal Zephon INDECL.OBJ
9 et and CONJ.INVAR
10 castrametati encamped NOM.PL.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
11 sunt they encamped 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
12 ante before PREP+ACC
13 Magdalum Migdol ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Inde egressi venerunt contra Phihahiroth continues the itinerary from Etham. The sons of Israel are the understood subject. egressi is a perfect deponent participle agreeing with that understood masculine plural subject, while venerunt is the finite main verb. Inde indicates departure from the previously mentioned location.

Participial Phrase: Inde egressi means “setting out from there.” Inde modifies egressi by specifying the point of departure, and egressi describes the Israelites’ departure before their arrival at the next station.

Prepositional Phrase: contra Phihahiroth identifies the location to which they came in relation to Phihahiroth. contra governs the accusative, and the indeclinable Phihahiroth functions as its complement, with the spatial sense “opposite” or “over against.”

Relative Clause: quæ respicit Beelsephon further locates Phihahiroth. quæ is the subject of respicit and refers to Phihahiroth as an understood feminine locality. Beelsephon is the direct object of respicit.

Coordinated Main Clause: et castrametati sunt ante Magdalum describes the ensuing encampment. castrametati sunt is a perfect deponent construction with the same understood subject, the sons of Israel.

Prepositional Phrase: ante Magdalum specifies the location of the encampment. ante governs the accusative Magdalum and means “before” or “in front of” Magdalum.

Morphology

  1. Inde — Lemma: inde; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable adverb of place; Function: Modifies egressi and indicates the point of departure; Translation: “from there”; Notes: In the continuing itinerary, it refers back to Etham, the location named in the preceding verse.
  2. egressi — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: Perfect participle of a deponent verb; Form: Nominative plural masculine, perfect deponent participle, third conjugation; Function: Circumstantial participle agreeing with the understood subject, the sons of Israel; Translation: “setting out”; Notes: Because egredior is deponent, the morphologically passive participle has active meaning and describes their departure from the preceding station.
  3. venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural, perfect active indicative, fourth conjugation; Function: Main verb with the sons of Israel understood as subject; Translation: “they came”; Notes: The perfect tense presents their arrival opposite Phihahiroth as the completed next stage of the journey.
  4. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the accusative; Function: Introduces the spatial relationship to Phihahiroth; Translation: “opposite”; Notes: Its spatial sense here is “over against” or “opposite,” locating the Israelites relative to Phihahiroth.
  5. Phihahiroth — Lemma: Phihahiroth; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable place-name, functioning as accusative after contra; Function: Complement of contra and antecedent of quæ; Translation: “Phihahiroth”; Notes: The locality is further geographically identified by its relation to Beelsephon in the following relative clause.
  6. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of respicit, referring to Phihahiroth; Translation: “which”; Notes: The feminine form reflects an understood feminine designation for Phihahiroth, such as a locality or station.
  7. respicit — Lemma: respicio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular, present active indicative, third conjugation; Function: Verb of the relative clause with quæ as subject; Translation: “faces”; Notes: In a geographical description, respicio can denote facing, looking toward, or lying opposite another location.
  8. Beelsephon — Lemma: Beelsephon; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Indeclinable place-name, functioning as accusative; Function: Direct object of respicit; Translation: “Beelsephon”; Notes: The place-name serves as a geographical reference point for locating Phihahiroth.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects the arrival near Phihahiroth with the subsequent encampment before Magdalum; Translation: “and”; Notes: It links two successive actions within the same stage of Israel’s itinerary.
  10. castrametati — Lemma: castrametor; Part of Speech: Perfect participle of a deponent verb; Form: Nominative plural masculine, perfect deponent participle, first conjugation; Function: Forms the perfect deponent construction castrametati sunt and agrees with the understood subject, the sons of Israel; Translation: “encamped”; Notes: The deponent verb castrametor denotes pitching or establishing a camp and has active meaning despite its passive morphology.
  11. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person plural, present active indicative, irregular; Function: Auxiliary completing castrametati sunt; Translation: “they encamped”; Notes: With castrametati, it forms the perfect deponent tense describing the completed act of encamping.
  12. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Invariable preposition governing the accusative; Function: Introduces the location of the encampment relative to Magdalum; Translation: “before”; Notes: Used spatially, it means “in front of” or “before” a particular geographical location.
  13. Magdalum — Lemma: Magdalum; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: Object of the preposition ante; Translation: “Magdalum”; Notes: It identifies the geographical landmark before which the Israelites established their encampment.

 

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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