Numeri 34:1 (Numbers 34:1)

Posted on June 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 34:1 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:

And the LORD spoke to Moyses, saying:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutusque and having spoken NOM.SG.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
2 est he was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
6 dicens saying NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP

Syntax

Main Clause: Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen means “And the LORD spoke to Moyses.” The finite verbal idea is expressed by the deponent perfect Locutusque est, consisting of the perfect participle Locutusque together with the auxiliary est.

Discourse Coordination: The enclitic -que attached to Locutusque means “and” and connects this new divine speech with the preceding narrative.

Subject: Dominus is the nominative singular subject of Locutusque est. Here it refers to YHWH and is therefore translated “the LORD.”

Prepositional Phrase: ad Moysen identifies the person addressed. The preposition ad governs the accusative Moysen and, with a verb of speaking, has the sense “to Moses.”

Participial Phrase: dicens is a present active participle agreeing with Dominus. It is circumstantial and introduces the words that the LORD is about to speak: “saying.”

Morphology

  1. Locutusque — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: Verb, deponent participle with enclitic conjunction; Form: Nominative singular masculine, perfect deponent participle, third conjugation, with enclitic -que; Function: Participial component of the perfect deponent verb Locutusque est, agreeing with Dominus; Translation: “and spoke”; Notes: The participle locutus combines with est to form the perfect of the deponent verb loquor. The attached -que coordinates the clause with the preceding narrative.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Third person singular, present active indicative, irregular verb; Function: Auxiliary with Locutusque forming the perfect deponent Locutusque est; Translation: “has” as part of “spoke”; Notes: Although morphologically a present indicative form of sum, here est functions as the auxiliary of the perfect deponent construction rather than carrying an independent present-tense meaning.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: Subject of Locutusque est and the understood subject of dicens; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: In this biblical context Dominus represents the divine name and therefore refers to YHWH.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Indeclinable preposition governing the accusative; Function: Introduces Moysen as the person to whom the LORD speaks; Translation: “to”; Notes: With a verb of speaking, ad plus the accusative marks the person addressed rather than physical motion toward that person.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine, third-declension biblical proper name; Function: Object of the preposition ad; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: The Latin accusative form Moysen corresponds to the nominative name Moyses; English naturally uses the base form “Moyses.”
  6. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb, participle; Form: Nominative singular masculine, present active participle, third conjugation; Function: Circumstantial participle agreeing with Dominus and introducing the speech that follows; Translation: “saying”; Notes: The present participle portrays the act of saying as accompanying the LORD’s speaking and serves as the conventional biblical introduction to direct discourse.

 

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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