Numeri 4:29 (Numbers 4:29)

Posted on May 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 4:29 Filios quoque Merari per familias et domos patrum suorum recensebis

You shall also number the sons of Merari by their families and the houses of their fathers

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Filios sons ACC.PL.M
2 quoque also ADV
3 Merari Merari INDECL
4 per through PREP+ACC
5 familias families ACC.PL.F
6 et and CONJ
7 domos houses ACC.PL.F
8 patrum of fathers GEN.PL.M
9 suorum their own GEN.PL.M
10 recensebis you shall number 2.SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: recensebis filios Merari — recensebis is the main verb, with filios Merari as the direct object.

Adverbial Modifier: quoque adds emphasis, meaning “also,” linking this command with previous enumerations.

Prepositional Phrase: per familias et domos patrum suorum — expresses distribution or classification, indicating that the numbering is to be carried out according to family and paternal households.

Genitive Phrase: patrum suorum modifies domos, specifying “houses of their fathers.”

Clause Function: The sentence is an imperative instruction (future indicative with imperative force), continuing the census commands for the Levites.

Morphology

  1. Filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Refers to members of a clan.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifier; Translation: “also”; Notes: Continues enumeration of groups.
  3. Merari — Lemma: Merari; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: genitive relation; Translation: “Merari”; Notes: Clan name.
  4. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses distribution; Translation: “through”; Notes: Indicates categorization.
  5. familias — Lemma: familia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: “families”; Notes: Social units.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects parallel structures.
  7. domos — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: “houses”; Notes: Household units.
  8. patrum — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifier; Translation: “of fathers”; Notes: Indicates lineage.
  9. suorum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies patrum; Translation: “their own”; Notes: Emphasizes belonging.
  10. recensebis — Lemma: recenseo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “you shall number”; Notes: Future indicative used as command.

 

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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