Numeri 4:30 (Numbers 4:30)

Posted on May 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 4:30 a triginta annis et supra, usque ad annos quinquaginta, omnes qui ingrediuntur ad officium ministerii sui et cultum fœderis testimonii.

from thirty years and above, up to fifty years, all who enter for the duty of their ministry and the service of the covenant of testimony.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 a from PREP+ABL
2 triginta thirty INDECL
3 annis years ABL.PL.M
4 et and CONJ
5 supra above ADV
6 usque up to ADV
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 annos years ACC.PL.M
9 quinquaginta fifty INDECL
10 omnes all ACC.PL.M
11 qui who REL.NOM.PL.M
12 ingrediuntur enter 3.PL.PRES.DEP.IND
13 ad for PREP+ACC
14 officium duty ACC.SG.N
15 ministerii of ministry GEN.SG.N
16 sui their own GEN.SG.N
17 et and CONJ
18 cultum service ACC.SG.M
19 fœderis of the covenant GEN.SG.N
20 testimonii of testimony GEN.SG.N

Syntax

Prepositional Phrase (Range): a triginta annis et supra establishes the lower boundary of age, while usque ad annos quinquaginta sets the upper limit.

Main Object Phrase: omnes — the direct object (implied from prior command), referring to those to be counted.

Relative Clause: qui ingrediuntur — describes omnes, with ingrediuntur as the deponent verb.

Prepositional Phrase: ad officium ministerii sui — expresses purpose or function, indicating entry for assigned duty.

Coordinated Object: et cultum fœderis testimonii — adds a second sphere of service, specifying covenantal worship.

Clause Function: The sentence defines the eligible age range and describes the individuals qualified for tabernacle service.

Morphology

  1. a — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses starting point; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates beginning of range.
  2. triginta — Lemma: triginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal; Function: modifies annis; Translation: “thirty”; Notes: Lower age limit.
  3. annis — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of a; Translation: “years”; Notes: Temporal measure.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects phrase.
  5. supra — Lemma: supra; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies range; Translation: “above”; Notes: Extends minimum.
  6. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies ad; Translation: “up to”; Notes: Indicates limit.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses endpoint; Translation: “to”; Notes: Upper boundary.
  8. annos — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “years”; Notes: Time span.
  9. quinquaginta — Lemma: quinquaginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies annos; Translation: “fifty”; Notes: Upper limit.
  10. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object; Translation: “all”; Notes: Refers to individuals counted.
  11. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to omnes.
  12. ingrediuntur — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present deponent indicative, third person plural; Function: verb; Translation: “enter”; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning.
  13. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces purpose; Translation: “for”; Notes: Indicates function.
  14. officium — Lemma: officium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: “duty”; Notes: Assigned role.
  15. ministerii — Lemma: ministerium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifier; Translation: “of ministry”; Notes: Specifies service type.
  16. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies ministerii; Translation: “their own”; Notes: Refers to assigned role.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds element.
  18. cultum — Lemma: cultus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: coordinated object; Translation: “service”; Notes: Ritual function.
  19. fœderis — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifier; Translation: “of the covenant”; Notes: Sacred relation.
  20. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of testimony”; Notes: Specifies covenant aspect.

 

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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