Numeri 4:39 (Numbers 4:39)

Posted on May 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 4:39 a triginta annos et supra, usque ad quinquagesimum annum, omnes qui ingrediuntur ut ministrent in tabernaculo fœderis:

from thirty years and above, up to the fiftieth year, all who enter so that they may serve in the tabernacle of the covenant;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 a from PREP+ABL
2 triginta thirty INDECL
3 annos years ACC.PL.M
4 et and CONJ
5 supra above ADV
6 usque up to ADV
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 quinquagesimum fiftieth ACC.SG.M
9 annum year ACC.SG.M
10 omnes all ACC.PL.M
11 qui who REL.NOM.PL.M
12 ingrediuntur enter 3.PL.PRES.DEP.IND
13 ut so that CONJ
14 ministrent they may serve 3.PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
15 in in PREP+ABL
16 tabernaculo tabernacle ABL.SG.N
17 fœderis of the covenant GEN.SG.N

Syntax

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

Main Object Phrase: omnes — direct object (implied from prior enumeration), referring to those being counted.

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

Purpose Clause: ut ministrent — expresses purpose, with subjunctive verb ministrent.

Prepositional Phrase: in tabernaculo fœderis — indicates location of service.

Clause Function: The sentence defines the age range and purpose for entry into tabernacle service.

Morphology

  1. a — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses starting point; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks beginning of range.
  2. triginta — Lemma: triginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal; Function: modifies annos; Translation: “thirty”; Notes: Lower age limit.
  3. annos — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: temporal accusative; Translation: “years”; Notes: Used with range expression.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins phrase; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects elements.
  5. supra — Lemma: supra; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies range; Translation: “above”; Notes: Extends beyond 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: Marks upper boundary.
  8. quinquagesimum — Lemma: quinquagesimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies annum; Translation: “fiftieth”; Notes: Ordinal numeral.
  9. annum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “year”; Notes: Upper age 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; 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. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive.
  14. ministrent — Lemma: ministro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, third person plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “they may serve”; Notes: Expresses intended function.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Spatial context.
  16. tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “tabernacle”; Notes: Sacred structure.
  17. fœderis — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of the covenant”; Notes: Defines sacred context.

 

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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