Nm 4:48 fuerunt simul octo millia quingenti octoginta.
there were together eight thousand five hundred eighty.
| # |
Latin |
Gloss |
Grammar Tag |
| 1 |
fuerunt |
there were |
3.PL.PERF.ACT.IND |
| 2 |
simul |
together |
ADV |
| 3 |
octo |
eight |
INDECL |
| 4 |
millia |
thousand |
NOM.PL.N |
| 5 |
quingenti |
five hundred |
NOM.PL.M |
| 6 |
octoginta |
eighty |
INDECL |
Syntax
Main Clause: fuerunt simul — verb fuerunt expresses existence, with simul modifying the collective sense.
Predicate Numeral: octo millia quingenti octoginta — gives the total number counted.
Clause Function: The sentence presents the combined total of those counted.
Morphology
- fuerunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “there were”; Notes: Indicates completed state or result.
- simul — Lemma: simul; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifier; Translation: “together”; Notes: Emphasizes totality.
- octo — Lemma: octo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies numeral phrase; Translation: “eight”; Notes: Part of compound number.
- millia — Lemma: mille; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: head numeral; Translation: “thousand”; Notes: Used with plural construction.
- quingenti — Lemma: quingenti; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies numeral phrase; Translation: “five hundred”; Notes: Part of compound number.
- octoginta — Lemma: octoginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: completes numeral phrase; Translation: “eighty”; Notes: Final element of total.
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.