Numeri 5:12 (Numbers 5:12)

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 5:12 Loquere ad filios Israel, et dices ad eos: Vir, cuius uxor erraverit, maritumque contemnens

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: ‘A man, whose wife shall have gone astray, and despising her husband

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Loquere speak 2SG.PRES.DEP.IMP.MOOD
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 filios sons ACC.PL.M
4 Israel of Israel GEN.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 dices you shall say 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 eos them ACC.PL.M
9 Vir man NOM.SG.M
10 cuius whose GEN.SG.M.REL
11 uxor wife NOM.SG.F
12 erraverit shall have gone astray 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
13 maritumque and husband ACC.SG.M
14 contemnens despising PTCP.PRES.NOM.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Loquere is the imperative verb addressed to a singular subject, with ad filios Israel indicating the audience.

Second Clause: dices ad eos continues the instruction, introducing the formal declaration.

Subject Phrase: Vir introduces the case scenario.

Relative Clause: cuius uxor erraverit modifies Vir, with uxor as the subject and erraverit as the verb.

Participle Phrase: maritumque contemnens further describes uxor, indicating her attitude toward her husband.

Morphology

  1. Loquere — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: second person singular present deponent imperative; Function: main verb of command; Translation: speak; Notes: deponent verb used for issuing instruction.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: indicates direction toward the audience.
  3. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: sons; Notes: denotes members of Yisraʾel.
  4. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies filios; Translation: of Israel; Notes: identifies covenant community.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: continues instruction.
  6. dices — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative, 3rd conjugation; Function: verb of second clause; Translation: you shall say; Notes: expresses formal declaration.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the accusative; Function: introduces object of speech; Translation: to; Notes: marks recipients.
  8. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: them; Notes: refers to the sons of Yisraʾel.
  9. Vir — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: subject of case description; Translation: man; Notes: introduces legal scenario.
  10. cuius — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies uxor; Translation: whose; Notes: links man to his wife.
  11. uxor — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: subject of erraverit; Translation: wife; Notes: central participant in the clause.
  12. erraverit — Lemma: erro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active indicative, 1st conjugation; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: shall have gone astray; Notes: implies moral deviation.
  13. maritumque — Lemma: maritus; Part of Speech: noun with enclitic; Form: accusative singular masculine with enclitic -que; Function: object of contemnens; Translation: and husband; Notes: enclitic connects to preceding clause.
  14. contemnens — Lemma: contemno; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: present active participle nominative singular feminine, 3rd conjugation; Function: modifies uxor; Translation: despising; Notes: indicates ongoing attitude of disregard.

 

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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