Numeri 5:17 (Numbers 5:17)

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 5:17 assumetque aquam sanctam in vase fictili, et pauxillum terræ de pavimento tabernaculi mittet in eam.

And he shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and he shall put a little of the earth from the floor of the tabernacle into it.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 assumetque and he shall take 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 aquam water ACC.SG.F
3 sanctam holy ACC.SG.F
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 vase vessel ABL.SG.N
6 fictili earthen ABL.SG.N
7 et and CONJ
8 pauxillum a little ACC.SG.N
9 terræ of earth GEN.SG.F
10 de from PREP+ABL
11 pavimento floor ABL.SG.N
12 tabernaculi of the tabernacle GEN.SG.N
13 mittet he shall put 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
14 in into PREP+ACC
15 eam it ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: assumet aquam sanctam, with assumet as the verb and aquam sanctam as the direct object. in vase fictili specifies the location or container.

Main Clause 2: mittet pauxillum terræ, coordinated by et, with pauxillum terræ as the object. de pavimento tabernaculi indicates source, and in eam indicates direction.

Morphology

  1. assumetque — Lemma: assumo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative, 3rd conjugation, with enclitic conjunction -que; Function: main verb of first clause; Translation: and he shall take; Notes: the enclitic -que links this action closely to the preceding instruction.
  2. aquam — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: direct object of assumetque; Translation: water; Notes: refers to the ritual element.
  3. sanctam — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies aquam; Translation: holy; Notes: designates consecrated water.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: indicates placement within a container.
  5. vase — Lemma: vas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: vessel; Notes: refers to container used in ritual.
  6. fictili — Lemma: fictilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies vase; Translation: earthen; Notes: indicates material of vessel.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: continues sequence of actions.
  8. pauxillum — Lemma: pauxillum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of mittet; Translation: a little; Notes: indicates small quantity.
  9. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: partitive genitive with pauxillum; Translation: of earth; Notes: specifies substance.
  10. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the ablative; Function: introduces source; Translation: from; Notes: indicates origin.
  11. pavimento — Lemma: pavimentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: object of de; Translation: floor; Notes: refers to sacred ground.
  12. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: modifies pavimento; Translation: of the tabernacle; Notes: indicates holy place.
  13. mittet — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative, 3rd conjugation; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: he shall put; Notes: expresses ritual action.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the accusative; Function: introduces direction; Translation: into; Notes: indicates motion toward.
  15. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: it; Notes: refers to the water.

 

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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