Numeri 5:23 (Numbers 5:23)

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 5:23 Scribetque sacerdos in libello ista maledicta, et delebit ea aquis amarissimis, in quas maledicta congessit,

“And the priest shall write these curses in a scroll, and he shall wipe them out with the most bitter waters, into which he has gathered curses,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Scribetque and he shall write 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 sacerdos priest NOM.SG.M
3 in in PREP+ABL
4 libello scroll ABL.SG.M
5 ista these ACC.PL.N.DEM
6 maledicta curses ACC.PL.N
7 et and CONJ
8 delebit he shall wipe out 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 ea them ACC.PL.N
10 aquis with waters ABL.PL.F
11 amarissimis most bitter ABL.PL.F.SUPER
12 in into PREP+ACC
13 quas which ACC.PL.F.REL
14 maledicta curses ACC.PL.N
15 congessit he has gathered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Scribet sacerdos ista maledicta in libello, with sacerdos as subject and Scribet as the verb. ista maledicta functions as the direct object, and in libello indicates location.

Main Clause 2: et delebit ea aquis amarissimis, coordinated by et, with ea as object and aquis amarissimis as an ablative of means.

Relative Clause: in quas maledicta congessit modifies aquis, indicating the waters into which the curses have been placed.

Morphology

  1. Scribetque — Lemma: scribo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative, 3rd conjugation, with enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and he shall write; Notes: introduces written component of ritual.
  2. sacerdos — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: subject; Translation: priest; Notes: officiant performing ritual actions.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: denotes writing medium.
  4. libello — Lemma: libellus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: scroll; Notes: diminutive form indicating small document.
  5. ista — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies maledicta; Translation: these; Notes: refers to specified curses.
  6. maledicta — Lemma: maledictum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, 2nd declension; Function: direct object; Translation: curses; Notes: content of writing.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: continues action.
  8. delebit — Lemma: deleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative, 2nd conjugation; Function: main verb; Translation: he shall wipe out; Notes: indicates erasure process.
  9. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of delebit; Translation: them; Notes: refers to written curses.
  10. aquis — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine, 1st declension; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with waters; Notes: ritual medium.
  11. amarissimis — Lemma: amarus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine superlative; Function: modifies aquis; Translation: most bitter; Notes: emphasizes intensity.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the accusative; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: into; Notes: direction toward.
  13. quas — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: which; Notes: refers to waters.
  14. maledicta — Lemma: maledictum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of congessit; Translation: curses; Notes: content placed into waters.
  15. congessit — Lemma: congero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative, 3rd conjugation; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: he has gathered; Notes: completed preparation of ritual mixture.

 

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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