Numeri 5:26 (Numbers 5:26)

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 5:26 pugillum sacrificii tollat de eo, quod offertur, et incendat super altare: et sic potum det mulieri aquas amarissimas.

he shall take a handful of the sacrifice from that which is offered, and he shall burn it upon the altar; and thus he shall give the most bitter waters as drink to the woman.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 pugillum handful ACC.SG.M
2 sacrificii of sacrifice GEN.SG.N
3 tollat may take 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
4 de from PREP+ABL
5 eo it ABL.SG.N
6 quod which NOM/ACC.SG.N.REL
7 offertur is offered 3SG.PRES.PASS.IND
8 et and CONJ
9 incendat may burn 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
10 super upon PREP+ACC
11 altare altar ACC.SG.N
12 et and CONJ
13 sic thus ADV
14 potum drink ACC.SG.M
15 det may give 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
16 mulieri to the woman DAT.SG.F
17 aquas waters ACC.PL.F
18 amarissimas most bitter ACC.PL.F.SUPER

Syntax

Jussive Clause 1: tollat pugillum sacrificii de eo, with tollat as jussive verb and pugillum sacrificii as object. de eo quod offertur specifies source with a relative clause.

Jussive Clause 2: et incendat super altare, coordinated by et, describing the burning action.

Jussive Clause 3: et sic potum det mulieri aquas amarissimas, with det as verb, mulieri as indirect object, and aquas amarissimas as object, with potum functioning as a predicate accusative.

Morphology

  1. pugillum — Lemma: pugillus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: direct object; Translation: handful; Notes: a small measured portion.
  2. sacrificii — Lemma: sacrificium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: partitive genitive; Translation: of sacrifice; Notes: indicates source of portion.
  3. tollat — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive, 3rd conjugation; Function: jussive verb; Translation: may take; Notes: expresses prescribed action.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the ablative; Function: introduces source; Translation: from; Notes: indicates origin.
  5. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: it; Notes: refers to offering.
  6. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative or accusative singular neuter; Function: subject of offertur; Translation: which; Notes: introduces relative clause.
  7. offertur — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present passive indicative, irregular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: is offered; Notes: indicates ongoing ritual act.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: continues sequence.
  9. incendat — Lemma: incendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive, 3rd conjugation; Function: jussive verb; Translation: may burn; Notes: expresses sacrificial burning.
  10. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the accusative; Function: introduces location; Translation: upon; Notes: indicates placement.
  11. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: object of super; Translation: altar; Notes: sacred location.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: continues sequence.
  13. sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies verb; Translation: thus; Notes: indicates manner.
  14. potum — Lemma: potus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, 4th declension; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: drink; Notes: indicates purpose of action.
  15. det — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive, 1st conjugation; Function: jussive verb; Translation: may give; Notes: expresses instruction.
  16. mulieri — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the woman; Notes: recipient of action.
  17. aquas — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, 1st declension; Function: direct object; Translation: waters; Notes: ritual liquid.
  18. amarissimas — Lemma: amarus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine superlative; Function: modifies aquas; Translation: most bitter; Notes: emphasizes severity of ritual.

 

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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