Numeri 5:6 (Numbers 5:6)

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 5:6 Loquere ad filios Israel: Vir, sive mulier, cum fecerint ex omnibus peccatis, quæ solent hominibus accidere, et per negligentiam transgressi fuerint mandatum Domini, atque deliquerint,

“Speak to the sons of Israel: ‘A man, or a woman, when they shall have done from all sins which are accustomed to happen to men, and through negligence they shall have transgressed the command of the LORD, and they shall have sinned,

# 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 Vir man NOM.SG.M
6 sive or CONJ
7 mulier woman NOM.SG.F
8 cum when CONJ
9 fecerint they shall have done 3PL.FUTP.ACT.IND
10 ex from PREP+ABL
11 omnibus all ABL.PL.N
12 peccatis sins ABL.PL.N
13 quæ which NOM.PL.N
14 solent are accustomed 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
15 hominibus to men DAT.PL.M
16 accidere to happen PRES.ACT.INF
17 et and CONJ
18 per through PREP+ACC
19 negligentiam negligence ACC.SG.F
20 transgressi having transgressed PTCP.PERF.NOM.PL.M
21 fuerint they shall have been 3PL.FUTP.ACT.IND
22 mandatum command ACC.SG.N
23 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
24 atque and also CONJ
25 deliquerint they shall have sinned 3PL.FUTP.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Loquere is the main imperative verb addressed to a singular subject. ad filios Israel forms the indirect object of the command.

Subject Phrase: Vir sive mulier is a distributive subject phrase introducing both genders equally.

Temporal Clause: cum fecerint ex omnibus peccatis is a temporal clause indicating the condition of committing sins.

Relative Clause: quæ solent hominibus accidere modifies peccatis, describing sins that commonly occur to humans.

Coordinated Clause: et per negligentiam transgressi fuerint mandatum Domini expands on the wrongdoing, with transgressi fuerint forming a periphrastic perfect sense.

Final Clause: atque deliquerint adds a final reinforcing action of sinning.

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 with active meaning, commonly used for divine instructions.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the accusative; Function: introduces the indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: expresses 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 the covenant community.
  4. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, indeclinable; Function: modifies filios; Translation: of Israel; Notes: marks identity as Yisraʾel.
  5. Vir — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: subject of the conditional structure; Translation: man; Notes: introduces individual responsibility.
  6. sive — Lemma: sive; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces alternative; Translation: or; Notes: pairs with mulier for inclusivity.
  7. mulier — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: second subject in coordination; Translation: woman; Notes: ensures the law applies universally.
  8. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: governs the sequence of actions.
  9. fecerint — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: they shall have done; Notes: indicates completed action prior to main consequence.
  10. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the ablative; Function: introduces partitive sense; Translation: from; Notes: indicates selection from a category.
  11. omnibus — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies peccatis; Translation: all; Notes: emphasizes totality.
  12. peccatis — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter, 2nd declension; Function: object of ex; Translation: sins; Notes: refers to acts of wrongdoing.
  13. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: refers back to peccatis.
  14. solent — Lemma: soleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: are accustomed; Notes: expresses habitual occurrence.
  15. hominibus — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine, 3rd declension; Function: indirect object of accidere; Translation: to men; Notes: indicates general human experience.
  16. accidere — Lemma: accido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive, 3rd conjugation; Function: complementary infinitive with solent; Translation: to happen; Notes: describes events occurring naturally or commonly.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: continues sequence of wrongdoing.
  18. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes the accusative; Function: introduces means or cause; Translation: through; Notes: indicates the manner of transgression.
  19. negligentiam — Lemma: negligentia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: object of per; Translation: negligence; Notes: highlights lack of care as cause of sin.
  20. transgressi — Lemma: transgredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect participle nominative plural masculine; Function: part of periphrastic construction; Translation: having transgressed; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  21. fuerint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future perfect active indicative; Function: auxiliary completing periphrastic tense; Translation: they shall have been; Notes: combines with participle for completed future sense.
  22. mandatum — Lemma: mandatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of transgressi fuerint; Translation: command; Notes: refers specifically to divine law.
  23. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: modifies mandatum; Translation: of the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH, hence capitalized.
  24. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: strengthens coordination; Translation: and also; Notes: adds emphasis to final clause.
  25. deliquerint — Lemma: delinquo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of final clause; Translation: they shall have sinned; Notes: reinforces the act of moral failure.

 

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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