Numeri 7:2 (Numbers 7:2)

Posted on May 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 7:2 Obtulerunt principes Israel et capita familiarum, qui erant per singulas tribus, præfectique eorum, qui numerati fuerant,

The leaders of Israel and the heads of the families offered, those who were over each tribe, and their chiefs who had been numbered,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Obtulerunt they offered 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 principes leaders NOM.PL.M
3 Israel Israel GEN.SG INDECL
4 et and CONJ
5 capita heads NOM.PL.N
6 familiarum of families GEN.PL.F
7 qui who NOM.PL.M REL
8 erant were 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
9 per through PREP+ACC
10 singulas each ACC.PL.F
11 tribus tribes ACC.PL.F
12 præfectique and chiefs NOM.PL.M
13 eorum their GEN.PL.M PERS
14 qui who NOM.PL.M REL
15 numerati having been numbered NOM.PL.M PERF.PASS.PTCP
16 fuerant had been 3PL.PLUP.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Obtulerunt principes Israel et capita familiarum — principes and capita form a compound subject, with Obtulerunt as the verb.

Genitive Phrase: Israel modifies principes, and familiarum modifies capita.

Relative Clause 1: qui erant per singulas tribus describes the leaders, indicating distribution across tribes.

Additional Subject Element: præfectique eorum adds another group coordinated with the main subject.

Relative Clause 2: qui numerati fuerant modifies præfecti, describing their prior enumeration.

Morphology

  1. Obtulerunt — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they offered; Notes: Completed action.
  2. principes — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: leaders; Notes: Tribal heads.
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular indeclinable; Function: modifies principes; Translation: of Israel; Notes: Identifies group.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links subjects; Translation: and; Notes: Joins elements.
  5. capita — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject; Translation: heads; Notes: Leaders of families.
  6. familiarum — Lemma: familia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: modifies capita; Translation: of families; Notes: Household groups.
  7. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: who; Notes: Refers to leaders.
  8. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: verb; Translation: were; Notes: Descriptive past.
  9. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces phrase; Translation: through; Notes: Distribution.
  10. singulas — Lemma: singulus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies tribus; Translation: each; Notes: Individual distribution.
  11. tribus — Lemma: tribus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: tribes; Notes: Tribal divisions.
  12. præfectique — Lemma: præfectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine with enclitic conjunction; Function: subject; Translation: and chiefs; Notes: Additional leaders.
  13. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies præfecti; Translation: their; Notes: Possessive.
  14. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: who; Notes: Refers to chiefs.
  15. numerati — Lemma: numero; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate; Translation: having been numbered; Notes: Census context.
  16. fuerant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural pluperfect active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: had been; Notes: Completes pluperfect passive.

 

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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