Numeri 7:20 (Numbers 7:20)

Posted on May 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 7:20 mortariolum aureum habens decem siclos plenum incenso:

a golden small mortar having ten shekels, full of incense;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 mortariolum small mortar ACC.SG.N
2 aureum golden ACC.SG.N
3 habens having ACC.SG.N PRES.ACT.PTCP
4 decem ten INDECL
5 siclos shekels ACC.PL.M
6 plenum full ACC.SG.N
7 incenso with incense ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Object Phrase: mortariolum aureum habens decem siclos — direct object with participial modifier describing weight.

Predicate Phrase: plenum incenso — describes content using ablative of filling.

Morphology

  1. mortariolum — Lemma: mortariolum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: small mortar; Notes: Diminutive vessel.
  2. aureum — Lemma: aureus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies mortariolum; Translation: golden; Notes: Material.
  3. habens — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative singular neuter present active participle; Function: modifies mortariolum; Translation: having; Notes: Describes quantity.
  4. decem — Lemma: decem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies siclos; Translation: ten; Notes: Cardinal number.
  5. siclos — Lemma: siclus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of participle; Translation: shekels; Notes: Unit of weight.
  6. plenum — Lemma: plenus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate; Translation: full; Notes: Describes content.
  7. incenso — Lemma: incensum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of content; Translation: with incense; Notes: Substance contained.

 

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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