Numeri 8:10 (Numbers 8:10)

Posted on May 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 8:10 Cumque Levitæ fuerint coram Domino, ponent filii Israel manus suas super eos.

And when the Levites have been before the LORD, the sons of Israel shall place their hands upon them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 Levitæ Levites NOM.PL.M
3 fuerint have been 3PL.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
4 coram before PREP+ABL
5 Domino LORD ABL.SG.M
6 ponent they shall place 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
7 filii sons NOM.PL.M
8 Israel Israel GEN.SG INDECL
9 manus hands ACC.PL.F
10 suas their ACC.PL.F POSS
11 super upon PREP+ACC
12 eos them ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque Levitæ fuerint coram Domino — future perfect indicating completed prior state before the main action.

Main Clause: ponent filii Israel manus suas super eos — future indicative expressing commanded action.

Subject–Verb Order: filii Israel follows the verb for emphasis within narrative flow.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + -que; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: and when; Notes: Sequential connection.
  2. Levitæ — Lemma: Levita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Levites; Notes: Priestly group.
  3. fuerint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural future perfect active indicative; Function: verb; Translation: have been; Notes: Completed prior action.
  4. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: location; Translation: before; Notes: Presence.
  5. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: LORD; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  6. ponent — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they shall place; Notes: Instructional action.
  7. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: sons; Notes: People of Israel.
  8. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular indeclinable; Function: modifies filii; Translation: of Israel; Notes: Nation.
  9. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: hands; Notes: Gesture of consecration.
  10. suas — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies manus; Translation: their; Notes: Reflexive possession.
  11. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: direction; Translation: upon; Notes: Physical contact.
  12. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: them; Notes: Refers to Levites.

 

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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