Numeri 8:17 (Numbers 8:17)

Posted on May 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 8:17 Mea sunt enim omnia primogenita filiorum Israel, tam ex hominibus quam ex iumentis. Ex die quo percussi omne primogenitum in Terra Ægypti, sanctificavi eos mihi:

For all the firstborn of the sons of Israel are Mine, both from men and from beasts. From the day that I struck every firstborn in the Land of Egypt, I sanctified them for Myself;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Mea Mine NOM.PL.N POSS
2 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
3 enim for CONJ
4 omnia all NOM.PL.N
5 primogenita firstborn NOM.PL.N
6 filiorum of sons GEN.PL.M
7 Israel Israel GEN.SG INDECL
8 tam both ADV
9 ex from PREP+ABL
10 hominibus men ABL.PL.M
11 quam as well as CONJ
12 ex from PREP+ABL
13 iumentis beasts ABL.PL.N
14 Ex from PREP+ABL
15 die day ABL.SG.M
16 quo which ABL.SG.M REL
17 percussi I struck 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 omne every ACC.SG.N
19 primogenitum firstborn ACC.SG.N
20 in in PREP+ABL
21 Terra land ABL.SG.F
22 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
23 sanctificavi I sanctified 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
24 eos them ACC.PL.M
25 mihi for Myself DAT.SG

Syntax

Main Clause: Mea sunt enim omnia primogenita filiorum Israel — predicate nominative structure asserting divine ownership.

Correlative Structure: tam… quam… — balances ex hominibus and ex iumentis.

Temporal Clause: Ex die quo percussi omne primogenitum — specifies the time of divine action.

Main Verb Clause: sanctificavi eos mihi — expresses completed act of consecration.

Morphology

  1. Mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate; Translation: Mine; Notes: Ownership.
  2. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: are; Notes: Linking verb.
  3. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: explanatory; Translation: for; Notes: Reason.
  4. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: modifies primogenita; Translation: all; Notes: Totality.
  5. primogenita — Lemma: primogenitum; Part of Speech: noun/adjective; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject; Translation: firstborn; Notes: Group.
  6. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies primogenita; Translation: of sons; Notes: People.
  7. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular indeclinable; Function: modifies filiorum; Translation: Israel; Notes: Nation.
  8. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: correlative; Translation: both; Notes: Paired with quam.
  9. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: source; Translation: from; Notes: Origin.
  10. hominibus — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object; Translation: men; Notes: Humans.
  11. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: correlative; Translation: as well as; Notes: Balance.
  12. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: source; Translation: from; Notes: Origin.
  13. iumentis — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object; Translation: beasts; Notes: Animals.
  14. Ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: temporal; Translation: from; Notes: Time.
  15. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object; Translation: day; Notes: Time reference.
  16. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: introduces clause; Translation: which; Notes: Refers to day.
  17. percussi — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb; Translation: I struck; Notes: Divine action.
  18. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies primogenitum; Translation: every; Notes: Totality.
  19. primogenitum — Lemma: primogenitum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object; Translation: firstborn; Notes: Group.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: location; Translation: in; Notes: Place.
  21. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object; Translation: land; Notes: Region.
  22. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies Terra; Translation: of Ægypt; Notes: Location.
  23. sanctificavi — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: I sanctified; Notes: Consecration.
  24. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: them; Notes: Refers to firstborn.
  25. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: for Myself; Notes: Reflexive emphasis.

 

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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