Numeri 8:22 (Numbers 8:22)

Posted on May 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 8:22 ut purificati ingrederentur ad officia sua in tabernaculum fœderis coram Aaron et filiis eius. Sicut præceperat Dominus Moysi de Levitis, ita factum est.

so that, having been purified, they might enter into their duties in the tabernacle of the covenant before Aaron and his sons. Just as the LORD had commanded Moyses concerning the Levites, so it was done.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ut so that CONJ
2 purificati having been purified NOM.PL.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
3 ingrederentur they might enter 3PL.IMP.PASS.SUBJ
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 officia duties ACC.PL.N
6 sua their ACC.PL.N.POSS
7 in in PREP+ACC
8 tabernaculum tabernacle ACC.SG.N
9 fœderis of the covenant GEN.SG.N
10 coram before PREP+ABL
11 Aaron Aaron INDECL
12 et and CONJ
13 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
14 eius his GEN.SG.M
15 Sicut just as CONJ
16 præceperat had commanded 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
17 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
18 Moysi to Moses DAT.SG.M
19 de concerning PREP+ABL
20 Levitis Levites ABL.PL.M
21 ita so ADV
22 factum done NOM.SG.N.PERF.PASS.PTCP
23 est it is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Purpose Clause: ut purificati ingrederentur — introduced by ut, with ingrederentur as imperfect subjunctive expressing intended result; purificati functions as a circumstantial participle describing prior purification.

Complement: ad officia sua — prepositional phrase indicating the goal of entry, with officia as object and sua modifying it.

Locative Phrase: in tabernaculum fœderis — expresses direction into the sacred space, with fœderis qualifying the tabernacle.

Prepositional Phrase: coram Aaron et filiis eius — indicates presence before priestly authority.

Comparative Clause: Sicut præceperat Dominus Moysi de Levitis — establishes the standard of conformity, with Dominus as subject and Moysi as indirect object.

Main Clause: ita factum est — impersonal passive construction expressing fulfillment in accordance with command.

Morphology

  1. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: so that; Notes: Signals intended result following previous actions.
  2. purificati — Lemma: purifico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: circumstantial participle agreeing with subject; Translation: having been purified; Notes: Indicates completed prior action before entering service.
  3. ingrederentur — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person plural imperfect subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: they might enter; Notes: Deponent form with passive morphology but active meaning.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces goal; Translation: to; Notes: Marks direction toward duties.
  5. officia — Lemma: officium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: duties; Notes: Refers to assigned ritual service roles.
  6. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies officia; Translation: their; Notes: Reflexive possession referring to the Levites.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces motion into; Translation: in; Notes: Indicates entry into the tabernacle.
  8. tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: tabernacle; Notes: Central place of divine presence and service.
  9. fœderis — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies tabernaculum; Translation: of the covenant; Notes: Emphasizes covenantal context of worship.
  10. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces relational presence; Translation: before; Notes: Indicates accountability before priestly authority.
  11. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable, functioning with coram; Function: object of preposition; Translation: Aaron; Notes: Chief priest overseeing the Levites.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates objects; Translation: and; Notes: Links Aaron with his sons.
  13. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: sons; Notes: Refers to the priestly descendants assisting Aaron.
  14. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: his; Notes: Specifies relationship to Aaron.
  15. Sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces comparison clause; Translation: just as; Notes: Establishes correspondence between command and action.
  16. præceperat — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular pluperfect active indicative; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: had commanded; Notes: Indicates prior divine instruction.
  17. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of præceperat; Translation: LORD; Notes: Refers to YHWH as covenant authority.
  18. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to Moyses; Notes: Recipient of divine command.
  19. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces topic; Translation: concerning; Notes: Indicates subject matter of command.
  20. Levitis — Lemma: Levita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: Levites; Notes: Refers to those set apart for service.
  21. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: correlates with sicut; Translation: so; Notes: Emphasizes exact correspondence.
  22. factum — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter perfect passive participle; Function: predicate participle; Translation: done; Notes: Used impersonally with est to express completed action.
  23. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: it is; Notes: Forms perfect passive periphrastic sense “it has been done.”

 

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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