Numeri 8:25 (Numbers 8:25)

Posted on May 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 8:25 Cumque quinquagesimum annum ætatis impleverint, servire cessabunt:

And when they shall have completed the fiftieth year of age, they shall cease to serve;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 quinquagesimum fiftieth ACC.SG.M
3 annum year ACC.SG.M
4 ætatis of age GEN.SG.F
5 impleverint they shall have completed 3PL.FUTP.ACT.IND
6 servire to serve PRES.ACT.INF
7 cessabunt they shall cease 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque quinquagesimum annum ætatis impleverint — introduced by Cumque, with impleverint as future perfect indicative indicating completion prior to the main action.

Object Phrase: quinquagesimum annum ætatis — accusative phrase with annum as head noun modified by quinquagesimum and ætatis specifying age.

Main Clause: servire cessabunt — cessabunt governs servire as complementary infinitive, expressing cessation of action.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction with enclitic; Form: invariable with enclitic -que; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: and when; Notes: Combines temporal meaning with coordination to prior context.
  2. quinquagesimum — Lemma: quinquagesimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies annum; Translation: fiftieth; Notes: Ordinal number marking specific age threshold.
  3. annum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of impleverint; Translation: year; Notes: Indicates span of life completed.
  4. ætatis — Lemma: ætas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive modifying annum; Translation: of age; Notes: Specifies the kind of year being measured.
  5. impleverint — Lemma: impleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: they shall have completed; Notes: Future perfect expresses action completed prior to main clause.
  6. servire — Lemma: servio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with cessabunt; Translation: to serve; Notes: Indicates the activity being discontinued.
  7. cessabunt — Lemma: cesso; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they shall cease; Notes: Marks termination of service at prescribed age.

 

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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