Numeri 9:1 (Numbers 9:1)

Posted on May 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 9:1 Locutus est Dominus ad Moysen in deserto Sinai anno secundo, postquam egressi sunt de Terra Ægypti, mense primo dicens:

The LORD spoke to Moyses in the wilderness of Sinai in the second year, after they had gone out from the Land of Egypt, in the first month, saying:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutus having spoken NOM.SG.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
2 est he is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 deserto wilderness ABL.SG.N
8 Sinai Sinai INDECL
9 anno year ABL.SG.M
10 secundo second ABL.SG.M
11 postquam after CONJ
12 egressi having gone out NOM.PL.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
13 sunt they are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
14 de from PREP+ABL
15 Terra land ABL.SG.F
16 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
17 mense month ABL.SG.M
18 primo first ABL.SG.M
19 dicens saying NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP

Syntax

Main Clause: Locutus est Dominus — deponent construction with Locutus and auxiliary est, with Dominus as subject.

Prepositional Phrase: ad Moysen — indicates recipient of speech.

Locative Phrase: in deserto Sinai — specifies geographic location.

Temporal Phrase: anno secundo — ablative of time when.

Temporal Clause: postquam egressi sunt de Terra Ægypti — subordinate clause indicating prior completed action.

Additional Temporal Phrase: mense primo — further temporal specification.

Participial Phrase: dicens — introduces the speech content.

Morphology

  1. Locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect deponent participle; Function: predicate participle; Translation: having spoken; Notes: Forms perfect tense with est, expressing completed speech.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: he is; Notes: Completes perfect deponent construction “he has spoken.”
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: Refers to YHWH as divine speaker.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: Marks direction of speech.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: Moyses; Notes: Recipient of divine message.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: Indicates place.
  7. deserto — Lemma: desertum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: wilderness; Notes: Refers to uninhabited region.
  8. Sinai — Lemma: Sinai; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: apposition to deserto; Translation: Sinai; Notes: Specifies location more precisely.
  9. anno — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: year; Notes: Indicates when action occurred.
  10. secundo — Lemma: secundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies anno; Translation: second; Notes: Specifies chronological sequence.
  11. postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: after; Notes: Indicates subsequent timing.
  12. egressi — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect deponent participle; Function: predicate participle; Translation: having gone out; Notes: Forms perfect with sunt, active meaning.
  13. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: they are; Notes: Completes perfect deponent construction.
  14. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces separation; Translation: from; Notes: Indicates origin.
  15. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: land; Notes: Refers to geographic region.
  16. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies Terra; Translation: of Egypt; Notes: Specifies nation of departure.
  17. mense — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: month; Notes: Further temporal specification.
  18. primo — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies mense; Translation: first; Notes: Marks beginning of cycle.
  19. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: introduces speech; Translation: saying; Notes: Standard narrative participle preceding direct discourse.

 

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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