Leviticus 19:2

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

2 Loquere ad omnem cœtum filiorum Israel, et dices ad eos: Sancti estote, quia ego sanctus sum, Dominus Deus vester.

“Speak to the whole assembly of the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: ‘Be holy, because I am holy, the LORD your God.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Loquere speak 2SG.FUT.IMP.DEP
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 omnem all / whole ACC.SG.F POS ADJ
4 cœtum assembly ACC.SG.M 4TH DECL NOUN
5 filiorum of sons GEN.PL.M 2ND DECL NOUN
6 Israel Israel INDECL PROPER NOUN
7 et and CONJ
8 dices you shall say 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 ad to PREP+ACC
10 eos them ACC.PL.M PERS.PRON
11 Sancti holy NOM.PL.M POS ADJ
12 estote be 2PL.FUT.IMP.ACT
13 quia because CONJ
14 ego I NOM.SG PERS.PRON
15 sanctus holy NOM.SG.M POS ADJ
16 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
17 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
18 Deus God NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
19 vester your NOM.SG.M POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Command: Loquere (imperative verb) + ad omnem cœtum filiorum Israel (prepositional phrase marking the addressee)

Coordinated Action: dices (future indicative with imperative force in instruction)

Secondary Addressee: ad eos (pronoun referring to the assembly)

Direct Exhortation: Sancti estote (predicative adjective + imperative copula)

Causal Clause: quia ego sanctus sum (reason grounding the command)

Appositional Identification: Dominus Deus vester (self-identification of the speaker)

Morphology

  1. Loquere — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: second person singular future imperative; Function: issues a direct divine command; Translation: speak; Notes: future imperative is characteristic of legal and covenantal instruction.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: introduces the audience; Translation: to; Notes: regularly used for speech directed toward persons or groups.
  3. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative feminine singular positive degree; Function: modifies cœtum; Translation: whole; Notes: emphasizes totality without exception.
  4. cœtum — Lemma: cœtus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular fourth declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: assembly; Notes: denotes an organized gathered body rather than a casual crowd.
  5. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine plural second declension; Function: genitive of relationship modifying cœtum; Translation: of sons; Notes: standard covenantal designation for descendants.
  6. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: specifies lineage; Translation: Israel; Notes: treated as indeclinable in the Vulgate.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links commands; Translation: and; Notes: marks continuity of instruction.
  8. dices — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: introduces reported speech; Translation: you shall say; Notes: future indicative carries directive force following an imperative.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: repeats for clarity of address.
  10. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: object of ad; Translation: them; Notes: refers back to the assembled people.
  11. Sancti — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine plural positive degree; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: holy; Notes: expresses moral and cultic separation.
  12. estote — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future imperative active; Function: commands a state of being; Translation: be; Notes: future imperative conveys enduring obligation.
  13. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: causal; Function: introduces reason; Translation: because; Notes: grounds ethics in divine nature.
  14. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of sum; Translation: I; Notes: explicit pronoun adds emphasis.
  15. sanctus — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular positive degree; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: holy; Notes: divine holiness presented as the model.
  16. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: am; Notes: states permanent divine identity.
  17. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular second declension; Function: appositional subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: rendered in all caps for YHWH.
  18. Deus — Lemma: deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular second declension; Function: apposition to Dominus; Translation: God; Notes: reinforces divine authority.
  19. vester — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies Deus; Translation: your; Notes: stresses covenant relationship.

 

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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