Leviticus 20:7

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 20:7 Sanctificamini et estote sancti, quia ego sum Dominus Deus vester.

Sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sanctificamini sanctify yourselves 2PL.PRES.PASS.IMP.MOOD
2 et and CONJ
3 estote be 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
4 sancti holy NOM.PL.M (ADJ)
5 quia for CONJ
6 ego I NOM.SG (PERS)
7 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M (2ND DECL)
9 Deus God NOM.SG.M (2ND DECL)
10 vester your NOM.SG.M (POSS)

Syntax

Imperative Pair: Sanctificamini (reflexive/passive imperative calling for consecration) + estote sancti (copular imperative with predicate adjective expressing the required state).

Causal Clause: quia ego sum Dominus Deus vester — grounds the commands in divine identity and covenant authority.

Morphology

  1. Sanctificamini — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present passive imperative; Function: primary command; Translation: “sanctify yourselves”; Notes: Passive form carries reflexive force in legal-exhortative contexts.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links action with resultant state.
  3. estote — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present active imperative; Function: copular command; Translation: “be”; Notes: Expresses an enduring condition rather than a momentary act.
  4. sancti — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine plural; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “holy”; Notes: Denotes consecration and separation to God.
  5. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “for”; Notes: Provides the theological ground for obedience.
  6. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Explicit subject heightens authority.
  7. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: “am”; Notes: Links divine identity with covenant claim.
  8. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as covenant sovereign.
  9. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: appositional predicate nominative; Translation: “God”; Notes: Specifies divine nature.
  10. vester — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies Deus; Translation: “your”; Notes: Expresses 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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