Leviticus 20:24

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 20:24 Vobis autem loquor: Possidete terram eorum, quam dabo vobis in hereditatem, terram fluentem lacte et melle. ego Dominus Deus vester, qui separavi vos a ceteris populis.

But to you I speak: “Take possession of their land, which I will give to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the LORD your God, who separated you from the other peoples.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Vobis to you DAT.PL (PERS)
2 autem but ADV
3 loquor I speak 1SG.PRES.DEP.IND
4 Possidete possess 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
5 terram land ACC.SG.F (1ST DECL)
6 eorum of them GEN.PL (POSS)
7 quam which ACC.SG.F (REL)
8 dabo I will give 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 vobis to you DAT.PL (PERS)
10 in into / as PREP+ACC
11 hereditatem inheritance ACC.SG.F (3RD DECL)
12 terram land ACC.SG.F (1ST DECL)
13 fluentem flowing ACC.SG.F (PRES.ACT.PTCP)
14 lacte with milk ABL.SG.N (3RD DECL)
15 et and CONJ
16 melle with honey ABL.SG.N (3RD DECL)
17 ego I NOM.SG (PERS)
18 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M (2ND DECL)
19 Deus God NOM.SG.M (2ND DECL)
20 vester your NOM.SG.M (POSS)
21 qui who NOM.SG.M (REL)
22 separavi separated 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
23 vos you ACC.PL (PERS)
24 a from PREP+ABL
25 ceteris the rest / other ABL.PL.M (ADJ)
26 populis peoples ABL.PL.M (2ND DECL)

Syntax

Contrastive Address: Vobis autem loquor — dative of reference with adversative adverb marking a shift in audience.

Imperative Command: Possidete terram eorum — present imperative issuing a covenantal mandate.

Relative Grant Clause: quam dabo vobis in hereditatem — relative pronoun introducing a future promise with purpose/result.

Appositional Description: terram fluentem lacte et melle — participial phrase describing the land’s abundance.

Self-Identification Clause: ego Dominus Deus vester — emphatic nominatives asserting divine authority.

Relative Identity Clause: qui separavi vos a ceteris populis — perfect indicative grounding identity in a completed act of separation.

Morphology

  1. Vobis — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object of address; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Emphatic audience marker.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Shifts from prior referent.
  3. loquor — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: first person singular present indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “I speak”; Notes: Deponent with active meaning.
  4. Possidete — Lemma: possideo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: “possess”; Notes: Legal-covenantal imperative.
  5. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “land”; Notes: Territorial grant.
  6. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: modifies terram; Translation: “of them”; Notes: Refers to displaced nations.
  7. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: object of dabo; Translation: “which”; Notes: Links promise to land.
  8. dabo — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular future active indicative; Function: promise; Translation: “I will give”; Notes: Divine commitment.
  9. vobis — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Recipient of the grant.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses purpose/result; Translation: “as”; Notes: Idiomatic use with inheritance.
  11. hereditatem — Lemma: hereditas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “inheritance”; Notes: Covenant terminology.
  12. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: appositional object; Translation: “land”; Notes: Restates the gift.
  13. fluentem — Lemma: fluo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative feminine singular present active participle; Function: modifies terram; Translation: “flowing”; Notes: Descriptive abundance.
  14. lacte — Lemma: lac; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with milk”; Notes: Pastoral prosperity.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins blessings.
  16. melle — Lemma: mel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with honey”; Notes: Symbol of sweetness.
  17. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Speaker identification.
  18. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Renders the divine name.
  19. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: appositional predicate; Translation: “God”; Notes: Identifies deity.
  20. vester — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies Deus; Translation: “your”; Notes: Covenant relationship.
  21. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Links identity to action.
  22. separavi — Lemma: separo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of completed action; Translation: “separated”; Notes: Past decisive act.
  23. vos — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object; Translation: “you”; Notes: The chosen community.
  24. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks distinction.
  25. ceteris — Lemma: ceterus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: modifies populis; Translation: “the other”; Notes: Remaining nations.
  26. populis — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: object of a; Translation: “peoples”; Notes: Non-covenant groups.

 

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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