Leviticus 20:26

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 20:26 Eritis mihi sancti, quia sanctus sum ego Dominus, et separavi vos a ceteris populis, ut essetis mei.

You shall be holy to me, because I the LORD am holy, and I have separated you from the other peoples, so that you might be mine.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Eritis you shall be 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
2 mihi to me DAT.SG (PERS)
3 sancti holy NOM.PL.M (ADJ)
4 quia because CONJ
5 sanctus holy NOM.SG.M (ADJ)
6 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 ego I NOM.SG (PERS)
8 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M (2ND DECL)
9 et and CONJ
10 separavi I separated 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 vos you ACC.PL (PERS)
12 a from PREP+ABL
13 ceteris the other ABL.PL.M (ADJ)
14 populis peoples ABL.PL.M (2ND DECL)
15 ut so that CONJ
16 essetis you might be 2PL.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ
17 mei mine GEN.SG.M (POSS)

Syntax

Main Covenant Declaration: Eritis mihi sancti — future indicative expressing covenantal identity, with dative of possession/reference.

Causal Clause: quia sanctus sum ego Dominus — causal quia-clause grounding the command in divine nature, with emphatic nominatives.

Coordinated Historical Act: et separavi vos a ceteris populis — perfect indicative stating a completed act of distinction.

Purpose Clause: ut essetis mei — ut with imperfect subjunctive expressing purpose/result, establishing exclusive belonging.

Morphology

  1. Eritis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future active indicative; Function: main predicate; Translation: “you shall be”; Notes: Future indicative used for covenantal obligation.
  2. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of possession/reference; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks exclusive relational orientation.
  3. sancti — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine plural; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “holy”; Notes: Moral and ritual consecration.
  4. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces cause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Grounds command in divine character.
  5. sanctus — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “holy”; Notes: Applied to the divine subject.
  6. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: “I am”; Notes: Asserts present divine reality.
  7. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphasis on speaker identity.
  8. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: appositional subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Renders the divine name YHWH.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins declaration with historical act.
  10. separavi — Lemma: separo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of completed action; Translation: “I separated”; Notes: Decisive past act of distinction.
  11. vos — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object; Translation: “you”; Notes: The covenant community.
  12. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks removal and distinction.
  13. ceteris — Lemma: ceterus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: modifies populis; Translation: “the other”; Notes: All remaining groups.
  14. populis — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: object of a; Translation: “peoples”; Notes: Non-covenant nations.
  15. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Signals intended result.
  16. essetis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the purpose clause; Translation: “you might be”; Notes: Subjunctive required after ut.
  17. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective (substantive); Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: predicate genitive of possession; Translation: “mine”; Notes: Expresses exclusive belonging.

 

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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