Leviticus 22:31

Posted on April 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 22:31 Custodite mandata mea, et facite ea. ego Dominus.

Keep my commandments, and do them. I am the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Custodite keep 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
2 mandata commandments ACC.PL.N
3 mea my ACC.PL.N.POSS
4 et and CONJ
5 facite do 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
6 ea them ACC.PL.N.PERS
7 ego I NOM.SG.PERS
8 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Imperative Command: Custodite mandata mea — direct plural imperative requiring careful observance.
Coordinated Action: et facite ea — obedience expressed not only as guarding but as concrete performance.
Divine Authority Formula: ego Dominus — solemn self-identification grounding the commands in YHWH’s authority.

Morphology

  1. Custodite — Lemma: custodio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person plural present active imperative; Function: primary command; Translation: “keep”; Notes: Implies guarding, observing, and preserving.
  2. mandata — Lemma: mandatum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: direct object of custodite; Translation: “commandments”; Notes: Refers to divine ordinances as binding instructions.
  3. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: modifies mandata; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes divine ownership and origin.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links complementary obligations.
  5. facite — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person plural present active imperative; Function: secondary command; Translation: “do”; Notes: Stresses active implementation, not mere possession of the law.
  6. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: direct object of facite; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers back to the commandments.
  7. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Adds solemn emphasis to the declaration.
  8. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, sealing the command with divine authority.

 

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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