Leviticus 23:8

Posted on April 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 23:8 sed offeretis sacrificium in igne Domino septem diebus. dies autem septimus erit celebrior et sanctior: nullumque servile opus facietis in eo.

But you shall offer a sacrifice by fire to the LORD for seven days. The seventh day, however, shall be more solemn and more holy; and you shall do no servile work in it.’”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 sed but CONJ
2 offeretis you shall offer 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
3 sacrificium sacrifice ACC.SG.N
4 in by PREP+ABL
5 igne fire ABL.SG.M
6 Domino to the LORD DAT.SG.M
7 septem seven INDECL.NUM
8 diebus days ABL.PL.M
9 dies day NOM.SG.M
10 autem however ADV
11 septimus seventh NOM.SG.M.ADJ
12 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
13 celebrior more solemn NOM.SG.M.ADJ.CMPR
14 et and CONJ
15 sanctior more holy NOM.SG.M.ADJ.CMPR
16 nullumque and no ACC.SG.N.ADJ+CONJ
17 servile servile ACC.SG.N.ADJ
18 opus work ACC.SG.N
19 facietis you shall do 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
20 in in PREP+ABL
21 eo it ABL.SG.M.DEM

Syntax

Adversative Command: sed offeretis sacrificium in igne Domino septem diebus — contrastive instruction mandating daily fire-offerings to YHWH across the feast’s duration.
Festal Elevation: dies autem septimus erit celebrior et sanctior — nominative subject with future copula and comparative predicates heightening the seventh day.
Comprehensive Prohibition: nullumque servile opus facietis in eo — absolute ban on servile labor, with enclitic coordination extending the prohibition.

Morphology

  1. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: adversative connector; Translation: “but”; Notes: Marks contrast with prior rest-focused commands.
  2. offeretis — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person plural future active indicative; Function: principal command; Translation: “you shall offer”; Notes: Legislative future prescribing ritual action.
  3. sacrificium — Lemma: sacrificium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “sacrifice”; Notes: General cultic offering.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: means/instrument; Translation: “by”; Notes: Indicates offering by fire.
  5. igne — Lemma: ignis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “fire”; Notes: Standard medium of sacrificial offering.
  6. Domino — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: dative masculine singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as recipient.
  7. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies diebus; Translation: “seven”; Notes: Fixed festal duration.
  8. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “days”; Notes: Length of observance.
  9. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject; Translation: “day”; Notes: Introduces the climactic day.
  10. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adversative/transition; Translation: “however”; Notes: Shifts focus to the seventh day.
  11. septimus — Lemma: septimus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies dies; Translation: “seventh”; Notes: Ordinal emphasis.
  12. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Legislative future defining status.
  13. celebrior — Lemma: celeber; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular comparative; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “more solemn”; Notes: Comparative heightening of festal importance.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins parallel predicates.
  15. sanctior — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular comparative; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “more holy”; Notes: Comparative degree underscoring increased sanctity.
  16. nullumque — Lemma: nullus; Part of Speech: Adjective with enclitic conjunction; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: modifies opus and coordinates clauses; Translation: “and no”; Notes: Enclitic -que tightly links the prohibition.
  17. servile — Lemma: servilis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: modifies opus; Translation: “servile”; Notes: Denotes ordinary labor.
  18. opus — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “work”; Notes: Comprehensive labor category.
  19. facietis — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person plural future active indicative; Function: prohibitive command; Translation: “you shall do”; Notes: Legislative future expressing prohibition.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Refers to the seventh day.
  21. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “it”; Notes: Points back to dies septimus.

 

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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