Leviticus 24:22

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 24:22 Æquum iudicium sit inter vos, sive peregrinus, sive civis peccaverit: quia ego sum Dominus Deus vester.

Let there be equal judgment among you, whether a foreigner or a citizen has sinned, for I am the LORD your God.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Æquum equal NOM.SG.N
2 iudicium judgment NOM.SG.N
3 sit let there be 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
4 inter among PREP+ACC
5 vos you ACC.PL.PERS
6 sive whether CONJ
7 peregrinus foreigner NOM.SG.M
8 sive or CONJ
9 civis citizen NOM.SG.C
10 peccaverit has sinned 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
11 quia for CONJ
12 ego I NOM.SG.PERS
13 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
15 Deus God NOM.SG.M
16 vester your NOM.SG.M POSS

Syntax

Jussive Principle: Æquum iudicium sit — present subjunctive expressing a binding legal mandate.

Sphere of Application: inter vos — establishes the community-wide scope.

Inclusive Condition: sive peregrinus sive civis peccaverit — correlative conjunctions remove distinction of status.

Theological Ground: quia ego sum Dominus Deus vester — divine self-identification as the basis of the law.

Morphology

  1. Æquum — Lemma: æquus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative neuter singular, first/second declension; Function: modifies iudicium; Translation: equal; Notes: stresses impartiality and balance.
  2. iudicium — Lemma: iudicium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative neuter singular, second declension; Function: subject of sit; Translation: judgment; Notes: refers to legal decision-making.
  3. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive active; Function: jussive command; Translation: let there be; Notes: conveys obligation rather than suggestion.
  4. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: marks relational sphere; Translation: among; Notes: situates justice within the community.
  5. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural second person; Function: object of inter; Translation: you; Notes: addresses the entire covenant body.
  6. sive — Lemma: sive; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: correlative conjunction; Function: introduces first alternative; Translation: whether; Notes: used in legal inclusivity formulas.
  7. peregrinus — Lemma: peregrinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular, second declension; Function: subject of peccaverit; Translation: foreigner; Notes: denotes a resident outsider.
  8. sive — Lemma: sive; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: correlative conjunction; Function: introduces second alternative; Translation: or; Notes: balances the prior category.
  9. civis — Lemma: civis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular common, third declension; Function: alternative subject; Translation: citizen; Notes: member of the native community.
  10. peccaverit — Lemma: pecco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect indicative active; Function: verb of the conditional clause; Translation: has sinned; Notes: frames guilt as completed before judgment.
  11. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: causal conjunction; Function: introduces justification; Translation: for; Notes: grounds the command in divine authority.
  12. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular first person; Function: subject of sum; Translation: I; Notes: emphatic divine self-reference.
  13. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: am; Notes: states identity.
  14. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular, second declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: LORD; Notes: rendered in all caps as the divine name.
  15. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular, second declension; Function: apposition to Dominus; Translation: God; Notes: reinforces divine authority.
  16. 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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