Leviticus 25:5

Posted on April 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 25:5 Quæ sponte gignet humus, non metes: et uvas primitiarum tuarum non colliges quasi vindemiam: annus enim requietionis terræ est:

What the soil will produce of itself, you shall not reap; and the grapes of your firstfruits you shall not gather as a vintage; for it is a year of rest for the land;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quæ which things / what ACC.PL.N.REL
2 sponte of its own accord ADV
3 gignet will produce 3SG.FUT.IND.ACT
4 humus soil NOM.SG.F.3RD.DECL
5 non not ADV
6 metes you will reap 2SG.FUT.IND.ACT
7 et and CONJ
8 uvas grapes ACC.PL.F.1ST.DECL
9 primitiarum of firstfruits GEN.PL.F.1ST.DECL
10 tuarum your GEN.PL.F.POSS
11 non not ADV
12 colliges you will gather 2SG.FUT.IND.ACT
13 quasi as if / as CONJ
14 vindemiam vintage / grape harvest ACC.SG.F.1ST.DECL
15 annus year NOM.SG.M.2ND.DECL
16 enim for CONJ
17 requietionis of rest GEN.SG.F.3RD.DECL
18 terræ of the land GEN.SG.F.1ST.DECL
19 est is 3SG.PRES.IND.ACT

Syntax

Object-Fronting Relative Clause: Quæ (fronted object) + humus (subject) + gignet (verb) — “what the soil will produce.”
Main Prohibition 1: non metes — future indicative with non expressing prohibition, referring back to quæ.
Coordinated Prohibition 2: uvas primitiarum tuarum non colliges — direct object uvas specified by the genitive phrase primitiarum tuarum.
Comparative Qualification: quasi vindemiam — “as (a) vintage,” limiting the manner of gathering.
Explanatory Clause: annus enim requietionis terræ est — nominal predicate with layered genitives explaining the rationale.

Morphology

  1. Quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: anticipatory object referring to produce; Translation: what things / what; Notes: Fronted for emphasis, it gathers the clause’s produce under a single reference.
  2. sponte — Lemma:</b sponte; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies gignet; Translation: of its own accord; Notes: Highlights growth without human cultivation or planning.
  3. gignet — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: will produce; Notes: Presents the land as the agent of yield in the sabbatical year.
  4. humus — Lemma: humus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, third declension; Function: subject of gignet; Translation: soil; Notes: Personifies the ground as producing apart from human labor.
  5. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates metes; Translation: not; Notes: Establishes a prohibition rather than a mere prediction.
  6. metes — Lemma: meto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: main verb of prohibition; Translation: you will reap; Notes: Forbids harvesting what grows without sowing.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates prohibitions; Translation: and; Notes: Joins field produce and vineyard produce under one rule.
  8. uvas — Lemma: uva; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: direct object of colliges; Translation: grapes; Notes: The focus shifts specifically to vine produce.
  9. primitiarum — Lemma: primitæ; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine, first declension; Function: genitive specifying the kind of grapes; Translation: of firstfruits; Notes: Marks the earliest yield, normally gathered first and valued.
  10. tuarum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: modifies primitiarum; Translation: your; Notes: Keeps the command addressed personally to Israel’s members.
  11. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates colliges; Translation: not; Notes: Repeated negation reinforces the comprehensive prohibition.
  12. colliges — Lemma: colligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: main verb of the second prohibition; Translation: you will gather; Notes: Prohibits collecting grapes in a controlled, owner-like harvest.
  13. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a comparison; Translation: as if / as; Notes: Limits the prohibition to harvesting “in the manner of” a normal vintage.
  14. vindemiam — Lemma: vindemia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, first declension; Function: object of comparison with quasi; Translation: vintage / grape harvest; Notes: Refers to an organized harvest event, implying ownership and commercial intent.
  15. annus — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: subject of est; Translation: year; Notes: Provides the reason by naming the time period as a special kind of year.
  16. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: gives explanation; Translation: for; Notes: Introduces justification for the prohibitions rather than adding a new command.
  17. requietionis — Lemma: requietio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, third declension; Function: genitive of description modifying annus; Translation: of rest; Notes: Defines the year by its defining principle of cessation.
  18. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, first declension; Function: possessive genitive further specifying requietionis; Translation: of the land; Notes: Clarifies that the “rest” is the land’s rest, not merely human leisure.
  19. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative active; Function: copula linking subject and predicate genitive phrase; Translation: is; Notes: States the rationale as a defining identity: the year belongs to land-rest.

 

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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