Leviticus 25:16

Posted on April 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 25:16 Quanto plures anni remanserint post iubilæum, tanto crescet et pretium: et quanto minus temporis numeraveris, tanto minoris et emptio constabit. tempus enim frugum vendet tibi.

By how much more years will have remained after the jubilee, by that much the price will also increase; and by how much less time you will have counted, by that much the purchase will also cost of a lower amount. For he will sell to you the time of the produce.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quanto by how much ADV.CMPR
2 plures more NOM.PL.M.CMPR.ADJ
3 anni years NOM.PL.M.2ND.DECL
4 remanserint will have remained 3PL.FUTP.SUBJ.ACT
5 post after PREP+ACC
6 iubilæum jubilee ACC.SG.N.2ND.DECL
7 tanto by that much ADV
8 crescet will increase 3SG.FUT.IND.ACT
9 et also CONJ
10 pretium price NOM.SG.N.2ND.DECL
11 et and CONJ
12 quanto by how much ADV.CMPR
13 minus less ADV.CMPR
14 temporis of time GEN.SG.N.3RD.DECL
15 numeraveris you will have counted 2SG.FUTP.SUBJ.ACT
16 tanto by that much ADV
17 minoris of a lower amount GEN.SG.N.CMPR.ADJ
18 et also CONJ
19 emptio purchase NOM.SG.F.3RD.DECL
20 constabit will cost 3SG.FUT.IND.ACT
21 tempus time ACC.SG.N.3RD.DECL
22 enim for CONJ
23 frugum of produce GEN.PL.F.3RD.DECL
24 vendet he will sell 3SG.FUT.IND.ACT
25 tibi to you DAT.SG.PERS

Syntax

Correlative Comparison 1: Quanto plures anni remanserint … tanto crescet et pretium — “the more … the more,” with a future-perfect subjunctive in the protasis and a future indicative in the apodosis.
Correlative Comparison 2: quanto minus temporis numeraveris … tanto minoris et emptio constabit — parallel structure, with genitive of price minoris describing what the purchase “will cost.”
Explanatory Clause: tempus enim frugum vendet tibi — states the economic principle: what is being transferred is the future time-value of yield.

Morphology

  1. Quanto — Lemma: quanto; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: comparative-correlative; Function: introduces the “the more” clause; Translation: by how much; Notes: Sets up proportional reasoning rather than an absolute statement.
  2. plures — Lemma: plus; Part of Speech: comparative adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies anni; Translation: more; Notes: Points to a larger remaining span after the jubilee.
  3. anni — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine, second declension; Function: subject of remanserint; Translation: years; Notes: The economic unit used to compute value.
  4. remanserint — Lemma: remaneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future perfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of the comparative protasis; Translation: will have remained; Notes: Subjunctive is standard in correlative “quanto … tanto …” conditions.
  5. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: expresses temporal sequence; Translation: after; Notes: Anchors the calculation relative to the jubilee boundary.
  6. iubilæum — Lemma: iubilæum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of post; Translation: jubilee; Notes: The reset point that governs land-value and obligations.
  7. tanto — Lemma: tanto; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: correlative; Function: introduces the proportional result; Translation: by that much; Notes: Matches quanto to complete the proportional pair.
  8. crescet — Lemma: cresco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: main verb of the result clause; Translation: will increase; Notes: Predicts the mandated rise in price as time-to-jubilee lengthens.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connective; Translation: and; Notes: Here it can carry an additive sense, reinforcing that price participates in the increase.
  10. pretium — Lemma: pretium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter, second declension; Function: subject of crescet; Translation: price; Notes: The regulated valuation in the land transaction.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Introduces the second proportional rule.
  12. quanto — Lemma: quanto; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: comparative-correlative; Function: introduces the “the less” clause; Translation: by how much; Notes: Mirrors the first quanto to form a balanced policy.
  13. minus — Lemma: minus; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: comparative; Function: modifies temporis implicitly via the counting action; Translation: less; Notes: Indicates fewer years to count, implying a shorter remaining term.
  14. temporis — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, third declension; Function: genitive of measure/quantity with minus; Translation: of time; Notes: Expresses an amount remaining rather than an abstract concept.
  15. numeraveris — Lemma: numero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future perfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of the comparative protasis; Translation: you will have counted; Notes: Addresses the buyer’s calculation of remaining years.
  16. tanto — Lemma: tanto; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: correlative; Function: introduces the proportional result; Translation: by that much; Notes: Completes the second “quanto … tanto …” pairing.
  17. minoris — Lemma: minor; Part of Speech: comparative adjective used substantively; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of price; Translation: of a lower amount; Notes: With verbs of costing, the genitive expresses the value at which something stands.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connective; Translation: also; Notes: Reinforces that the purchase price corresponds to the proportional rule.
  19. emptio — Lemma: emptio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, third declension; Function: subject of constabit; Translation: purchase; Notes: Refers to the transaction’s cost, not merely the act of buying.
  20. constabit — Lemma: consto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: verb of costing; Translation: will cost; Notes: Regularly takes a genitive of price, here minoris.
  21. tempus — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, third declension; Function: direct object of vendet; Translation: time; Notes: Metonymy for the remaining productive years attached to the land.
  22. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces explanation; Translation: for; Notes: Justifies the pricing logic stated in the proportional rules.
  23. frugum — Lemma: frux; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine, third declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying tempus; Translation: of produce; Notes: Ties “time” specifically to the land’s yield, not to time in general.
  24. vendet — Lemma: vendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: main verb of the explanatory clause; Translation: he will sell; Notes: Interprets the transaction as selling future harvest-time, not permanent ownership.
  25. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of recipient; Translation: to you; Notes: Identifies the buyer as the one receiving the limited right to yield.

 

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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