Leviticus 25:55

Posted on April 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 25:55 Mei enim sunt servi, filii Israel, quos eduxi de Terra Ægypti.

For they are my servants, the sons of Israel, whom I brought out from the Land of Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Mei my NOM.PL.M.POSS.ADJ
2 enim for CONJ
3 sunt are 3PL.PRES.IND.ACT
4 servi servants NOM.PL.M.2ND.DECL
5 filii sons NOM.PL.M.2ND.DECL
6 Israel Israel NOM.SG.M.INDECL
7 quos whom ACC.PL.M.REL
8 eduxi I brought out 1SG.PERF.IND.ACT
9 de from PREP+ABL
10 Terra land ABL.SG.F.1ST.DECL
11 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F.1ST.DECL

Syntax

Ground Clause: Mei enim sunt servi — possessive predicate with causal particle establishing ownership and rationale.
Apposition: filii Israel — nominative apposition identifying the servants as the covenant people.
Relative Clause: quos eduxi de Terra Ægypti — defining clause grounding ownership in the act of deliverance.

Morphology

  1. Mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate modifier; Translation: my; Notes: Emphatic placement underscores ownership.
  2. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: causal connector; Translation: for; Notes: Provides justification for the preceding legal rules.
  3. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: are; Notes: States an enduring status.
  4. servi — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine, second declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: servants; Notes: Service defined by covenant allegiance rather than chattel status.
  5. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine, second declension; Function: apposition; Translation: sons; Notes: Familial term reinforcing identity.
  6. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, indeclinable; Function: genitival identifier in apposition; Translation: Israel; Notes: Collective name of the people.
  7. quos — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of eduxi; Translation: whom; Notes: Refers back to filii Israel.
  8. eduxi — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect indicative active; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: I brought out; Notes: Technical term for deliverance.
  9. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: source; Translation: from; Notes: Marks point of departure.
  10. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, first declension; Function: object of de; Translation: land; Notes: Geographic domain of bondage.
  11. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, first declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of Egypt; Notes: Specifies the land of origin.

 

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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