Leviticus 26:2

Posted on April 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 26:2 Custodite sabbata mea, et pavete ad Sanctuarium meum. ego Dominus.

Keep my sabbaths, and revere my Sanctuary. I am the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Custodite keep 2PL.PRES.IMP.MOOD.ACT
2 sabbata sabbaths ACC.PL.N.INDECL
3 mea my ACC.PL.N.POSS.ADJ
4 et and CONJ
5 pavete revere 2PL.PRES.IMP.MOOD.ACT
6 ad toward PREP+ACC
7 Sanctuarium sanctuary ACC.SG.N.2ND.DECL
8 meum my ACC.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
9 ego I NOM.SG.1.PERS.PRON
10 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M.2ND.DECL

Syntax

First Command: Custodite sabbata mea — direct imperative commanding covenantal observance.
Second Command: pavete ad Sanctuarium meum — imperative with prepositional object expressing reverential posture toward the sacred space.
Authority Clause: ego Dominus — emphatic self-identification grounding the commands.

Morphology

  1. Custodite — Lemma: custodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present imperative active; Function: main command; Translation: keep; Notes: Ongoing, habitual observance is implied.
  2. sabbata — Lemma: sabbatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, indeclinable loanword; Function: direct object; Translation: sabbaths; Notes: Refers to sacred rest days instituted by divine command.
  3. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies sabbata; Translation: my; Notes: Emphasizes divine ownership of the ordinance.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Links two parallel imperatives.
  5. pavete — Lemma: paveo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present imperative active; Function: main command; Translation: revere; Notes: Conveys fear mixed with reverence, not terror.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: direction or orientation; Translation: toward; Notes: Expresses directed reverence.
  7. Sanctuarium — Lemma: sanctuarium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: sanctuary; Notes: The sacred dwelling associated with divine presence.
  8. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies Sanctuarium; Translation: my; Notes: Reinforces divine ownership.
  9. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular first person; Function: subject; Translation: I; Notes: Emphatic pronoun asserting authority.
  10. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: LORD; Notes: Divine name invoking covenant authority.

 

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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