Leviticus 27:6

Posted on April 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

6 Ab uno mense usque ad annum quintum, pro masculo dabuntur quinque sicli: pro femina, tres.

From one month up to the fifth year, for a male five shekels will be given: for a female, three.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ab from PREP+ABL
2 uno one ABL.SG.M
3 mense month ABL.SG.M
4 usque up to ADV
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 annum year ACC.SG.M
7 quintum fifth ACC.SG.M
8 pro for PREP+ABL
9 masculo male ABL.SG.M
10 dabuntur will be given 3PL.FUT.PASS.IND
11 quinque five INDECL.NUM
12 sicli shekels NOM.PL.M
13 pro for PREP+ABL
14 femina female ABL.SG.F
15 tres three NOM.PL.M

Syntax

Age Range Phrase: Ab uno mense — ablative of starting point (“from one month”)
Limit Phrase: usque ad annum quintum — endpoint of the age range

Main Clause (Passive Construction):
quinque sicli (Subject) + dabuntur (Verb)

Prepositional Phrase of Reference: pro masculo — indicates valuation category

Elliptical Parallel Clause: tres (Subject, implied sicli dabuntur) + pro femina (category)

The second clause omits both sicli and dabuntur, relying on structural repetition from the first clause.

Morphology

  1. Ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: marks the beginning of the age bracket; Translation: from; Notes: ab is preferred before vowels and introduces temporal starting points.
  2. uno — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies mense; Translation: one; Notes: The numeral functions adjectivally, specifying exact age commencement.
  3. mense — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, third declension; Function: object of ab; Translation: month; Notes: The ablative expresses time counted from a fixed point.
  4. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: invariable; Function: intensifies the range limit; Translation: up to; Notes: Regularly paired with ad for closed intervals.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces the upper bound; Translation: to; Notes: Marks the terminal point of the temporal span.
  6. annum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, second declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: year; Notes: The accusative with ad completes the bounded expression.
  7. quintum — Lemma: quintus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies annum; Translation: fifth; Notes: The ordinal specifies the precise terminal age.
  8. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: indicates category or reference; Translation: for; Notes: In legal contexts, pro marks the classification basis for assessment.
  9. masculo — Lemma: masculus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, second declension; Function: object of pro; Translation: male; Notes: Specifies the valuation tier based on sex.
  10. dabuntur — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural, future indicative passive; Function: main verb; Translation: will be given; Notes: The passive highlights the assessed amount rather than the payer.
  11. quinque — Lemma: quinque; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal numeral; Function: quantifies sicli; Translation: five; Notes: Remains unchanged regardless of case or gender.
  12. sicli — Lemma: siclus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative plural masculine, second declension; Function: subject of dabuntur; Translation: shekels; Notes: Plural form agrees with the passive verb.
  13. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces second classification; Translation: for; Notes: Repetition reinforces structural symmetry in valuation.
  14. femina — Lemma: femina; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, first declension; Function: object of pro; Translation: female; Notes: Parallel to masculo in structure and role.
  15. tres — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: implied subject of understood sicli dabuntur; Translation: three; Notes: Masculine form agrees with the understood sicli, demonstrating syntactic agreement despite ellipsis.

 

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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