Leviticus 19:34

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 19:34 sed sit inter vos quasi indigena: et diligetis eum quasi vosmetipsos: fuistis enim et vos advenæ in Terra Ægypti. ego Dominus Deus vester.

but he shall be among you like a native; and you shall love him as yourselves, for you also were sojourners in the Land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 sed but CONJ
2 sit may be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
3 inter among PREP+ACC
4 vos you ACC.PL PERS.PRON
5 quasi as / like ADV
6 indigena native NOM.SG.M 1ST DECL NOUN
7 et and CONJ
8 diligetis you shall love 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
9 eum him ACC.SG.M PERS.PRON
10 quasi as ADV
11 vosmetipsos yourselves ACC.PL.M REFL.PRON
12 fuistis you were 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
13 enim for CONJ
14 et also ADV
15 vos you NOM.PL PERS.PRON
16 advenæ sojourners NOM.PL.M 1ST DECL NOUN
17 in in PREP+ABL
18 Terra land ABL.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN
19 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN
20 ego I NOM.SG PERS.PRON
21 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
22 Deus God NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
23 vester your NOM.SG.M POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Adversative Transition: sed (contrast with the prior prohibition)

Jussive Clause: sit inter vos quasi indigena (present subjunctive expressing a prescriptive status; comparison with quasi)

Primary Command: et diligetis eum quasi vosmetipsos (future indicative expressing an ethical obligation; reflexive comparison)

Causal Ground: fuistis enim et vos advenæ in Terra Ægypti (perfect indicative stating historical reason)

Authority Formula: ego Dominus Deus vester (divine self-identification)

Morphology

  1. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: adversative; Function: introduces a corrective directive; Translation: but; Notes: contrasts exclusion with inclusion.
  2. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive active; Function: jussive prescription; Translation: may be; Notes: expresses mandated status.
  3. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: marks inclusion within a group; Translation: among; Notes: emphasizes social integration.
  4. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of inter; Translation: you; Notes: refers to the addressed community.
  5. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: comparative; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: like; Notes: denotes equivalence of treatment.
  6. indigena — Lemma: indigena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular first declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: native; Notes: one born in the land.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links commands; Translation: and; Notes: additive coordination.
  8. diligetis — Lemma: diligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future indicative active; Function: ethical command; Translation: you shall love; Notes: future indicative used prescriptively.
  9. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object of diligetis; Translation: him; Notes: refers to the sojourner.
  10. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: comparative; Function: introduces standard of comparison; Translation: as; Notes: establishes ethical measure.
  11. vosmetipsos — Lemma: vosmetipsi; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: object of comparison; Translation: yourselves; Notes: emphatic reflexive form.
  12. fuistis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural perfect indicative active; Function: verb of the causal clause; Translation: you were; Notes: appeals to collective memory.
  13. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: causal; Function: introduces the reason; Translation: for; Notes: explanatory particle.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: intensifying; Function: adds emphasis; Translation: also; Notes: underscores shared experience.
  15. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative plural; Function: subject; Translation: you; Notes: inclusive address.
  16. advenæ — Lemma: advena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine plural first declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: sojourners; Notes: resident foreigners.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: in; Notes: locative use.
  18. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular first declension; Function: object of in; Translation: land; Notes: geographical reference.
  19. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular first declension; Function: modifies Terra; Translation: of Egypt; Notes: Refers to Egypt as the historical place of Israel’s oppression and deliverance; its mention here grounds the ethical command in collective memory of enslavement and redemption, reinforcing why honest conduct and justice are demanded.
  20. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of identification; Translation: I; Notes: emphatic self-reference.
  21. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular second declension; Function: apposition; Translation: LORD; Notes: rendered in all caps for YHWH.
  22. Deus — Lemma: deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular second declension; Function: further apposition; Translation: God; Notes: clarifies divine identity.
  23. vester — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies Deus; Translation: your; Notes: affirms covenant relationship.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Leviticus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.