Leviticus 19:36

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 19:36 Statera iusta, et æqua sint pondera, iustus modius, æquusque sextarius. ego Dominus Deus vester, qui eduxi vos de Terra Ægypti.

A just balance and fair weights shall there be, a just measure, and an equal sextarius. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the Land of Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Statera balance NOM.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN
2 iusta just NOM.SG.F ADJ
3 et and CONJ
4 æqua fair NOM.PL.N ADJ
5 sint let there be 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
6 pondera weights NOM.PL.N 3RD DECL NOUN
7 iustus just NOM.SG.M ADJ
8 modius measure NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
9 æquusque and equal NOM.SG.M ADJ
10 sextarius sextarius NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
11 ego I NOM.SG PERS.PRON
12 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
13 Deus God NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
14 vester your NOM.SG.M POSS.ADJ
15 qui who NOM.SG.M REL.PRON
16 eduxi brought out 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 vos you ACC.PL PERS.PRON
18 de from PREP+ABL
19 Terra land ABL.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN
20 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN

Syntax

Jussive Clause: Statera iusta et æqua sint pondera (present subjunctive expressing a normative requirement)

Parallel Nominal Commands: iustus modius, æquusque sextarius (elliptical clauses continuing the standard of fairness)

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

Relative Clause: qui eduxi vos de Terra Ægypti (historical grounding of the command)

Morphology

  1. Statera — Lemma: statera; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular first declension; Function: subject of sint; Translation: balance; Notes: refers to weighing scales used in commerce.
  2. iusta — Lemma: iustus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: modifies Statera; Translation: just; Notes: denotes moral and legal correctness.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links parallel adjectives; Translation: and; Notes: additive coordination.
  4. æqua — Lemma: æquus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative neuter plural; Function: modifies pondera; Translation: fair; Notes: emphasizes equality and balance.
  5. sint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present subjunctive active; Function: jussive predicate; Translation: let there be; Notes: expresses mandated standards.
  6. pondera — Lemma: pondus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative neuter plural third declension; Function: subject complement with sint; Translation: weights; Notes: implements honest trade.
  7. iustus — Lemma: iustus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies modius; Translation: just; Notes: standard of fairness applied to measures.
  8. modius — Lemma: modius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular second declension; Function: subject in an elliptical clause; Translation: measure; Notes: dry measure for grain.
  9. æquusque — Lemma: æquus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies sextarius; Translation: equal; Notes: enclitic -que coordinates with the prior noun phrase.
  10. sextarius — Lemma: sextarius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular second declension; Function: subject in an elliptical clause; Translation: sextarius; Notes: liquid measure in Roman usage.
  11. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of identification; Translation: I; Notes: emphatic self-reference.
  12. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular second declension; Function: apposition to ego; Translation: LORD; Notes: rendered in all caps for YHWH.
  13. Deus — Lemma: deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular second declension; Function: further apposition; Translation: God; Notes: clarifies divine identity.
  14. vester — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies Deus; Translation: your; Notes: affirms covenant relationship.
  15. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: who; Notes: introduces historical grounding.
  16. eduxi — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect indicative active; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: brought out; Notes: recalls the exodus event.
  17. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object of eduxi; Translation: you; Notes: refers to the people addressed.
  18. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: from; Notes: marks origin.
  19. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular first declension; Function: object of de; Translation: land; Notes: geographical reference.
  20. 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.

 

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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