Leviticus 23:22

Posted on April 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 23:22 Postquam autem messueritis segetem terræ vestræ, nec secabitis eam usque ad solum: nec remanentes spicas colligetis, sed pauperibus et peregrinis dimittetis eas. Ego sum Dominus Deus vester.

And after you have harvested the crop of your land, you shall not cut it all the way to the ground; nor shall you gather the remaining ears, but you shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner. I am the LORD your God.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Postquam after CONJ
2 autem however ADV
3 messueritis you have harvested 2PL.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
4 segetem the crop ACC.SG.F
5 terræ of the land GEN.SG.F
6 vestræ your GEN.SG.F.POSS
7 nec and not CONJ
8 secabitis you shall cut 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
9 eam it ACC.SG.F.DEM
10 usque all the way ADV
11 ad to PREP+ACC
12 solum the ground ACC.SG.N
13 nec nor CONJ
14 remanentes remaining ACC.PL.F.PTCP.PRES.ACT
15 spicas ears ACC.PL.F
16 colligetis you shall gather 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
17 sed but CONJ
18 pauperibus for the poor DAT.PL.M
19 et and CONJ
20 peregrinis sojourners DAT.PL.M
21 dimittetis you shall leave 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
22 eas them ACC.PL.F.DEM
23 Ego I NOM.SG.M.PERS
24 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
25 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
26 Deus God NOM.SG.M
27 vester your NOM.SG.M.POSS

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Postquam autem messueritis segetem terræ vestræ — temporal conjunction with perfect subjunctive introducing the condition after harvest.
First Prohibition: nec secabitis eam usque ad solum — legislative future forbidding complete cutting of the field.
Second Prohibition: nec remanentes spicas colligetis — coordinated negative command against gathering leftover ears.
Positive Obligation: sed pauperibus et peregrinis dimittetis eas — contrastive clause mandating provision for the poor and the sojourner.
Divine Authority Formula: Ego sum Dominus Deus vester — self-identification grounding the command in covenant authority.

Morphology

  1. Postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “after”; Notes: Marks sequence following harvest.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: discourse marker; Translation: “however”; Notes: Shifts from ritual law to social obligation.
  3. messueritis — Lemma: meto; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person plural perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “you have harvested”; Notes: Subjunctive required by postquam in legal style.
  4. segetem — Lemma: seges; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “the crop”; Notes: Refers to standing grain.
  5. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the land”; Notes: Identifies the field as Israel’s land.
  6. vestræ — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies terræ; Translation: “your”; Notes: Emphasizes stewardship responsibility.
  7. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: negative coordination; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Introduces prohibition.
  8. secabitis — Lemma: seco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person plural future active indicative; Function: prohibitive command; Translation: “you shall cut”; Notes: Legislative future expressing restriction.
  9. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to segetem.
  10. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: degree/extent; Translation: “all the way”; Notes: Emphasizes totality.
  11. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: limit; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks endpoint.
  12. solum — Lemma: solum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “the ground”; Notes: Cutting to soil level is forbidden.
  13. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: negative coordination; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Adds a second prohibition.
  14. remanentes — Lemma: remaneo; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: accusative feminine plural present active participle; Function: modifies spicas; Translation: “remaining”; Notes: Indicates what is left after harvest.
  15. spicas — Lemma: spica; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: direct object; Translation: “ears”; Notes: Individual heads of grain.
  16. colligetis — Lemma: colligo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person plural future active indicative; Function: prohibitive command; Translation: “you shall gather”; Notes: Forbids gleaning everything.
  17. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Introduces positive duty.
  18. pauperibus — Lemma: pauper; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: dative masculine plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “for the poor”; Notes: Socially vulnerable members.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links beneficiaries.
  20. peregrinis — Lemma: peregrinus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: dative masculine plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “sojourners”; Notes: Non-native residents dependent on provision.
  21. dimittetis — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person plural future active indicative; Function: positive command; Translation: “you shall leave”; Notes: Mandates intentional generosity.
  22. eas — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: direct object; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the remaining ears.
  23. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphatic divine self-reference.
  24. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: “am”; Notes: Identity statement.
  25. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Covenant name for YHWH.
  26. Deus — Lemma: deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: apposition; Translation: “God”; Notes: Identifies divine authority.
  27. vester — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies Deus; Translation: “your”; Notes: Grounds the command in 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.