Leviticus 23:24

Posted on April 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

24 Loquere filiis Israel: Mense septimo, prima die mensis, erit vobis sabbatum, memoriale, clangentibus tubis, et vocabitur sanctum:

“Speak to the sons of Israel: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, there shall be for you a sabbath, a memorial, with trumpets sounding, and it shall be called holy;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Loquere speak 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
2 filiis to the sons DAT.PL.M
3 Israel of Israel INDECL
4 Mense in the month ABL.SG.M
5 septimo seventh ABL.SG.M.ADJ
6 prima first ABL.SG.F.ADJ
7 die day ABL.SG.F
8 mensis of the month GEN.SG.M
9 erit there shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 vobis for you DAT.PL
11 sabbatum sabbath NOM.SG.N
12 memoriale memorial NOM.SG.N.ADJ
13 clangentibus sounding ABL.PL.N.PTCP.PRES.ACT
14 tubis with trumpets ABL.PL.F
15 et and CONJ
16 vocabitur it shall be called 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
17 sanctum holy NOM.SG.N.ADJ

Syntax

Imperative Command: Loquere — second person singular imperative commissioning Moses to speak.
Indirect Object: filiis Israel — dative phrase identifying the audience.
Temporal Frame: Mense septimo prima die mensis — ablative expressions fixing the calendar date precisely.
Main Predicate: erit vobis sabbatum memoriale — future copular clause establishing the day’s status.
Modal Description: clangentibus tubis — ablative absolute describing accompanying ritual action.
Naming Formula: et vocabitur sanctum — passive future conferring sacred designation.

Morphology

  1. Loquere — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: second person singular present imperative; Function: command; Translation: “speak”; Notes: Standard formula introducing divine instruction.
  2. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: dative masculine plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the sons”; Notes: Refers to the covenant community.
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: genitival specification; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: Identifies the people addressed.
  4. Mense — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: temporal setting; Translation: “in the month”; Notes: Introduces calendrical timing.
  5. septimo — Lemma: septimus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: modifies mense; Translation: “seventh”; Notes: Specifies the liturgical month.
  6. prima — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: modifies die; Translation: “first”; Notes: Indicates the opening day.
  7. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: temporal point; Translation: “day”; Notes: Part of the calendrical expression.
  8. mensis — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of the month”; Notes: Clarifies the day’s reference.
  9. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: “there shall be”; Notes: Establishes future ordinance.
  10. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: “for you”; Notes: Indicates communal observance.
  11. sabbatum — Lemma: sabbatum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: subject complement; Translation: “sabbath”; Notes: Day of sacred rest.
  12. memoriale — Lemma: memorialis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “memorial”; Notes: Emphasizes remembrance through ritual.
  13. clangentibus — Lemma: clango; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: ablative neuter plural present active participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “sounding”; Notes: Describes trumpet blasts accompanying the day.
  14. tubis — Lemma: tuba; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative feminine plural; Function: ablative absolute complement; Translation: “with trumpets”; Notes: Cultic signaling instruments.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links clauses.
  16. vocabitur — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular future passive indicative; Function: naming formula; Translation: “it shall be called”; Notes: Formal designation of status.
  17. sanctum — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “holy”; Notes: Marks the day as consecrated.

 

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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