Leviticus 23:5

Posted on April 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 23:5 Mense primo, quartadecima die mensis ad vesperum, Phase Domini est:

In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, it is the Passover of the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Mense month ABL.SG.M
2 primo first ABL.SG.M.ADJ
3 quartadecima fourteenth ABL.SG.F.NUM.ADJ
4 die day ABL.SG.M
5 mensis of the month GEN.SG.M
6 ad at PREP+ACC
7 vesperum evening ACC.SG.N
8 Phase Passover NOM.SG.N.INDECL
9 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
10 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Temporal Frame: Mense primo, quartadecima die mensis — stacked ablatives of time specifying month and exact day.
Terminal Point: ad vesperum — prepositional phrase marking the evening boundary.
Identification Clause: Phase Domini est — copular statement identifying the occasion as belonging to YHWH.

Morphology

  1. Mense — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “month”; Notes: Establishes the calendrical setting.
  2. primo — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: modifies mense; Translation: “first”; Notes: Ordinal position in the sacred calendar.
  3. quartadecima — Lemma: quartadecimus; Part of Speech: Numeral adjective; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: modifies die; Translation: “fourteenth”; Notes: Fixed date for the observance.
  4. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “day”; Notes: Specifies the calendar day.
  5. mensis — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: partitive/possessive genitive; Translation: “of the month”; Notes: Clarifies the date within the month.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: temporal limit; Translation: “at”; Notes: Indicates the approach to evening.
  7. vesperum — Lemma: vesperum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “evening”; Notes: Traditional start of the observance.
  8. Phase — Lemma: Phase; Part of Speech: Noun (indeclinable); Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: “Passover”; Notes: Loanword denoting the foundational festival.
  9. Domini — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the institutor.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Identifies the occasion definitively.

 

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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