Leviticus 25:14

Posted on April 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 25:14 quando vendes quippiam civi tuo, vel emes ab eo, ne contristes fratrem tuum, sed iuxta numerum annorum iubilei emes ab eo,

when you sell anything to your fellow citizen, or buy from him, you shall not oppress your brother, but according to the number of the years of the jubilee you shall buy from him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quando when CONJ
2 vendes you sell 2SG.FUT.IND.ACT
3 quippiam anything ACC.SG.N.INDEF
4 civi to a citizen DAT.SG.M.3RD.DECL
5 tuo your DAT.SG.M.POSS
6 vel or CONJ
7 emes you buy 2SG.FUT.IND.ACT
8 ab from PREP+ABL
9 eo him ABL.SG.M.PERS
10 ne lest CONJ
11 contristes you oppress 2SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
12 fratrem brother ACC.SG.M.3RD.DECL
13 tuum your ACC.SG.M.POSS
14 sed but CONJ
15 iuxta according to PREP+ACC
16 numerum number ACC.SG.M.2ND.DECL
17 annorum of years GEN.PL.M.2ND.DECL
18 iubilei of jubilee GEN.SG.M.2ND.DECL
19 emes you shall buy 2SG.FUT.IND.ACT
20 ab from PREP+ABL
21 eo him ABL.SG.M.PERS

Syntax

Temporal Clause: quando vendes … vel emes ab eo — sets the circumstance of commercial exchange.
Negative Purpose Clause: ne contristes fratrem tuum — prohibition expressed with ne + present subjunctive.
Corrective Principle: sed iuxta numerum annorum iubilei — prepositional phrase establishing the pricing norm.
Main Prescription: emes ab eo — repeated verb for emphasis, governing the transaction by jubilee calculation.

Morphology

  1. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: Frames the legal scenario of buying and selling.
  2. vendes — Lemma: vendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: verb of the temporal clause; Translation: you sell; Notes: Refers to voluntary commercial action.
  3. quippiam — Lemma: quippiam; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of vendes; Translation: anything; Notes: Broadens the rule to all kinds of property.
  4. civi — Lemma: civis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine, third declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: to a citizen; Notes: Specifies an in-community transaction.
  5. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies civi; Translation: your; Notes: Emphasizes shared covenant membership.
  6. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces an alternative; Translation: or; Notes: Balances selling with buying.
  7. emes — Lemma: emo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: verb of the temporal clause and later the main prescription; Translation: you buy; Notes: Repetition reinforces the regulated act.
  8. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: marks source; Translation: from; Notes: Introduces the seller.
  9. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of ab; Translation: him; Notes: Refers back to the fellow citizen.
  10. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a negative purpose clause; Translation: lest; Notes: Signals moral restraint within commerce.
  11. contristes — Lemma: contristo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present subjunctive active; Function: verb of the negative purpose clause; Translation: you oppress; Notes: Subjunctive required after ne.
  12. fratrem — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, third declension; Function: direct object of contristes; Translation: brother; Notes: Ethical term stressing communal solidarity.
  13. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies fratrem; Translation: your; Notes: Reinforces personal responsibility.
  14. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: but; Notes: Shifts from prohibition to positive rule.
  15. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: expresses standard or measure; Translation: according to; Notes: Sets the criterion for fair exchange.
  16. numerum — Lemma: numerus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, second declension; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: number; Notes: Introduces the calculation basis.
  17. annorum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, second declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of years; Notes: Specifies the unit being counted.
  18. iubilei — Lemma: iubileus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, second declension; Function: defining genitive; Translation: of the jubilee; Notes: Anchors valuation to the sacred cycle.
  19. emes — Lemma: emo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: main prescriptive verb; Translation: you shall buy; Notes: Restates the command under the jubilee rule.
  20. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: marks source; Translation: from; Notes: Repetition maintains clarity of transaction roles.
  21. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of ab; Translation: him; Notes: Refers again to the fellow citizen.

 

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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