Leviticus 25:20

Posted on April 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

20 Quod si dixeritis: Quid comedemus anno septimo, si non severimus, neque collegerimus fruges nostras?

But if you should say: “What will we eat in the seventh year, if we have not sown and have not gathered our produce?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quod but CONJ
2 si if CONJ
3 dixeritis you will have said 2PL.FUTP.SUBJ.ACT
4 Quid what INTJ
5 comedemus will we eat 1PL.FUT.IND.ACT
6 anno in (the) year ABL.SG.M.2ND.DECL
7 septimo seventh ABL.SG.M.ORD.ADJ
8 si if CONJ
9 non not ADV
10 severimus we will have sown 1PL.FUTP.SUBJ.ACT
11 neque nor CONJ
12 collegerimus we will have gathered 1PL.FUTP.SUBJ.ACT
13 fruges produce ACC.PL.F.3RD.DECL
14 nostras our ACC.PL.F.POSS

Syntax

Conditional Introduction: Quod si dixeritis — conditional clause anticipating a possible objection, using future perfect subjunctive.
Direct Question: Quid comedemus — interrogative main clause expressing concern about sustenance.
Temporal Setting: anno septimo — ablative of time when, specifying the sabbatical year.
Conditional Reason: si non severimus neque collegerimus fruges nostras — subordinate condition explaining the perceived problem: absence of sowing and harvest.

Morphology

  1. Quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: transitional particle; Translation: but; Notes: Introduces a hypothetical objection to the preceding promise.
  2. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a condition; Translation: if; Notes: Marks the scenario as possible rather than certain.
  3. dixeritis — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future perfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of the conditional clause; Translation: you will have said; Notes: Future perfect subjunctive is standard in anticipated conditional speech.
  4. Quid — Lemma: quid; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of comedemus; Translation: what; Notes: Expresses anxiety over concrete provision.
  5. comedemus — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural future indicative active; Function: main verb of the question; Translation: will we eat; Notes: Future indicative frames the concern prospectively.
  6. anno — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, second declension; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: in (the) year; Notes: Establishes the chronological context of the concern.
  7. septimo — Lemma: septimus; Part of Speech: ordinal adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies anno; Translation: seventh; Notes: Refers specifically to the sabbatical year.
  8. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces subordinate condition; Translation: if; Notes: Restates the condition underlying the fear.
  9. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates the verbs; Translation: not; Notes: Applies to both following actions.
  10. severimus — Lemma: sero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural future perfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of the conditional clause; Translation: we will have sown; Notes: Points to the absence of agricultural labor.
  11. neque — Lemma: neque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: negative coordination; Translation: nor; Notes: Links the two missing actions as a single problem.
  12. collegerimus — Lemma: colligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural future perfect subjunctive active; Function: coordinated verb of the condition; Translation: we will have gathered; Notes: Refers to the lack of harvest.
  13. fruges — Lemma: frux; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, third declension; Function: direct object of collegerimus; Translation: produce; Notes: Represents the total agricultural yield.
  14. nostras — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies fruges; Translation: our; Notes: Emphasizes personal dependence on the harvest.

 

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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