Leviticus 25:32

Posted on April 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 25:32 Ædes Levitarum, quæ in urbibus sunt, semper possunt redimi:

The dwellings of the Levites, which are in the cities, can always be redeemed;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ædes dwellings NOM.PL.F.3RD.DECL
2 Levitarum of the Levites GEN.PL.M.1ST.DECL
3 quæ which NOM.PL.F.REL
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 urbibus cities ABL.PL.F.3RD.DECL
6 sunt are 3PL.PRES.IND.ACT
7 semper always ADV
8 possunt are able / may 3PL.PRES.IND.ACT
9 redimi to be redeemed INF.PRES.PASS

Syntax

Main Subject: Ædes Levitarum — nominative plural subject defining a specific priestly category of property.
Relative Clause: quæ in urbibus sunt — restrictive description locating the dwellings within cities.
Adverbial Modifier: semper — temporal adverb expressing unlimited duration.
Predicate: possunt redimi — present indicative of ability with passive infinitive stating permanent redeemability.

Morphology

  1. Ædes — Lemma: ædes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine, third declension; Function: subject of possunt; Translation: dwellings; Notes: Refers to residential property rather than land allotments.
  2. Levitarum — Lemma: Levita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, first declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the Levites; Notes: Identifies priestly ownership with special legal status.
  3. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of sunt; Translation: which; Notes: Refers back to ædes.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: in; Notes: Specifies urban setting.
  5. urbibus — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine, third declension; Function: object of in; Translation: cities; Notes: Levitical cities distributed among the tribes.
  6. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present indicative active; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: are; Notes: States permanent location.
  7. semper — Lemma: semper; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: always; Notes: Overrides ordinary redemption limits.
  8. possunt — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: are able / may; Notes: Expresses legal permission rather than physical ability.
  9. redimi — Lemma: redimo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: to be redeemed; Notes: Passive focuses on the property’s legal status.

 

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.