Leviticus 25:40

Posted on April 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 25:40 sed quasi mercenarius et colonus erit: usque ad annum iubileum operabitur apud te,

but he shall be as a hired worker and a tenant; up to the year of the jubilee he shall work with you,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 sed but CONJ
2 quasi as ADV
3 mercenarius hired worker NOM.SG.M.2ND.DECL
4 et and CONJ
5 colonus tenant NOM.SG.M.2ND.DECL
6 erit he shall be 3SG.FUT.IND.ACT
7 usque up to ADV
8 ad to PREP+ACC
9 annum year ACC.SG.M.2ND.DECL
10 iubileum jubilee ACC.SG.N.2ND.DECL
11 operabitur he shall work 3SG.FUT.IND.DEP
12 apud with PREP+ACC
13 te you ACC.SG.PERS.PRON

Syntax

Adversative Qualification: sed quasi mercenarius et colonus erit — corrects the prior prohibition by defining the permitted status of service.
Temporal Boundary: usque ad annum iubileum — adverbial phrase fixing the maximum duration of service.
Main Predicate: operabitur — future deponent expressing lawful labor rather than slavery.
Association: apud te — indicates work performed within the employer’s household.

Morphology

  1. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adversative connector; Translation: but; Notes: Introduces a corrective legal distinction.
  2. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: comparative modifier; Translation: as; Notes: Indicates manner of treatment, not literal status.
  3. mercenarius — Lemma: mercenarius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: hired worker; Notes: A free laborer paid for service.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Joins parallel social roles.
  5. colonus — Lemma: colonus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: tenant; Notes: One bound to work land without loss of personal freedom.
  6. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: he shall be; Notes: Establishes the legally mandated status.
  7. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal limit; Translation: up to; Notes: Sets an endpoint when paired with ad.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: limit; Translation: to; Notes: Completes the temporal boundary.
  9. annum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, second declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: year; Notes: Specifies the time unit.
  10. iubileum — Lemma: iubileum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: apposition to annum; Translation: jubilee; Notes: The year of mandated release and restoration.
  11. operabitur — Lemma: operor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative deponent; Function: main verb; Translation: he shall work; Notes: Deponent emphasizes active labor without servitude.
  12. apud — Lemma: apud; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: association; Translation: with; Notes: Indicates work within the household.
  13. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of apud; Translation: you; Notes: Identifies the employer.

 

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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