Leviticus 25:44

Posted on April 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 25:44 Servus et ancilla sint vobis de nationibus quæ in circuitu vestro sunt.

A male servant and a female servant shall be for you from the nations which are around you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Servus male servant NOM.SG.M.2ND.DECL
2 et and CONJ
3 ancilla female servant NOM.SG.F.1ST.DECL
4 sint shall be 3PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
5 vobis for you DAT.PL.PERS.PRON
6 de from PREP+ABL
7 nationibus nations ABL.PL.F.3RD.DECL
8 quæ which NOM.PL.F.REL
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 circuitu surrounding area ABL.SG.M.4TH.DECL
11 vestro your ABL.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
12 sunt are 3PL.PRES.IND.ACT

Syntax

Main Clause: Servus et ancilla sint vobis — compound subject with jussive subjunctive expressing a legal provision.
Source Phrase: de nationibus — prepositional phrase indicating origin.
Relative Clause: quæ in circuitu vestro sunt — descriptive clause identifying the surrounding nations.

Morphology

  1. Servus — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: part of compound subject; Translation: male servant; Notes: Paired with ancilla to denote both genders.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Joins the two subject nouns.
  3. ancilla — Lemma: ancilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, first declension; Function: part of compound subject; Translation: female servant; Notes: Complements servus for inclusivity.
  4. sint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present subjunctive active; Function: jussive predicate; Translation: shall be; Notes: Subjunctive conveys legal authorization.
  5. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: for you; Notes: Identifies beneficiaries.
  6. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: source; Translation: from; Notes: Marks origin.
  7. nationibus — Lemma: natio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine, third declension; Function: object of de; Translation: nations; Notes: Refers to foreign peoples.
  8. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: Refers back to nationibus.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: location; Translation: in; Notes: Indicates position.
  10. circuitu — Lemma: circuitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, fourth declension; Function: object of in; Translation: surrounding area; Notes: Spatial reference to proximity.
  11. vestro — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies circuitu; Translation: your; Notes: Specifies the community addressed.
  12. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present indicative active; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: are; Notes: Describes the ongoing situation.

 

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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