Leviticus 25:46

Posted on April 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 25:46 et hereditario iure transmittetis ad posteros, ac possidebitis in æternum. fratres autem vestros filios Israel ne opprimatis per potentiam.

and you shall pass them on to your descendants by hereditary right, and you shall possess them forever. But your brothers, the sons of Israel, you shall not oppress by force.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 hereditario hereditary ABL.SG.N.ADJ
3 iure by right ABL.SG.N.3RD.DECL
4 transmittetis you shall pass on 2PL.FUT.IND.ACT
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 posteros descendants ACC.PL.M.2ND.DECL
7 ac and CONJ
8 possidebitis you shall possess 2PL.FUT.IND.ACT
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 æternum forever ABL.SG.N.ADJ
11 fratres brothers ACC.PL.M.3RD.DECL
12 autem but CONJ
13 vestros your ACC.PL.M.POSS.ADJ
14 filios sons ACC.PL.M.2ND.DECL
15 Israel Israel INDECL
16 ne not CONJ
17 opprimatis you oppress 2PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
18 per by PREP+ACC
19 potentiam force ACC.SG.F.3RD.DECL

Syntax

Main Provision: et hereditario iure transmittetis ad posteros — future indicative stating lawful transfer by inheritance.
Enduring Possession: ac possidebitis in æternum — coordinated clause expressing permanence.
Adversative Shift: fratres autem vestros filios Israel — topicalized accusative setting the protected group.
Prohibition: ne opprimatis per potentiam — negative command with present subjunctive forbidding coercion.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Continues the legal sequence.
  2. hereditario — Lemma: hereditarius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies iure; Translation: hereditary; Notes: Specifies the nature of the right.
  3. iure — Lemma: ius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, third declension; Function: ablative of means; Translation: by right; Notes: Legal basis for transfer.
  4. transmittetis — Lemma: transmitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: you shall pass on; Notes: Prescriptive future.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: direction; Translation: to; Notes: Marks recipient.
  6. posteros — Lemma: posteri; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, second declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: descendants; Notes: Future generations.
  7. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Close linkage of clauses.
  8. possidebitis — Lemma: possideo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: you shall possess; Notes: Expresses enduring ownership.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: duration; Translation: in; Notes: Temporal scope.
  10. æternum — Lemma: æternus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: forever; Notes: Denotes permanence.
  11. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, third declension; Function: object of prohibition; Translation: brothers; Notes: Covenant kin.
  12. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adversative; Translation: but; Notes: Shifts to a restriction.
  13. vestros — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: your; Notes: Personal obligation emphasized.
  14. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, second declension; Function: apposition to fratres; Translation: sons; Notes: Specifies lineage.
  15. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: genitive of relation; Translation: Israel; Notes: Identifies the covenant people.
  16. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces prohibition; Translation: not; Notes: Regular negative command marker.
  17. opprimatis — Lemma: opprimo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present subjunctive active; Function: verb of prohibition; Translation: you oppress; Notes: Subjunctive carries legal force.
  18. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: means; Translation: by; Notes: Instrument of action.
  19. potentiam — Lemma: potentia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, third declension; Function: object of per; Translation: force; Notes: Coercive power explicitly forbidden.

 

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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