Leviticus 25:9

Posted on April 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

9 et clanges buccina mense septimo, decima die mensis, propitiationis tempore, in universa terra vestra.

and you shall sound with the trumpet in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, at the time of propitiation, in all your land.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 clanges you will sound 2SG.FUT.IND.ACT
3 buccina trumpet ABL.SG.F.1ST.DECL
4 mense month ABL.SG.M.3RD.DECL
5 septimo seventh ABL.SG.M.SUPER
6 decima tenth ABL.SG.F.SUPER
7 die day ABL.SG.M.5TH.DECL
8 mensis of month GEN.SG.M.3RD.DECL
9 propitiationis of propitiation GEN.SG.F.3RD.DECL
10 tempore time ABL.SG.N.3RD.DECL
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 universa all ABL.SG.F.1ST.DECL
13 terra land ABL.SG.F.1ST.DECL
14 vestra your ABL.SG.F.POSS

Syntax

Main Clause: clanges (verb) with buccina as an ablative of means.
Time Setting 1: mense septimo — ablative of time when.
Time Setting 2: decima die mensis — ablative of time with a dependent genitive specifying “of the month.”
Time Setting 3: propitiationis tempore — ablative phrase defining the sacred occasion.
Location/Scope: in universa terra vestra — prepositional phrase marking the extent within which the sounding occurs.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links this command to the preceding counting instruction; Translation: and; Notes: Adds a new required action within the same legal sequence.
  2. clanges — Lemma: clang(o); Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: main verb of the command; Translation: you will sound; Notes: Cultic-signal verb, often used for ritual proclamation by a loud instrument.
  3. buccina — Lemma: buccina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, first declension; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with a trumpet; Notes: Names the signaling instrument by which the proclamation is made.
  4. mense — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, third declension; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: in (the) month; Notes: Establishes the calendrical frame for the act.
  5. septimo — Lemma: septimus; Part of Speech: adjective (ordinal); Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies mense; Translation: seventh; Notes: Ordinals are formally superlative in Latin morphology but here simply mark the position in the calendar.
  6. decima — Lemma: decimus; Part of Speech: adjective (ordinal); Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies die in an ablative time expression; Translation: tenth; Notes: Specifies the exact day within the month for the ritual signal.
  7. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: on (the) day; Notes: With an ordinal, it pinpoints a calendar date.
  8. mensis — Lemma: mensis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, third declension; Function: dependent genitive modifying die; Translation: of (the) month; Notes: Narrows the “tenth day” to a tenth day within the specified month.
  9. propitiationis — Lemma: propitiatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, third declension; Function: genitive modifying tempore; Translation: of propitiation; Notes: Marks the occasion as a sacred time associated with atonement and restored favor.
  10. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, third declension; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: at (the) time; Notes: Frames the trumpet-sounding within a defined liturgical moment.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: expresses location/scope; Translation: in; Notes: With the ablative, indicates place where the proclamation resounds.
  12. universa — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: all; Notes: Stresses comprehensiveness, not a partial or local observance.
  13. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, first declension; Function: object of in; Translation: land; Notes: Refers to the whole territory under the community’s life and law.
  14. vestra — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: your; Notes: Identifies the scope as the land possessed and inhabited by Israel.

 

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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