Leviticus 26:15

Posted on April 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

15 si spreveritis leges meas, et iudicia mea contempseritis, ut non faciatis ea quæ a me constituta sunt, et ad irritum perducatis pactum meum:

if you despise my statutes and scorn my judgments, so that you do not do what has been established by me, and you bring my covenant to nothing,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 si if CONJ
2 spreveritis you will have despised 2PL.FUTP.IND.ACT
3 leges statutes ACC.PL.F.3RD.DECL
4 meas my ACC.PL.F.POSS.ADJ
5 et and CONJ
6 iudicia judgments ACC.PL.N.2ND.DECL
7 mea my ACC.PL.N.POSS.ADJ
8 contempseritis you will have scorned 2PL.FUTP.IND.ACT
9 ut so that CONJ
10 non not ADV
11 faciatis you do 2PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
12 ea those things ACC.PL.N.DEM.PRON
13 quæ which ACC.PL.N.REL
14 a by PREP+ABL
15 me me ABL.SG.1.PERS.PRON
16 constituta established ACC.PL.N.PTCP.PERF.PASS
17 sunt are 3PL.PRES.IND.ACT
18 et and CONJ
19 ad to PREP+ACC
20 irritum nothing ACC.SG.N.ADJ
21 perducatis you bring 2PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
22 pactum covenant ACC.SG.N.2ND.DECL
23 meum my ACC.SG.N.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Expanded Protasis: si spreveritis leges meas et iudicia mea contempseritis — future perfect verbs expressing completed acts of rejection.
Resulting Purpose: ut non faciatis ea quæ a me constituta sunt — purpose clause indicating deliberate non-observance of divinely set requirements.
Consequential Action: et ad irritum perducatis pactum meum — coordinated subjunctive clause depicting annulment of the covenant.

Morphology

  1. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: conditional marker; Translation: if; Notes: Introduces the extended condition.
  2. spreveritis — Lemma: sperno; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future perfect indicative active; Function: verb of the protasis; Translation: you will have despised; Notes: Conveys contemptuous rejection.
  3. leges — Lemma: lex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: statutes; Notes: Legal enactments with binding force.
  4. meas — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies leges; Translation: my; Notes: Grounds authority in the divine source.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Joins parallel acts of disobedience.
  6. iudicia — Lemma: iudicium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, second declension; Function: direct object; Translation: judgments; Notes: Judicial decisions and ordinances.
  7. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies iudicia; Translation: my; Notes: Emphasizes divine authorship.
  8. contempseritis — Lemma: contemno; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future perfect indicative active; Function: coordinated verb of the protasis; Translation: you will have scorned; Notes: Strong term for disdain.
  9. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose/result; Translation: so that; Notes: Explains the practical outcome of rejection.
  10. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Negates the required action.
  11. faciatis — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present subjunctive active; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: you do; Notes: Present subjunctive highlights ongoing refusal.
  12. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: those things; Notes: Summarizes the divine requirements.
  13. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: Specifies the content of ea.
  14. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: agent; Translation: by; Notes: Indicates divine origin.
  15. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: ablative singular first person; Function: object of a; Translation: me; Notes: Stresses personal authorship.
  16. constituta — Lemma: constituo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: modifies ea; Translation: established; Notes: Implies fixed and authoritative setting.
  17. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present indicative active; Function: auxiliary; Translation: are; Notes: Completes the periphrastic expression.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Adds the final consequence.
  19. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: direction/result; Translation: to; Notes: Marks movement toward an outcome.
  20. irritum — Lemma: irritus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate with ad; Translation: nothing; Notes: Legal term for annulment.
  21. perducatis — Lemma: perduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present subjunctive active; Function: verb of coordinated clause; Translation: you bring; Notes: Expresses active nullification.
  22. pactum — Lemma: pactum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: direct object; Translation: covenant; Notes: Formal binding agreement.
  23. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies pactum; Translation: my; Notes: Emphasizes divine ownership of the covenant.

 

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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