Leviticus 26:20

Posted on April 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 26:20 Consumetur incassum labor vester, non proferet terra germen, nec arbores poma præbebunt.

Your labor will be consumed in vain; the land will not bring forth produce, nor will the trees yield fruit.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Consumetur will be consumed 3SG.FUT.IND.PASS
2 incassum in vain ADV
3 labor labor NOM.SG.M.3RD.DECL
4 vester your NOM.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
5 non not ADV
6 proferet will bring forth 3SG.FUT.IND.ACT
7 terra land NOM.SG.F.1ST.DECL
8 germen produce ACC.SG.N.3RD.DECL
9 nec nor CONJ
10 arbores trees NOM.PL.F.3RD.DECL
11 poma fruit ACC.PL.N.2ND.DECL
12 præbebunt will yield 3PL.FUT.IND.ACT

Syntax

Futility Declaration: Consumetur incassum labor vester — future passive emphasizing wasted effort, with the adverb marking complete futility.
Agricultural Failure: non proferet terra germen — negated future active clause stating the land’s barrenness.
Parallel Negation: nec arbores poma præbebunt — coordinated clause extending the failure to perennial produce.

Morphology

  1. Consumetur — Lemma: consumo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative passive; Function: main verb; Translation: will be consumed; Notes: Passive highlights the loss of effort without productive result.
  2. incassum — Lemma: incassum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: manner/result; Translation: in vain; Notes: Stresses total lack of return.
  3. labor — Lemma: labor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, third declension; Function: subject; Translation: labor; Notes: Human effort expended in cultivation.
  4. vester — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies labor; Translation: your; Notes: Assigns responsibility to the addressees.
  5. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Negates the expected agricultural outcome.
  6. proferet — Lemma: profero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: will bring forth; Notes: Common verb for productive yielding.
  7. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, first declension; Function: subject; Translation: land; Notes: The cultivated ground expected to produce.
  8. germen — Lemma: germen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: produce; Notes: Sprout or yield from the soil.
  9. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: negative coordination; Translation: nor; Notes: Extends negation to a second clause.
  10. arbores — Lemma: arbor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine, third declension; Function: subject; Translation: trees; Notes: Perennial sources of fruit.
  11. poma — Lemma: pomum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, second declension; Function: direct object; Translation: fruit; Notes: General term for tree produce.
  12. præbebunt — Lemma: præbeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: will yield; Notes: Expected act of provision now denied.

 

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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