Leviticus 26:38

Posted on April 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

38 peribitis inter Gentes, et hostilis vos terra consumet.

You will perish among the Nations, and a hostile land will consume you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 peribitis you will perish 2PL.FUT.IND.ACT
2 inter among PREP+ACC
3 Gentes nations ACC.PL.F.3RD.DECL
4 et and CONJ
5 hostilis hostile NOM.SG.F.ADJ
6 vos you ACC.PL.PERS.PRON
7 terra land NOM.SG.F.1ST.DECL
8 consumet will consume 3SG.FUT.IND.ACT

Syntax

Main Clause 1: peribitis — future indicative expressing total loss of life.
Locative Sphere: inter Gentes — prepositional phrase indicating dispersion among foreign peoples.
Main Clause 2: hostilis terra consumet vos — personified subject with transitive future verb describing destruction by the land itself.
Coordination: et — joins two parallel outcomes of judgment.

Morphology

  1. peribitis — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: you will perish; Notes: Conveys irreversible destruction rather than mere defeat.
  2. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: among; Notes: Indicates immersion within foreign peoples.
  3. Gentes — Lemma: gens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, third declension; Function: object of inter; Translation: nations; Notes: Refers to non-Israelite peoples.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Links the two judgments.
  5. hostilis — Lemma: hostilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: hostile; Notes: Characterizes the land as inimical and destructive.
  6. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object; Translation: you; Notes: Emphasizes the people as the object of devastation.
  7. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, first declension; Function: subject; Translation: land; Notes: Personified as an active agent of judgment.
  8. consumet — Lemma: consumo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: will consume; Notes: Implies gradual but total destruction.

 

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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