Leviticus 27:17

Posted on April 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 27:17 Si statim ab anno incipientis iubilei voverit agrum, quanto valere potest, tanto æstimabitur.

If immediately from the year of the beginning of the jubilee he will have vowed the field, as much as it can be worth, so much it will be valued.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 statim immediately ADV
3 ab from PREP+ABL
4 anno year NOUN.ABL.SG.M
5 incipientis beginning PRES.ACT.PTCP.GEN.SG.M
6 iubilei of jubilee NOUN.GEN.SG.N
7 voverit will have vowed 3SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ
8 agrum field NOUN.ACC.SG.M
9 quanto as much as PRON.REL.ABL.SG.N
10 valere to be worth PRES.ACT.INF
11 potest is able 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 tanto so much PRON.DEM.ABL.SG.N
13 æstimabitur will be valued 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND

Syntax

Conditional Clause (Protasis): Si introduces the condition; adverb statim modifies the timing; prepositional phrase ab anno incipientis iubilei sets the starting reference point; verb voverit governs object agrum.

Main Clause (Apodosis): Correlative comparison quanto … tanto frames proportional valuation: infinitive phrase valere with potest states possible worth, and æstimabitur states the resulting valuation.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: if; Notes: opens a legal condition tied to timing.
  2. statim — Lemma: statim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies voverit indicating immediacy; Translation: immediately; Notes: emphasizes action taken right at the stated reference point.
  3. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: introduces starting-point phrase; Translation: from; Notes: marks temporal starting reference.
  4. anno — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine second declension; Function: object of ab; Translation: year; Notes: the temporal unit from which valuation timing is reckoned.
  5. incipientis — Lemma: incipere; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle genitive singular masculine third conjugation; Function: modifies anno; Translation: beginning; Notes: participial genitive specifies the year as the one “beginning” the jubilee cycle.
  6. iubilei — Lemma: iubileus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter second declension; Function: dependent genitive with incipientis; Translation: of jubilee; Notes: identifies the jubilee as the reference point for valuation rules.
  7. voverit — Lemma: vovere; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active subjunctive second conjugation; Function: verb of the protasis; Translation: will have vowed; Notes: legal conditional form marking the vow as completed before the valuation result applies.
  8. agrum — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine second declension; Function: direct object of voverit; Translation: field; Notes: the land unit being dedicated and evaluated.
  9. quanto — Lemma: quantus; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: first element of correlative comparison; Translation: as much as; Notes: sets the proportional measure for valuation.
  10. valere — Lemma: valere; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive second conjugation; Function: complementary infinitive with potest; Translation: to be worth; Notes: expresses potential market or assessed value in principle.
  11. potest — Lemma: posse; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: governs valere; Translation: is able; Notes: states capability or realistic worth within the valuation framework.
  12. tanto — Lemma: tantus; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: second element of correlative comparison, linked to quanto; Translation: so much; Notes: indicates the valuation matches the worth in the same proportion.
  13. æstimabitur — Lemma: æstimare; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future passive indicative first conjugation; Function: main verb of the apodosis; Translation: will be valued; Notes: passive highlights the official assessment placed upon the field.

 

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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