Leviticus 1:1

Posted on April 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 1:1 Vocavit autem Moysen, et locutus est ei Dominus de tabernaculo testimonii, dicens:

And he called Moyses, and the LORD spoke to him from the tabernacle of testimony, saying:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Vocavit he called VERB, 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND, 1ST CONJ
2 autem however / and CONJ, INDECL
3 Moysen Moses NOUN, ACC.SG.M, 3RD DECL
4 et and CONJ, INDECL
5 locutus having spoken PTCP, PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
6 est is / has VERB, 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 ei to him PRON, PERS.DAT.SG.M
8 Dominus LORD NOUN, NOM.SG.M, 2ND DECL
9 de from PREP+ABL, INDECL
10 tabernaculo tabernacle NOUN, ABL.SG.N, 2ND DECL
11 testimonii of testimony NOUN, GEN.SG.N, 2ND DECL
12 dicens saying PTCP, PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Vocavit — main verb; Moysen — direct object. The implied subject is “he,” understood from context.
Coordinate Clause: Dominus — subject; locutus est — compound verb; ei — indirect object receiving the speech.
Prepositional Phrase: de tabernaculo testimonii — ablative of source, indicating that the LORD speaks “from the tabernacle of testimony.”
Participial Element: dicens — circumstantial participle introducing the content of what will be said in the following speech.

Morphology

  1. Vocavit — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the opening clause; Translation: he called; Notes: perfect aspect marks a completed act of calling that initiates the following revelation.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connective particle linking this sentence to the preceding context; Translation: however / and; Notes: often has light adversative or transitional nuance rather than strong contrast.
  3. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of Vocavit; Translation: Moses; Notes: Greek name declined with a Latinized third-declension pattern.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinating conjunction; Translation: and; Notes: joins the calling of Moses with the subsequent divine speech.
  5. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect deponent participle nominative singular masculine; Function: forms part of the compound perfect “locutus est”; Translation: having spoken / spoke; Notes: deponent morphology with active meaning is characteristic of loquor and related verbs.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb completing the deponent perfect; Translation: is / has; Notes: with the perfect participle of a deponent, est expresses a perfect verbal idea equivalent to an active perfect.
  7. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of locutus est; Translation: to him; Notes: refers back to Moses as the recipient of the divine address.
  8. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: grammatical subject of locutus est; Translation: LORD; Notes: in this biblical context Dominus renders the divine name YHWH.
  9. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the ablative; Function: introduces an ablative of source or origin; Translation: from; Notes: marks the spatial origin of the LORD’s speech.
  10. tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of the preposition de; Translation: tabernacle; Notes: denotes the sanctuary structure that functions as the meeting place between the LORD and Moses.
  11. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: dependent genitive modifying tabernaculo; Translation: of testimony; Notes: specifies the sacred purpose of the tabernacle as the place of the covenantal testimony.
  12. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle introducing the content of direct speech; Translation: saying; Notes: standard biblical formula that signals the words that will follow as the LORD’s discourse.

 

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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