Leviticus 1:5

Posted on April 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 1:5 immolabitque vitulum coram Domino, et offerent filii Aaron sacerdotes sanguinem eius, fundentes per altaris circuitum, quod est ante ostium tabernaculi.

and he shall slaughter the calf before the LORD, and the sons of Aaron the priests shall offer its blood, pouring it around the altar that is before the entrance of the tabernacle.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 immolabitque and he shall slaughter VERB, 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 vitulum calf NOUN, ACC.SG.M, 2ND DECL
3 coram before PREP+ABL
4 Domino the LORD NOUN, ABL.SG.M, 2ND DECL
5 et and CONJ
6 offerent they shall offer VERB, 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
7 filii sons NOUN, NOM.PL.M, 2ND DECL
8 Aaron Aaron NOUN, GEN.SG.M, INDECL
9 sacerdotes priests NOUN, NOM.PL.M, 3RD DECL
10 sanguinem blood NOUN, ACC.SG.M, 3RD DECL
11 eius its PRON, GEN.SG.M/N, POSS
12 fundentes pouring PTCP, PRES.ACT.NOM.PL.M
13 per through / around PREP+ACC
14 altaris of the altar NOUN, GEN.SG.N, 3RD DECL
15 circuitum circuit NOUN, ACC.SG.M, 4TH DECL
16 quod which PRON, NOM.SG.N, REL
17 est is VERB, 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
18 ante before PREP+ACC
19 ostium entrance NOUN, ACC.SG.N, 2ND DECL
20 tabernaculi of the tabernacle NOUN, GEN.SG.N, 2ND DECL

Syntax

Main Clause 1: immolabitque vitulum — the sacrificer performs the slaughter of the calf.
Prepositional Phrase: coram Domino — the ritual is done in the presence of the LORD.
Main Clause 2: offerent filii Aaron sacerdotes sanguinem eius — the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall offer its blood.
Participial Phrase: fundentes per altaris circuitum — describes how the priests handle the blood, pouring it around the altar.
Relative Clause: quod est ante ostium tabernaculi — further identifies the altar by location.

Morphology

  1. immolabitque — Lemma: immolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative + enclitic -que; Function: main ritual action; Translation: and he shall slaughter; Notes: -que tightly links this to the previous procedure.
  2. vitulum — Lemma: vitulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: calf; Notes: standard sacrificial animal.
  3. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates presence; Translation: before; Notes: used in legal and cultic contexts.
  4. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH here.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  6. offerent — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative; Function: introduces priestly responsibility; Translation: they shall offer; Notes: future indicates mandated procedure.
  7. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: sons; Notes: refers specifically to the priestly line.
  8. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of relation; Translation: of Aaron; Notes: indeclinable proper name adapted to Latin syntax.
  9. sacerdotes — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: apposition to filii; Translation: priests; Notes: identifies their cultic role.
  10. sanguinem — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: blood; Notes: central element in sacrificial rites.
  11. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine/neuter; Function: possessive; Translation: its; Notes: refers to the sacrificed calf.
  12. fundentes — Lemma: fundo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: describes priestly action; Translation: pouring; Notes: participle expresses simultaneous action.
  13. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates spatial distribution; Translation: through/around; Notes: marks the ritual circumambulation of the altar.
  14. altaris — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the altar; Notes: denotes the main sacrificial structure.
  15. circuitum — Lemma: circuitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of per; Translation: circuit / surrounding area; Notes: refers to the perimeter where blood is applied.
  16. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: agrees with altare (grammatically neuter).
  17. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: links description of altar.
  18. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial marker; Translation: before; Notes: positions the altar relative to the tabernacle.
  19. ostium — Lemma: ostium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ante; Translation: entrance; Notes: threshold of the sanctuary.
  20. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies ostium; Translation: of the tabernacle; Notes: denotes holy dwelling.

 

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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