Leviticus 3:8

Posted on April 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 3:8 ponet manum suam super caput victimæ suæ: quæ immolabitur in vestibulo tabernaculi testimonii: fundentque filii Aaron sanguinem eius per circuitum altaris.

he shall place his hand upon the head of his victim, which shall be slaughtered in the vestibule of the tabernacle of testimony, and the sons of Aaron shall pour out its blood around the altar.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ponet he shall place VERB, 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 manum hand NOUN, ACC.SG.F, 4TH DECL
3 suam his ADJ, ACC.SG.F, POSS
4 super upon PREP+ACC
5 caput head NOUN, ACC.SG.N, 3RD DECL
6 victimæ of the victim NOUN, GEN.SG.F, 1ST DECL
7 suæ his ADJ, GEN.SG.F, POSS
8 quæ which PRON, NOM.SG.F, REL
9 immolabitur shall be slaughtered VERB, 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 vestibulo vestibule NOUN, ABL.SG.N, 2ND DECL
12 tabernaculi of the tabernacle NOUN, GEN.SG.N, 2ND DECL
13 testimonii of testimony NOUN, GEN.SG.N, 2ND DECL
14 fundentque and they shall pour out VERB, 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
15 filii sons NOUN, NOM.PL.M, 2ND DECL
16 Aaron Aaron NOUN, NOM.SG.M, INDECL
17 sanguinem blood NOUN, ACC.SG.M, 3RD DECL
18 eius its PRON, GEN.SG.M/N, POSS
19 per around PREP+ACC
20 circuitum circuit NOUN, ACC.SG.M, 4TH DECL
21 altaris of the altar NOUN, GEN.SG.N, 3RD DECL

Syntax

Main Clause: ponet manum suam super caput victimæ suæ — describes the offerer’s laying on of the hand, indicating identification with the sacrificial victim.
Relative Clause: quæ immolabitur in vestibulo tabernaculi testimonii — specifies where the slaughter occurs: the vestibule of the tabernacle of testimony.
Coordinated Clause: fundentque filii Aaron sanguinem eius per circuitum altaris — the priests pour out the blood around the altar.
Word Order: Ritual actions proceed in required sequence: laying on hands → slaughter → blood ritual.

Morphology

  1. ponet — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb describing ritual action; Translation: he shall place; Notes: standard terminology for imposition of hands.
  2. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: hand; Notes: fourth declension but feminine.
  3. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine possessive; Function: modifies manum; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive to the subject.
  4. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses spatial placement; Translation: upon; Notes: typical preposition for laying on hands.
  5. caput — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of super; Translation: head; Notes: sacrificial identification gesture.
  6. victimæ — Lemma: victima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the victim; Notes: indicates which animal receives hand-laying.
  7. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine possessive; Function: modifies victimæ; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive possessive.
  8. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine relative; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: antecedent is victimæ.
  9. immolabitur — Lemma: immolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future passive indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: shall be slaughtered; Notes: used for sacrificial killing.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: in; Notes: specifies ritual space.
  11. vestibulo — Lemma: vestibulum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: vestibule; Notes: refers to entry area before the sanctuary.
  12. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive modifier; Translation: of the tabernacle; Notes: identifies sacred structure.
  13. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive dependent on tabernaculi; Translation: of testimony; Notes: refers to covenantal witness.
  14. fundentque — Lemma: fundo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb of coordinated clause; Translation: and they shall pour out; Notes: describes priestly blood rite.
  15. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: sons; Notes: refers to Aaron’s sons functioning as priests.
  16. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine indeclinable; Function: genitive of filii; Translation: Aaron; Notes: indeclinable proper name.
  17. sanguinem — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: blood; Notes: the life-force used in ritual atonement.
  18. eius — Lemma: eius; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine/neuter; Function: possessive; Translation: its; Notes: refers to the victim’s blood.
  19. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses movement through or around; Translation: around; Notes: describes ritual circulation around altar.
  20. circuitum — Lemma: circuitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine fourth declension; Function: object of per; Translation: circuit; Notes: indicates perimeter of altar.
  21. altaris — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive modifier; Translation: of the altar; Notes: refers to the bronze altar.

 

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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