Leviticus 4:15

Posted on April 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 4:15 Et ponent seniores populi manus super caput eius coram Domino. Immolatoque vitulo in conspectu Domini,

And the elders of the people shall lay their hands upon his head before the LORD. And when the young bull has been slain in the sight of the LORD,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ponent they shall place VERB, 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
3 seniores elders NOUN, NOM.PL.M, 3RD DECL
4 populi of the people NOUN, GEN.SG.M, 2ND DECL
5 manus hands NOUN, ACC.PL.F, 4TH DECL
6 super upon PREP+ACC
7 caput head NOUN, ACC.SG.N, 3RD DECL
8 eius his PRON, GEN.SG.M/N, POSS
9 coram before PREP+ABL
10 Domino the LORD NOUN, ABL.SG.M, 2ND DECL
11 Immolatoque and when … has been slain PTCP, ABL.SG.M, PERF.PASS + ENCLITIC -QUE
12 vitulo the young bull NOUN, ABL.SG.M, 2ND DECL
13 in in / before PREP+ABL
14 conspectu sight NOUN, ABL.SG.M, 4TH DECL
15 Domini of the LORD NOUN, GEN.SG.M, 2ND DECL

Syntax

Main Clause: Et ponent seniores populi manus super caput eius — the elders perform the ritual identification-act by laying hands on the sacrificial animal.
Prepositional Phrase: coram Domino — ritual action occurs in the immediate presence of the LORD.
Temporal–Circumstantial Clause: Immolatoque vitulo in conspectu Domini — ablative absolute describing the moment after the bull has been killed.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links narrative sequence; Translation: and; Notes: introduces new ritual action.
  2. ponent — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they shall place; Notes: standard legal prescription.
  3. seniores — Lemma: senior; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: elders; Notes: refers to leaders representing the whole community.
  4. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of relationship; Translation: of the people; Notes: identifies which elders.
  5. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of ponent; Translation: hands; Notes: 4th declension form.
  6. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses placement; Translation: upon; Notes: physical contact in ritual transfer.
  7. caput — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of super; Translation: head; Notes: location of hand-laying ritual.
  8. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine/neuter; Function: possessive modifying caput; Translation: his; Notes: refers to the sacrificial bull.
  9. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates presence; Translation: before; Notes: denotes ritual performance in divine presence.
  10. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH; translated “LORD.”
  11. Immolatoque — Lemma: immolo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine perfect passive participle with enclitic -que; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: and when … has been slain; Notes: marks completed sacrificial killing.
  12. vitulo — Lemma: vitulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: the young bull; Notes: matches gender of participle.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: in / before; Notes: here expresses “in the sight of.”
  14. conspectu — Lemma: conspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: sight; Notes: denotes divine observation.
  15. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: of the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.

 

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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