Leviticus 7:21

Posted on April 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 7:21 Et quæ tetigerit immunditiam hominis, vel iumenti, sive omnis rei, quæ polluere potest, et comederit de huiuscemodi carnibus, interibit de populis suis.

And whatever shall have touched the uncleanness of a human being, or of an animal, or of any thing, which can defile, and shall have eaten from flesh of this kind, shall perish from among its people.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 quæ which REL.NOM.SG.F
3 tetigerit shall have touched 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
4 immunditiam uncleanness ACC.SG.F
5 hominis of a human GEN.SG.M
6 vel or CONJ
7 iumenti of an animal GEN.SG.N
8 sive or CONJ
9 omnis any ADJ.GEN.SG.F
10 rei thing GEN.SG.F
11 quæ which REL.NOM.SG.F
12 polluere to defile INF.PRES.ACT
13 potest is able 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 et and CONJ
15 comederit shall have eaten 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
16 de from PREP+ABL
17 huiuscemodi of this kind INDECL.ADJ
18 carnibus flesh ABL.PL.F
19 interibit shall perish 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
20 de from PREP+ABL
21 populis peoples ABL.PL.M
22 suis its own POSS.ABL.PL.M

Syntax

Compound Relative Subject: Et quæ tetigerit immunditiam — continues the legal subject introduced earlier
Genitive Modifiers: hominis, iumenti, omnis rei — enumerate possible sources of impurity
Relative Clause: quæ polluere potest — defines the defiling capacity
Coordinated Verb: et comederit — adds the forbidden act of consumption
Prepositional Phrase: de huiuscemodi carnibus — specifies the contaminated meat
Main Result Clause: interibit de populis suis — pronounces covenantal removal

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective; Translation: and; Notes: Links this ruling to the preceding one.
  2. quæ — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of tetigerit; Translation: which; Notes: Refers to a person already implied in context.
  3. tetigerit — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: shall have touched; Notes: Expresses a general legal condition.
  4. immunditiam — Lemma: immunditia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, first declension; Function: direct object of tetigerit; Translation: uncleanness; Notes: Ritual impurity rather than moral fault.
  5. hominis — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, third declension; Function: modifies immunditiam; Translation: of a human; Notes: Impurity transmitted by human contact.
  6. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces alternative; Translation: or; Notes: Presents an additional source.
  7. iumenti — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, second declension; Function: modifies immunditiam; Translation: of an animal; Notes: Covers beasts used for labor or burden.
  8. sive — Lemma: sive; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: alternative coordinator; Translation: or; Notes: Expands the category further.
  9. omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies rei; Translation: any; Notes: Leaves no excluded cases.
  10. rei — Lemma: res; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, fifth declension; Function: depends on immunditiam; Translation: thing; Notes: General term for an object.
  11. quæ — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of potest; Translation: which; Notes: Refers back to res.
  12. polluere — Lemma: polluo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with potest; Translation: to defile; Notes: Describes capability, not action.
  13. potest — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: verb of ability; Translation: is able; Notes: States inherent potential to contaminate.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates verbs; Translation: and; Notes: Adds the second offense.
  15. comederit — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the conditional construction; Translation: shall have eaten; Notes: Links impurity with consumption.
  16. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: introduces source; Translation: from; Notes: Indicates partial consumption.
  17. huiuscemodi — Lemma: huiuscemodi; Part of Speech: indeclinable adjective; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies carnibus; Translation: of this kind; Notes: Refers back to contaminated meat.
  18. carnibus — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine, third declension; Function: object of de; Translation: flesh; Notes: Sacrificial meat rendered unclean.
  19. interibit — Lemma: intereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of judgment; Translation: shall perish; Notes: Formula for covenantal excision.
  20. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: from; Notes: Indicates removal from the community.
  21. populis — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, second declension; Function: object of de; Translation: peoples; Notes: The covenant community.
  22. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies populis; Translation: its own; Notes: Refers back to the offending individual.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Leviticus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.