Leviticus 9:15

Posted on April 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 9:15 Et pro peccato populi offerens, mactavit hircum: expiatoque altari,

And offering for the sin of the people, he slaughtered the goat; and with the altar having been expiated,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 pro for PREP+ABL
3 peccato sin ABL.SG.N
4 populi of the people GEN.SG.M
5 offerens offering PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
6 mactavit he slaughtered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 hircum goat ACC.SG.M
8 expiatoque and with having been expiated PTCP.PERF.PASS.ABL.SG.N+CONJ
9 altari altar ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Connector: Et — links the action to the preceding rites
Purpose Phrase: pro peccato populi — specifies the communal sin offering
Participial Modifier: offerens — attendant circumstance describing the role of the subject
Main Verb: mactavit — decisive act of slaughter
Direct Object: hircum — the sacrificial animal
Ablative Absolute: expiatoque altari — ritual condition following the act

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Continues the ritual sequence.
  2. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the ablative; Function: purpose; Translation: for; Notes: Indicates the intent of the offering.
  3. peccato — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular second declension; Function: object of pro; Translation: sin; Notes: The guilt addressed by the sacrifice.
  4. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular second declension; Function: modifies peccato; Translation: of the people; Notes: Indicates the communal scope.
  5. offerens — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb participle; Form: present active participle nominative masculine singular; Function: attendant circumstance; Translation: offering; Notes: Describes the action accompanying the main verb.
  6. mactavit — Lemma: macto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he slaughtered; Notes: Formal sacrificial killing.
  7. hircum — Lemma: hircus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular second declension; Function: direct object; Translation: goat; Notes: Prescribed animal for the people’s sin offering.
  8. expiatoque — Lemma: expio; Part of Speech: verb participle with enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect passive participle ablative neuter singular; Function: head of ablative absolute; Translation: and with having been expiated; Notes: Indicates ritual purification accomplished.
  9. altari — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular third declension; Function: element of the ablative absolute; Translation: altar; Notes: The sacred structure purified by the rite.

 

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.