Leviticus 9:20

Posted on April 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 9:20 posuerunt super pectora. cumque cremati essent adipes super altare,

they placed them upon the breasts. And when the fats had been burned upon the altar,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 posuerunt they placed 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 super upon PREP+ACC
3 pectora breasts ACC.PL.N
4 cumque and when CONJ
5 cremati having been burned PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.PL.M
6 essent were 3PL.IMPF.SUBJ
7 adipes the fats NOM.PL.M
8 super upon PREP+ACC
9 altare altar ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: posuerunt — placement of the portions
Locative Phrase: super pectora — position upon the breasts
Temporal Clause: cumque cremati essent adipes — circumstantial time clause describing a completed ritual action
Locative Phrase: super altare — location of the burning

Morphology

  1. posuerunt — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they placed; Notes: Refers to the priests arranging the portions.
  2. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative; Function: location; Translation: upon; Notes: Indicates position on top of another object.
  3. pectora — Lemma: pectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural third declension; Function: object of super; Translation: breasts; Notes: The portions reserved in the peace offering rite.
  4. cumque — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction with enclitic; Form: invariable; Function: temporal connector; Translation: and when; Notes: Introduces a circumstantial clause.
  5. cremati — Lemma: cremo; Part of Speech: verb participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative masculine plural; Function: predicate participle; Translation: having been burned; Notes: Describes the state of the fats.
  6. essent — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural imperfect subjunctive; Function: auxiliary in cum-clause; Translation: were; Notes: Required mood for temporal cum.
  7. adipes — Lemma: adeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine plural third declension; Function: subject of the cum-clause; Translation: the fats; Notes: Portions burned for the offering.
  8. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative; Function: location; Translation: upon; Notes: Indicates placement atop the altar.
  9. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular third declension; Function: object of super; Translation: altar; Notes: The sacred structure receiving the offering.

 

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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