Leviticus 11:13

Posted on April 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 11:13 Hæc sunt quæ de avibus comedere non debetis, et vitanda sunt vobis: Aquilam, et gryphem, et haliæetum,

These are the things among birds which you must not eat, and they are to be avoided by you: The eagle, and the griffon, and the sea eagle,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Hæc these NOM.PL.N
2 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
3 quæ which REL.NOM.PL.N
4 de among PREP+ABL
5 avibus birds ABL.PL.F
6 comedere to eat INF.ACT
7 non not ADV
8 debetis you must 2PL.PRES.ACT.IND
9 et and CONJ
10 vitanda to be avoided NOM.PL.N.GERUNDV
11 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
12 vobis by you DAT.PL
13 Aquilam eagle ACC.SG.F
14 et and CONJ
15 gryphem griffon ACC.SG.M
16 et and CONJ
17 haliæetum sea eagle ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Identification Clause: Hæc sunt quæ — introduces a defined prohibited category
Partitive Domain: de avibus — restriction to birds
Infinitival Prohibition: comedere non debetis — moral obligation not to eat
Legal Evaluation: vitanda sunt vobis — gerundive expressing necessity of avoidance
Object List: Aquilam et gryphem et haliæetum — specific prohibited birds

Morphology

  1. Hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative neuter plural; Function: subject; Translation: these; Notes: Introduces a new category of prohibitions.
  2. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: are; Notes: Links subject and predicate.
  3. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative neuter plural; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: Refers back to Hæc.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: partitive limitation; Translation: among; Notes: Narrows the scope to a subset.
  5. avibus — Lemma: avis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine plural; Function: object of de; Translation: birds; Notes: Specifies the animal class.
  6. comedere — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: to eat; Notes: Action being prohibited.
  7. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Negates the obligation.
  8. debetis — Lemma: debeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present active indicative; Function: verbal obligation; Translation: you must; Notes: Expresses moral and legal duty.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Links clauses.
  10. vitanda — Lemma: vito; Part of Speech: gerundive adjective; Form: nominative neuter plural; Function: predicate with sunt; Translation: to be avoided; Notes: Gerundive of obligation expressing necessity.
  11. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: are; Notes: Completes the gerundive construction.
  12. vobis — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: dative of agent; Translation: by you; Notes: Indicates responsibility placed on Israel.
  13. Aquilam — Lemma: aquila; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: object of implied prohibition; Translation: eagle; Notes: First bird explicitly listed.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Joins items in the list.
  15. gryphem — Lemma: gryphus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object; Translation: griffon; Notes: Large bird of prey in Vulgate zoology.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Continues the list.
  17. haliæetum — Lemma: haliæetus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object; Translation: sea eagle; Notes: Marine bird of prey included in the prohibition.

 

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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