Leviticus 13:17

Posted on April 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 13:17 considerabit eum sacerdos, et mundum esse decernet.

the priest shall examine him, and shall decide that he is clean.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 considerabit he shall examine 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 eum him ACC.SG.M PERS.PRON
3 sacerdos priest NOM.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 mundum clean ACC.SG.M ADJ.POS
6 esse to be PRES.ACT.INF
7 decernet he shall decide 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: considerabit eum sacerdos describes the priest’s formal inspection of the person.
Object–Infinitive Construction: mundum esse decernet expresses the authoritative verdict, with mundum as the object of the infinitive esse.
Coordination: et links examination and judicial declaration into a single procedural act.

Morphology

  1. considerabit — Lemma: considero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: main verb of examination; Translation: he shall examine; Notes: Implies deliberate and careful inspection.
  2. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: him; Notes: Refers to the person under priestly review.
  3. sacerdos — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: priest; Notes: The authorized official empowered to judge purity.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates actions; Translation: and; Notes: Connects inspection with judgment.
  5. mundum — Lemma: mundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine positive; Function: predicate accusative in indirect statement; Translation: clean; Notes: Denotes ritual purity status.
  6. esse — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: infinitive of indirect statement; Translation: to be; Notes: Completes the object–infinitive construction.
  7. decernet — Lemma: decerno; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: verb of judicial decision; Translation: he shall decide; Notes: Expresses a binding priestly ruling.

 

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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