Leviticus 14:1

Posted on April 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 14:1 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:

And the LORD spoke to Moyses, saying:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutusque and having spoken NOM.SG.M PTCP.PERF.DEP
2 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
6 dicens saying NOM.SG.M PTCP.PRES.ACT

Syntax

Main Clause: Dominus est locutus forms a periphrastic perfect with a deponent participle expressing completed divine speech.
Indirect Object: ad Moysen identifies the recipient of revelation.
Modal Participle: dicens introduces the content of the ensuing divine utterance.

Morphology

  1. Locutusque — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect deponent with enclitic conjunction; Function: verbal adjective forming a perfect periphrastic construction; Translation: and having spoken; Notes: The enclitic joins this clause tightly to the preceding narrative.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative active; Function: auxiliary verb completing the perfect tense; Translation: is; Notes: Used with a perfect deponent participle to express completed action.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: Refers to YHWH and is therefore rendered in full capitals.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: marks direction of speech; Translation: to; Notes: Introduces the recipient.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of the preposition; Translation: Moses; Notes: Leader and mediator of Israel.
  6. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active; Function: participle of manner introducing direct discourse; Translation: saying; Notes: Signals that quoted speech follows immediately.

 

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.