Leviticus 14:52

Posted on April 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 14:52 purificabitque eam tam in sanguine passeris quam in aquis viventibus, et in passere vivo, lignoque cedrino et hyssopo atque vermiculo.

and he shall purify it both with the blood of the sparrow and with living waters, and with the living sparrow, and with cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet thread.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 purificabitque and he shall purify 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 eam it ACC.SG.F PERS.PRON
3 tam both ADV
4 in with PREP+ABL
5 sanguine blood ABL.SG.M
6 passeris of the sparrow GEN.SG.M
7 quam as well as CONJ
8 in with PREP+ABL
9 aquis waters ABL.PL.F
10 viventibus living ABL.PL.F PRES.ACT.PTCP
11 et and CONJ
12 in with PREP+ABL
13 passere sparrow ABL.SG.M
14 vivo living ABL.SG.M ADJ
15 lignoque and wood ABL.SG.N
16 cedrino cedar ABL.SG.N ADJ
17 et and CONJ
18 hyssopo hyssop ABL.SG.M
19 atque and also CONJ
20 vermiculo scarlet thread ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: purificabitque governs the action of ritual cleansing.
Direct Object: eam refers to the house under purification.
Correlative Construction: tam … quam balances two principal means of purification.
Instrumental Phrases: Multiple in phrases specify the media and instruments employed in the rite.

Morphology

  1. purificabitque — Lemma: purifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active with enclitic conjunction; Function: main verb; Translation: and he shall purify; Notes: Continues the ritual sequence with an added coordinated action.
  2. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: it; Notes: Refers to the dwelling being cleansed.
  3. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: correlative marker; Translation: both; Notes: Introduces the first member of a balanced comparison.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: means; Translation: with; Notes: Indicates the medium used.
  5. sanguine — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: blood; Notes: Blood used for purification.
  6. passeris — Lemma: passer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the sparrow; Notes: Identifies the source of the blood.
  7. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: correlative conjunction; Translation: as well as; Notes: Completes the correlative pair with tam.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: means; Translation: with; Notes: Introduces the second medium.
  9. aquis — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: waters; Notes: Flowing water used in ritual cleansing.
  10. viventibus — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural feminine present active; Function: modifies aquis; Translation: living; Notes: Denotes fresh flowing water.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Adds further instruments.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: means; Translation: with; Notes: Introduces an additional means.
  13. passere — Lemma: passer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: sparrow; Notes: The living bird of release.
  14. vivo — Lemma: vivus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies passere; Translation: living; Notes: Distinguished from the sacrificed bird.
  15. lignoque — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter with enclitic conjunction; Function: instrument; Translation: and wood; Notes: Joined closely to the previous item.
  16. cedrino — Lemma: cedrinus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies ligno; Translation: cedar; Notes: Specifies the type of wood.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Continues the list of instruments.
  18. hyssopo — Lemma: hyssopus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: instrument; Translation: hyssop; Notes: Used for sprinkling.
  19. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: emphatic coordination; Translation: and also; Notes: Adds the final item with emphasis.
  20. vermiculo — Lemma: vermiculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: instrument; Translation: scarlet thread; Notes: Dyed material completing the ritual set.

 

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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