Leviticus 15:31

Posted on April 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 15:31 Docebitis ergo filios Israel ut caveant immunditiam, et non moriantur in sordibus suis, cum polluerint tabernaculum meum quod est inter eos.

Therefore you shall teach the sons of Israel that they may beware uncleanness, and may not die in their filth, when they shall have defiled my tabernacle which is among them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Docebitis you shall teach 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 filios sons ACC.PL.M
4 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M INDECL
5 ut that CONJ
6 caveant they may beware 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
7 immunditiam uncleanness ACC.SG.F
8 et and CONJ
9 non not ADV
10 moriantur they may die 3PL.PRES.DEP.SUBJ
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 sordibus filth ABL.PL.F
13 suis their ABL.PL.F POSS.PRON
14 cum when CONJ
15 polluerint they have defiled 3PL.FUTP.ACT.IND
16 tabernaculum tabernacle ACC.SG.N
17 meum my ACC.SG.N POSS.ADJ
18 quod which NOM.SG.N REL
19 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
20 inter among PREP+ACC
21 eos them ACC.PL.M PERS.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Docebitis governs an indirect command.
Indirect Command: ut caveant immunditiam expresses the required instruction.
Negative Purpose: et non moriantur states the intended prevention.
Sphere: in sordibus suis marks the condition in which death would occur.
Temporal Clause: cum polluerint tabernaculum meum gives the circumstance.
Relative Clause: quod est inter eos identifies the dwelling of the tabernacle.

Morphology

  1. Docebitis — Lemma: doceo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: you shall teach; Notes: Authoritative instruction directed to leaders.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: inferential connector; Translation: therefore; Notes: Draws conclusion from preceding laws.
  3. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: sons; Notes: Collective designation of the people.
  4. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine indeclinable; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of Israel; Notes: Covenant community.
  5. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces indirect command; Translation: that; Notes: Governs the subjunctive.
  6. caveant — Lemma: caveo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present subjunctive active; Function: verb of indirect command; Translation: they may beware; Notes: Expresses vigilance and restraint.
  7. immunditiam — Lemma: immunditia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of caveant; Translation: uncleanness; Notes: Ritual impurity broadly defined.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Joins purposes.
  9. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Negates the following verb.
  10. moriantur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present subjunctive deponent; Function: verb of purpose; Translation: they may die; Notes: Deponent with active meaning.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: state or condition; Translation: in; Notes: Describes circumstance.
  12. sordibus — Lemma: sordes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: filth; Notes: Moral and ritual degradation.
  13. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies sordibus; Translation: their; Notes: Reflexive ownership.
  14. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: temporal clause introducer; Translation: when; Notes: Takes perfect tense here.
  15. polluerint — Lemma: polluo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future perfect indicative active; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: they have defiled; Notes: Completed act with grave consequence.
  16. tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: tabernacle; Notes: Sacred dwelling of God.
  17. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies tabernaculum; Translation: my; Notes: Emphasizes divine ownership.
  18. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: Refers to the tabernacle.
  19. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: States ongoing reality.
  20. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: among; Notes: Indicates proximity and presence.
  21. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of inter; Translation: them; Notes: Refers to the people of Israel.

 

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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