Leviticus 16:1

Posted on April 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 16:1 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen post mortem duorum filiorum Aaron, quando offerentes ignem alienum interfecti sunt:

And the LORD spoke to Moyses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when offering strange fire, they were killed;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutusque having-spoken-and PTCP.NOM.SG.M.PERF.DEP+CONJ
2 est is/was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
6 post after PREP+ACC
7 mortem death ACC.SG.F
8 duorum of two GEN.PL.M
9 filiorum sons GEN.PL.M
10 Aaron Aaron INDECL
11 quando when CONJ
12 offerentes offering PTCP.NOM.PL.M.PRES.ACT
13 ignem fire ACC.SG.M
14 alienum strange ACC.SG.M
15 interfecti having-been-killed PTCP.NOM.PL.M.PERF.PASS
16 sunt they-are/were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Dominus (subject) + Locutusque est (verbal predicate)
Indirect Object Phrase: ad Moysen — addressee of speech
Temporal Phrase: post mortem duorum filiorum Aaron — time reference dependent on post
Temporal Clause: quando interfecti sunt — circumstance of death
Participial Modifier: offerentes ignem alienum — accompanying action explaining the cause

Morphology

  1. Locutusque — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb participle with enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect participle nominative masculine singular deponent + enclitic -que; Function: forms the narrative verbal idea with est; Translation: and having spoken; Notes: A standard Vulgate narrative opening.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative active; Function: auxiliary completing the verbal construction; Translation: is/was; Notes: Supplies finite force to the participle.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular second declension; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: Capitalized because it refers to YHWH.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: marks direction or addressee; Translation: to; Notes: Common with verbs of speaking.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: Moses; Notes: Greek-style declension used in Latin biblical texts.
  6. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces a temporal relation; Translation: after; Notes: Fixes the narrative time sequence.
  7. mortem — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular third declension; Function: object of post; Translation: death; Notes: Governs the following genitive phrase.
  8. duorum — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: genitive masculine plural; Function: quantifier of filiorum; Translation: of two; Notes: Agrees with the genitive construction.
  9. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine plural second declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: sons; Notes: Specifies whose death is meant.
  10. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: appositional identifier; Translation: Aaron; Notes: Remains undeclined in Latin.
  11. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: Explains the circumstances of the death.
  12. offerentes — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb participle; Form: present participle nominative masculine plural active; Function: modifies the implied subject; Translation: offering; Notes: Expresses accompanying action.
  13. ignem — Lemma: ignis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular third declension; Function: object of offerentes; Translation: fire; Notes: Cultic object in the clause.
  14. alienum — Lemma: alienus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative masculine singular agreeing with ignem; Function: attributive modifier; Translation: strange; Notes: Conveys unauthorized or foreign.
  15. interfecti — Lemma: interficio; Part of Speech: verb participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative masculine plural; Function: predicate participle; Translation: having been killed; Notes: Emphasizes completed action.
  16. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present indicative active; Function: auxiliary completing the passive construction; Translation: they are/were; Notes: Forms the perfect passive with interfecti.

 

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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