Leviticus 16:4

Posted on April 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 16:4 Tunica linea vestietur, feminalibus lineis verenda celabit: accingetur zona linea, cidarim lineam imponet capiti: hæc enim vestimenta sunt sancta: quibus cunctis, cum lotus fuerit, induetur.

He shall be clothed with a linen tunic, he shall cover his private parts with linen undergarments; he shall gird himself with a linen sash, he shall place a linen turban upon his head; for these are holy garments; with all these, when he has washed, he shall be clothed.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tunica tunic NOM.SG.F
2 linea linen NOM.SG.F
3 vestietur he-shall-be-clothed 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
4 feminalibus with-undergarments ABL.PL.N
5 lineis linen ABL.PL.F
6 verenda private-parts ACC.PL.N
7 celabit he-will-cover 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
8 accingetur he-shall-be-girded 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
9 zona sash ABL.SG.F
10 linea linen ABL.SG.F
11 cidarim turban ACC.SG.F
12 lineam linen ACC.SG.F
13 imponet he-will-place 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
14 capiti upon-the-head DAT.SG.N
15 hæc these NOM.PL.N.DEM
16 enim for ADV
17 vestimenta garments NOM.PL.N
18 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
19 sancta holy NOM.PL.N
20 quibus with-which ABL.PL.N.REL
21 cunctis all ABL.PL.N
22 cum when CONJ
23 lotus having-been-washed PTCP.NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS
24 fuerit he-has-been 3SG.PERF.SUBJ.ACT
25 induetur he-shall-be-clothed 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND

Syntax

Main Clause Series: vestietur, celabit, accingetur, imponet — coordinated future actions describing priestly vesting
Instrumental Phrases: feminalibus lineis, zona linea — ablatives expressing means/material
Dative of Location: capiti — indicates placement “upon the head”
Explanatory Clause: hæc enim vestimenta sunt sancta — rationale grounding the instructions
Relative-Ablative Phrase: quibus cunctis — resumes the garments collectively
Temporal Clause: cum lotus fuerit — prerequisite condition prior to vesting
Resulting Action: induetur — final vesting after washing

Morphology

  1. Tunica — Lemma: tunica; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: subject; Translation: tunic; Notes: Primary priestly garment worn next to the body.
  2. linea — Lemma: lineus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: modifies Tunica; Translation: linen; Notes: Linen signifies purity in cultic contexts.
  3. vestietur — Lemma: vestio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative passive; Function: main predicate; Translation: he shall be clothed; Notes: Passive highlights the ritual state rather than the agent.
  4. feminalibus — Lemma: feminalia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter plural; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with undergarments; Notes: Refers to linen breeches worn for modesty.
  5. lineis — Lemma: lineus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative feminine plural; Function: modifies feminalibus; Translation: linen; Notes: Reinforces the exclusive material requirement.
  6. verenda — Lemma: verenda; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: direct object of celabit; Translation: private parts; Notes: A euphemistic cultic term for modesty.
  7. celabit — Lemma: celo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: verbal predicate; Translation: he will cover; Notes: Expresses intentional concealment.
  8. accingetur — Lemma: accingo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative passive; Function: predicate; Translation: he shall be girded; Notes: Passive form reflects ritual dressing.
  9. zona — Lemma: zona; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: ablative of means; Translation: sash; Notes: Belt securing the tunic.
  10. linea — Lemma: lineus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: modifies zona; Translation: linen; Notes: Matches the purity standard.
  11. cidarim — Lemma: cidaris; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of imponet; Translation: turban; Notes: Priestly head covering.
  12. lineam — Lemma: lineus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: modifies cidarim; Translation: linen; Notes: Continues the linen-only motif.
  13. imponet — Lemma: impono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: predicate; Translation: he will place; Notes: Describes deliberate placement.
  14. capiti — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative neuter singular; Function: dative of location; Translation: upon the head; Notes: Common idiom with impono.
  15. hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative neuter plural; Function: subject; Translation: these; Notes: Collectively refers to the garments.
  16. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: explanatory particle; Translation: for; Notes: Introduces justification.
  17. vestimenta — Lemma: vestimentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative neuter plural; Function: apposition to hæc; Translation: garments; Notes: General term for ritual clothing.
  18. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: are; Notes: Links subject and predicate adjective.
  19. sancta — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative neuter plural; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: holy; Notes: Marks consecrated status.
  20. quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative neuter plural; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with which; Notes: Refers back to the garments.
  21. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative neuter plural; Function: modifies quibus; Translation: all; Notes: Emphasizes completeness.
  22. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: Requires subjunctive verb.
  23. lotus — Lemma: lavo; Part of Speech: verb participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative masculine singular; Function: subject complement; Translation: having been washed; Notes: Ritual washing prerequisite.
  24. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect subjunctive active; Function: auxiliary in temporal clause; Translation: he has been; Notes: Completes the perfect sense.
  25. induetur — Lemma: induo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative passive; Function: main concluding action; Translation: he shall be clothed; Notes: Final result after washing.

 

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.