Leviticus 16:5

Posted on April 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 16:5 Suscipietque ab universa multitudine filiorum Israel duos hircos pro peccato, et unum arietem in holocaustum.

And he shall take from the whole assembly of the sons of Israel two male goats for sin, and one ram as a whole burnt offering.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Suscipietque he-shall-receive-and 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 ab from PREP+ABL
3 universa whole ABL.SG.F
4 multitudine assembly ABL.SG.F
5 filiorum sons GEN.PL.M
6 Israel Israel INDECL
7 duos two ACC.PL.M
8 hircos male-goats ACC.PL.M
9 pro for PREP+ABL
10 peccato sin ABL.SG.N
11 et and CONJ
12 unum one ACC.SG.M
13 arietem ram ACC.SG.M
14 in as/for PREP+ACC
15 holocaustum whole-burnt-offering ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Suscipietque (verb) — future action with enclitic coordination
Source Phrase: ab universa multitudine filiorum Israel — ablative of source specifying the contributing body
Direct Object: duos hircos — primary objects received
Purpose Phrase: pro peccato — designates the sin-offering function
Coordinated Object: unum arietem — additional sacrificial animal
Designation Phrase: in holocaustum — indicates the category of offering

Morphology

  1. Suscipietque — Lemma: suscipio; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic conjunction; Form: third person singular future indicative active + enclitic -que; Function: main verbal predicate linking this action to the previous instructions; Translation: and he shall receive/take; Notes: The future indicative expresses a prescribed ritual action.
  2. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: marks source; Translation: from; Notes: Indicates the origin of the sacrificial animals.
  3. universa — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: modifies multitudine; Translation: whole; Notes: Emphasizes total participation.
  4. multitudine — Lemma: multitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular, third declension; Function: object of ab; Translation: assembly; Notes: Refers to the gathered community.
  5. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine plural, second declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of sons; Notes: Specifies the identity of the assembly.
  6. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: appositional identifier; Translation: Israel; Notes: Biblical ethnonym retained without declension.
  7. duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: quantifies hircos; Translation: two; Notes: Agrees with its noun in case and gender.
  8. hircos — Lemma: hircus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine plural, second declension; Function: direct object; Translation: male goats; Notes: Typical animals for sin offerings.
  9. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: for; Notes: Common sacrificial idiom.
  10. peccato — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular, second declension; Function: object of pro; Translation: sin; Notes: Identifies the expiatory aim.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Joins the two offerings.
  12. unum — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: quantifies arietem; Translation: one; Notes: Highlights the distinct second offering.
  13. arietem — Lemma: aries; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular, third declension; Function: coordinated direct object; Translation: ram; Notes: Commonly used for whole burnt offerings.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: indicates designation or purpose; Translation: as/for; Notes: Marks the offering category.
  15. holocaustum — Lemma: holocaustum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular, second declension; Function: object of in; Translation: whole burnt offering; Notes: Denotes an offering entirely consumed by fire.

 

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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