Leviticus 16:34

Posted on April 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 16:34 Eritque vobis hoc legitimum sempiternum, ut oretis pro filiis Israel, et pro cunctis peccatis eorum semel in anno. Fecit igitur sicut præceperat Dominus Moysi.

And this shall be for you a perpetual statute, that you may pray for the sons of Israel, and for all their sins once in the year. Therefore he did just as the LORD had commanded Moyses.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Eritque and-it-shall-be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 vobis for-you DAT.PL
3 hoc this NOM.SG.N.DEM
4 legitimum statute NOM.SG.N
5 sempiternum perpetual NOM.SG.N.ADJ
6 ut that CONJ
7 oretis you-may-pray 2PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
8 pro for PREP+ABL
9 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
10 Israel Israel INDECL.NOUN
11 et and CONJ
12 pro for PREP+ABL
13 cunctis all ABL.PL.N
14 peccatis sins ABL.PL.N
15 eorum their GEN.PL.PRON.POSS
16 semel once ADV
17 in in PREP+ABL
18 anno year ABL.SG.M
19 Fecit he-did 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
20 igitur therefore ADV
21 sicut just-as CONJ
22 præceperat had-commanded 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
23 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
24 Moysi to-Moses DAT.SG.M

Syntax

Main Declaration: Eritque vobis hoc legitimum sempiternum — establishes a binding perpetual statute
Purpose Clause: ut oretis — states the intended cultic action
Prepositional Objects: pro filiis Israel and pro cunctis peccatis eorum — beneficiaries and scope of prayer
Temporal Modifier: semel in anno — limits the action to an annual occurrence
Concluding Narrative Clause: Fecit igitur sicut præceperat Dominus Moysi — affirms faithful obedience to the LORD’s command

Morphology

  1. Eritque — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic; Form: third person singular future indicative active + -que; Function: main predicate; Translation: and it shall be; Notes: Introduces a lasting ordinance.
  2. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: dative of reference; Translation: for you; Notes: Addresses the covenant community.
  3. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: subject; Translation: this; Notes: Points to the regulation.
  4. legitimum — Lemma: legitimus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantivally; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: statute; Notes: Formal legal terminology.
  5. sempiternum — Lemma: sempiternus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: modifies legitimum; Translation: perpetual; Notes: Emphasizes enduring validity.
  6. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose; Translation: that; Notes: Governs the subjunctive.
  7. oretis — Lemma: oro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present subjunctive active; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: you may pray; Notes: Cultic intercession.
  8. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: benefit; Translation: for; Notes: Indicates representation.
  9. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine plural, second declension; Function: object of pro; Translation: sons; Notes: The people as descendants.
  10. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: genitive relation in sense; Translation: Israel; Notes: Proper name of the covenant nation.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Adds further scope.
  12. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: benefit; Translation: for; Notes: Repeats representational function.
  13. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative neuter plural; Function: modifies peccatis; Translation: all; Notes: Total inclusiveness.
  14. peccatis — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter plural, second declension; Function: object of pro; Translation: sins; Notes: Moral offenses requiring expiation.
  15. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: their; Notes: Refers to the people.
  16. semel — Lemma: semel; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: once; Notes: Restricts frequency.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: time within; Translation: in; Notes: Temporal usage.
  18. anno — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular, second declension; Function: object of in; Translation: year; Notes: Annual cycle.
  19. Fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect indicative active; Function: narrative predicate; Translation: he did; Notes: Reports compliance.
  20. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: inferential connector; Translation: therefore; Notes: Draws conclusion from command.
  21. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: comparative; Translation: just as; Notes: Introduces comparison.
  22. præceperat — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular pluperfect indicative active; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: had commanded; Notes: Prior authoritative instruction.
  23. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular, second declension; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  24. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative masculine singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: to Moses; Notes: Recipient of the divine command.

 

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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