Leviticus 17:3

Posted on April 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 17:3 Homo quilibet de domo Israel, si occiderit bovem aut ovem, sive capram in castris vel extra castra,

“Any man from the house of Israel, if he shall slaughter an ox or a sheep, or a goat within the camp or outside the camp,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Homo man NOM.SG.M
2 quilibet any NOM.SG.M.INDEF
3 de from PREP+ABL
4 domo house ABL.SG.F
5 Israel Israel INDECL.NOUN
6 si if CONJ
7 occiderit shall-slaughter 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
8 bovem ox ACC.SG.M
9 aut or CONJ
10 ovem sheep ACC.SG.F
11 sive or CONJ
12 capram goat ACC.SG.F
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 castris camp ABL.PL.N
15 vel or CONJ
16 extra outside PREP+ACC
17 castra camp ACC.PL.N

Syntax

Subject: Homo quilibet — any individual Israelite
Partitive Phrase: de domo Israel — specifies covenant membership
Conditional Clause: si occiderit — conditional action introduced
Direct Objects: bovem, ovem, capram — sacrificial animals
Locative Alternatives: in castris / extra castra — location within or outside the camp

Morphology

  1. Homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular, third declension; Function: subject; Translation: man; Notes: Generic reference to an individual.
  2. quilibet — Lemma: quilibet; Part of Speech: indefinite adjective/pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies homo; Translation: any; Notes: Stresses universality.
  3. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: source or origin; Translation: from; Notes: Partitive sense.
  4. domo — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular, fourth declension; Function: object of de; Translation: house; Notes: Collective family unit.
  5. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: genitive in sense; Translation: Israel; Notes: Covenant people.
  6. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: conditional marker; Translation: if; Notes: Introduces the condition.
  7. occiderit — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect indicative active; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: shall slaughter; Notes: Refers to ritual killing.
  8. bovem — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: ox; Notes: Large sacrificial animal.
  9. aut — Lemma: aut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: disjunction; Translation: or; Notes: Exclusive alternative.
  10. ovem — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: sheep; Notes: Common sacrificial animal.
  11. sive — Lemma: sive; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: alternative conjunction; Translation: or; Notes: Inclusive alternative.
  12. capram — Lemma: capra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular, first declension; Function: direct object; Translation: goat; Notes: Frequent sin-offering animal.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: location; Translation: in; Notes: Static position.
  14. castris — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter plural; Function: object of in; Translation: camp; Notes: Israelite encampment.
  15. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: alternative; Translation: or; Notes: Presents another option.
  16. extra — Lemma: extra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: outside location; Translation: outside; Notes: Beyond the camp boundary.
  17. castra — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: object of extra; Translation: camp; Notes: Same encampment referenced.

 

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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