Leviticus 17:5

Posted on April 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 17:5 Ideo sacerdoti offerre debent filii Israel hostias suas, quas occident in agro, ut sanctificentur Domino ante ostium tabernaculi testimonii, et immolent eas hostias pacificas Domino.

Therefore the sons of Israel must offer their sacrifices to the priest, which they slaughter in the open field, so that they may be sanctified to the LORD before the door of the tabernacle of testimony, and may immolate them as peace offerings to the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ideo therefore ADV
2 sacerdoti to-the-priest DAT.SG.M
3 offerre to-offer INF
4 debent they-must 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
5 filii sons NOM.PL.M
6 Israel Israel INDECL.NOUN
7 hostias sacrifices ACC.PL.F
8 suas their-own ACC.PL.F.PRON.POSS
9 quas which ACC.PL.F.REL
10 occident they-will-slaughter 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 agro field ABL.SG.M
13 ut so-that CONJ
14 sanctificentur they-may-be-sanctified 3PL.PRES.SUBJ.PASS
15 Domino LORD DAT.SG.M
16 ante before PREP+ACC
17 ostium door ACC.SG.N
18 tabernaculi of-the-tabernacle GEN.SG.N
19 testimonii of-testimony GEN.SG.N
20 et and CONJ
21 immolent they-may-immolate 3PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
22 eas them ACC.PL.F.PRON.PERS
23 hostias sacrifices ACC.PL.F
24 pacificas peace-offerings ACC.PL.F.ADJ
25 Domino LORD DAT.SG.M

Syntax

Main Obligation: offerre debent — infinitive governed by a verb of obligation
Indirect Object: sacerdoti — the priest as recipient
Subject: filii Israel — the covenant community
Relative Clause: quas occident in agro — specifies the sacrifices and their slaughter
Purpose Clause: ut sanctificentur — ritual goal of sanctification
Locative Phrase: ante ostium tabernaculi testimonii — prescribed sacred location
Coordinated Purpose: et immolent eas hostias pacificas — completion as peace offerings to the LORD

Morphology

  1. Ideo — Lemma: ideo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: logical connector; Translation: therefore; Notes: Grounds the command in the preceding statute.
  2. sacerdoti — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative masculine singular, third declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the priest; Notes: Authorized cultic mediator.
  3. offerre — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: to offer; Notes: Governs the sacrificial action.
  4. debent — Lemma: debeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present indicative active; Function: main predicate; Translation: they must; Notes: Expresses legal obligation.
  5. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine plural, second declension; Function: subject; Translation: sons; Notes: Members of the community.
  6. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: genitive in sense; Translation: Israel; Notes: Covenant people.
  7. hostias — Lemma: hostia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine plural, first declension; Function: direct object; Translation: sacrifices; Notes: Cultic offerings.
  8. suas — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: modifies hostias; Translation: their own; Notes: Reflexive possession.
  9. quas — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: object of occident; Translation: which; Notes: Refers back to hostias.
  10. occident — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future indicative active; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: they will slaughter; Notes: Ritual killing outside the sanctuary.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: location; Translation: in; Notes: Indicates place.
  12. agro — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular, second declension; Function: object of in; Translation: field; Notes: Area outside the camp.
  13. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: purpose marker; Translation: so that; Notes: Introduces intended result.
  14. sanctificentur — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present subjunctive passive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: they may be sanctified; Notes: Passive emphasizes divine agency.
  15. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative masculine singular, second declension; Function: dative of reference; Translation: LORD; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  16. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: before; Notes: Marks cultic position.
  17. ostium — Lemma: ostium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular, second declension; Function: object of ante; Translation: door; Notes: Sanctuary entrance.
  18. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter singular, second declension; Function: genitive modifier; Translation: of the tabernacle; Notes: Sacred structure.
  19. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter singular, second declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of testimony; Notes: Refers to the covenant witness.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Links parallel purposes.
  21. immolent — Lemma: immolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present subjunctive active; Function: coordinated purpose verb; Translation: they may immolate; Notes: Formal sacrificial act.
  22. eas — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: direct object; Translation: them; Notes: Refers back to the sacrifices.
  23. hostias — Lemma: hostia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine plural, first declension; Function: object in apposition; Translation: sacrifices; Notes: Restates the offerings.
  24. pacificas — Lemma: pacificus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: modifies hostias; Translation: peace offerings; Notes: Indicates communion sacrifices.
  25. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative masculine singular, second declension; Function: dative of recipient; Translation: LORD; Notes: The offering is rendered to YHWH.

 

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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