Leviticus 18:13

Posted on April 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 18:13 Turpitudinem sororis matris tuæ non revelabis, eo quod caro sit matris tuæ.

The nakedness of your mother’s sister you shall not uncover, because she is the flesh of your mother.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Turpitudinem nakedness ACC.SG.F
2 sororis of-sister GEN.SG.F
3 matris of-mother GEN.SG.F
4 tuæ your GEN.SG.F.PRON.POSS
5 non not ADV
6 revelabis you-shall-uncover 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 eo for-this-reason ABL.SG.N.DEM
8 quod that CONJ
9 caro flesh NOM.SG.F
10 sit may-be 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
11 matris of-mother GEN.SG.F
12 tuæ your GEN.SG.F.PRON.POSS

Syntax

Primary Prohibition: non revelabis — legal future expressing absolute prohibition
Direct Object: turpitudinem sororis matris tuæ — forbidden sexual exposure defined by maternal sibling relation
Causal Construction: eo quod caro sit matris tuæ — explanatory ablative + subjunctive clause grounding the law in shared maternal flesh

Morphology

  1. Turpitudinem — Lemma: turpitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: nakedness; Notes: Technical legal euphemism for prohibited sexual exposure.
  2. sororis — Lemma: soror; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular, third declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of sister; Notes: Specifies sibling relationship.
  3. matris — Lemma: mater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular, third declension; Function: genitive of relation; Translation: of mother; Notes: Establishes maternal line.
  4. tuæ — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies matris; Translation: your; Notes: Direct address to the hearer.
  5. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Marks absolute prohibition.
  6. revelabis — Lemma: revelo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: main predicate; Translation: you shall uncover; Notes: Legal future with imperative force.
  7. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: causal ablative; Translation: for this reason; Notes: Fixed construction with quod.
  8. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: that; Notes: Explains the legal rationale.
  9. caro — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular, third declension; Function: subject of sit; Translation: flesh; Notes: Expresses close blood kinship.
  10. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive active; Function: verb of the causal clause; Translation: may be; Notes: Subjunctive required by eo quod.
  11. matris — Lemma: mater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular, third declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of mother; Notes: Grounds the kinship claim.
  12. tuæ — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies matris; Translation: your; Notes: Reiterates personal relation.

 

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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