Leviticus 18:18

Posted on April 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 18:18 Sororem uxoris tuæ in pellicatum illius non accipies, nec revelabis turpitudinem eius adhuc illa vivente.

The sister of your wife you shall not take for rivalry with her, nor shall you uncover her nakedness while she is still living.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sororem sister ACC.SG.F
2 uxoris of-wife GEN.SG.F
3 tuæ your GEN.SG.F.PRON.POSS
4 in into / for PREP+ACC
5 pellicatum concubinage / rivalry ACC.SG.M
6 illius of-her GEN.SG.DEM
7 non not ADV
8 accipies you-shall-take 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 nec nor CONJ
10 revelabis you-shall-uncover 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
11 turpitudinem nakedness ACC.SG.F
12 eius her GEN.SG.PRON.POSS
13 adhuc still ADV
14 illa she NOM.SG.F.DEM
15 vivente living ABL.SG.F.PTCP.PRES.ACT

Syntax

Primary Prohibition: non accipies — legal future expressing absolute prohibition
Direct Object: sororem uxoris tuæ — wife’s sister as prohibited relation
Purpose / Result Phrase: in pellicatum illius — prepositional phrase indicating rival concubinage or competitive union
Coordinated Prohibition: nec revelabis turpitudinem eius — parallel ban on sexual exposure
Temporal Ablative Absolute: adhuc illa vivente — specifies the prohibition applies during the wife’s lifetime

Morphology

  1. Sororem — Lemma: soror; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: sister; Notes: Refers to the wife’s sibling.
  2. uxoris — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular, third declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of wife; Notes: Establishes marital relation.
  3. tuæ — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies uxoris; Translation: your; Notes: Direct second-person address.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: purpose or result; Translation: into / for; Notes: Indicates intended relational state.
  5. pellicatum — Lemma: pellicatus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of in; Translation: concubinage, rivalry; Notes: Denotes a rival sexual union alongside the lawful wife.
  6. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies pellicatum; Translation: of her; Notes: Refers back to the wife.
  7. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Marks absolute prohibition.
  8. accipies — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: main predicate; Translation: you shall take; Notes: Legal future with imperative force.
  9. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: negative coordination; Translation: nor; Notes: Joins parallel prohibitions.
  10. revelabis — Lemma: revelo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: coordinated predicate; Translation: you shall uncover; Notes: Synonymous legal verb reinforcing the ban.
  11. turpitudinem — Lemma: turpitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: nakedness; Notes: Formal euphemism for sexual exposure.
  12. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies turpitudinem; Translation: her; Notes: Refers to the wife’s sister.
  13. adhuc — Lemma: adhuc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: still; Notes: Indicates ongoing lifetime.
  14. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: subject of the ablative absolute; Translation: she; Notes: Refers to the wife.
  15. vivente — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative feminine singular present active participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: living; Notes: Establishes temporal limitation of the prohibition.

 

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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