Leviticus 18:25

Posted on April 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 18:25 et quibus polluta est terra: cuius ego scelera visitabo, ut evomat habitatores suos.

and by which the land has been defiled; whose crimes I will punish, so that it may vomit out its inhabitants.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 quibus by-which ABL.PL.REL
3 polluta defiled NOM.SG.F.PTCP.PERF.PASS
4 est has-been 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 terra land NOM.SG.F
6 cuius whose GEN.SG.F.REL
7 ego I NOM.SG.PERS
8 scelera crimes ACC.PL.N
9 visitabo I-will-punish 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 ut so-that CONJ
11 evomat it-may-vomit-out 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
12 habitatores inhabitants ACC.PL.M
13 suos its-own ACC.PL.M.PRON.POSS

Syntax

Coordinating Clause: et quibus polluta est terra — extends the list of defiling acts to the land itself
Relative Possessive Clause: cuius ego scelera visitabo — divine judgment directed at the land’s offenses
Purpose / Result Clause: ut evomat habitatores suos — consequence of judgment expressed through vivid metaphor

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Continues the causal description.
  2. quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: ablative of means; Translation: by which; Notes: Refers to the previously listed abominations.
  3. polluta — Lemma: polluo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative feminine singular perfect passive; Function: modifies terra; Translation: defiled; Notes: Describes the land as morally contaminated.
  4. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative active; Function: auxiliary; Translation: has been; Notes: Forms the perfect passive.
  5. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular, first declension; Function: subject; Translation: land; Notes: Personified as capable of moral response.
  6. cuius — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: possessive relative; Translation: whose; Notes: Refers back to terra.
  7. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: I; Notes: Emphatic divine speaker.
  8. scelera — Lemma: scelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: crimes; Notes: Legal and moral offenses provoking judgment.
  9. visitabo — Lemma: visito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular future indicative active; Function: main predicate; Translation: I will punish; Notes: Judicial visitation implying accountability.
  10. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: purpose or result; Translation: so that; Notes: Introduces the consequence of judgment.
  11. evomat — Lemma: evomo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive active; Function: verb of the purpose/result clause; Translation: may vomit out; Notes: Strong metaphor of expulsion.
  12. habitatores — Lemma: habitator; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine plural, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: inhabitants; Notes: The peoples dwelling in the land.
  13. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: modifies habitatores; Translation: its own; Notes: Refers back to the land as possessor.

 

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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