Leviticus 19:20

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 19:20 Homo si dormierit cum muliere coitu seminis, quæ sit ancilla etiam nubilis, et tamen pretio non redempta, nec libertate donata: vapulabunt ambo, et non morientur, quia non fuit libera.

If a man has lain with a woman in intercourse of seed, who is a slave woman also marriageable, and yet not redeemed with a price nor granted freedom; both shall be beaten, and they shall not die, because she was not free.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Homo man NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL NOUN
2 si if CONJ
3 dormierit has slept 3SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ
4 cum with PREP+ABL
5 muliere woman ABL.SG.F 3RD DECL NOUN
6 coitu intercourse ABL.SG.M 4TH DECL NOUN
7 seminis of seed GEN.SG.N 3RD DECL NOUN
8 quæ who NOM.SG.F REL.PRON
9 sit may be / is 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
10 ancilla slave woman NOM.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN
11 etiam also ADV
12 nubilis marriageable NOM.SG.F 3RD DECL ADJ
13 et and CONJ
14 tamen yet ADV
15 pretio with a price ABL.SG.N 2ND DECL NOUN
16 non not ADV
17 redempta redeemed NOM.SG.F PERF.PTCP.PASS
18 nec nor CONJ
19 libertate with freedom ABL.SG.F 3RD DECL NOUN
20 donata given NOM.SG.F PERF.PTCP.PASS
21 vapulabunt shall be beaten 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
22 ambo both NOM.PL.M INVAR
23 et and CONJ
24 non not ADV
25 morientur they shall die 3PL.FUT.DEP.IND
26 quia because CONJ
27 non not ADV
28 fuit was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
29 libera free NOM.SG.F POS ADJ

Syntax

Conditional Frame: Homo si dormierit … (subject + conditional particle + verb introducing the case)

Verb + Complement: dormierit cum muliere (verb with prepositional complement)

Specification of Act: coitu seminis (ablative of specification with genitive)

Relative Description: quæ sit ancilla etiam nubilis (relative clause describing the woman; predicate nominatives)

Concessive Condition: et tamen … non redempta … nec … donata (concession stating lack of redemption and manumission)

Legal Result: vapulabunt ambo (penalty stated with future indicative)

Limitation: et non morientur (negated future; denial of capital punishment)

Reason Clause: quia non fuit libera (causal explanation)

Morphology

  1. Homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular third declension; Function: subject of the conditional case; Translation: man; Notes: generic legal subject introducing the scenario.
  2. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces the protasis; Translation: if; Notes: sets a case-law condition.
  3. dormierit — Lemma: dormio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of the conditional protasis; Translation: has slept; Notes: future perfect subjunctive is typical in legal “if” clauses.
  4. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: expresses association; Translation: with; Notes: introduces the partner in the act.
  5. muliere — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular third declension; Function: object of cum; Translation: woman; Notes: identifies the female participant.
  6. coitu — Lemma: coitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular fourth declension; Function: ablative of specification; Translation: intercourse; Notes: specifies the nature of “sleeping.”
  7. seminis — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter singular third declension; Function: genitive dependent on coitu; Translation: of seed; Notes: explicit legal phrasing for sexual intercourse.
  8. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: who; Notes: links back to muliere.
  9. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive active; Function: copula in a relative characterization; Translation: may be / is; Notes: subjunctive aligns with the legal/indefinite relative description.
  10. ancilla — Lemma: ancilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular first declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: slave woman; Notes: indicates her legal status.
  11. etiam — Lemma: etiam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: additive; Function: modifies nubilis; Translation: also; Notes: emphasizes an additional attribute.
  12. nubilis — Lemma: nubilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative feminine singular third declension; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: marriageable; Notes: describes eligibility for marriage.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links descriptive clauses; Translation: and; Notes: continues the legal specification.
  14. tamen — Lemma: tamen; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: concessive; Function: marks contrast with prior description; Translation: yet; Notes: signals a limiting condition.
  15. pretio — Lemma: pretium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular second declension; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with a price; Notes: points to monetary redemption.
  16. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negation; Function: negates the participle; Translation: not; Notes: denies redemption.
  17. redempta — Lemma: redimo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative feminine singular perfect passive; Function: predicate participle describing the woman; Translation: redeemed; Notes: indicates she has not been bought back from servitude.
  18. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative coordinator; Function: links a second denial; Translation: nor; Notes: cumulative negation.
  19. libertate — Lemma: libertas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular third declension; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with freedom; Notes: refers to manumission status.
  20. donata — Lemma: dono; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative feminine singular perfect passive; Function: predicate participle describing the woman; Translation: granted; Notes: indicates freedom has not been conferred.
  21. vapulabunt — Lemma: vapulo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future indicative active; Function: states the legal penalty; Translation: shall be beaten; Notes: corporal punishment rather than death.
  22. ambo — Lemma: ambo; Part of Speech: indeclinable numeral/pronoun; Form: nominative masculine plural invariable; Function: subject with vapulabunt; Translation: both; Notes: includes both participants in the penalty.
  23. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links the next legal statement; Translation: and; Notes: adds a limitation to the penalty.
  24. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negation; Function: negates morientur; Translation: not; Notes: denies capital punishment.
  25. morientur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: third person plural future indicative deponent; Function: states what will not happen; Translation: they shall die; Notes: deponent form with active meaning.
  26. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: causal; Function: introduces the reason; Translation: because; Notes: explains the legal distinction.
  27. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negation; Function: negates fuit; Translation: not; Notes: underscores lack of free status.
  28. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect indicative active; Function: verb of the reason clause; Translation: was; Notes: states her status at the time.
  29. libera — Lemma: liber; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative feminine singular positive degree; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: free; Notes: the determining legal factor for the lesser penalty.

 

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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