Leviticus 19:21

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 19:21 pro delicto autem suo offeret Domino ad ostium tabernaculi testimonii arietem:

but for his offense he shall offer to the LORD, at the entrance of the tent of testimony, a ram;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 pro for PREP+ABL
2 delicto offense ABL.SG.N 2ND DECL NOUN
3 autem but CONJ
4 suo his ABL.SG.N POSS.ADJ
5 offeret he shall offer 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
6 Domino LORD DAT.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 ostium entrance ACC.SG.N 2ND DECL NOUN
9 tabernaculi of the tabernacle GEN.SG.N 2ND DECL NOUN
10 testimonii of testimony GEN.SG.N 2ND DECL NOUN
11 arietem ram ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL NOUN

Syntax

Prepositional Cause: pro delicto suo (preposition with ablative expressing cause or ground)

Main Verb: offeret (future indicative expressing a required legal action)

Indirect Object: Domino (dative of the recipient; YHWH)

Directional Phrase: ad ostium tabernaculi testimonii (preposition with accusative + genitive chain specifying the sacred location)

Direct Object: arietem (the sacrificial animal offered)

Morphology

  1. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: introduces the ground or cause; Translation: for; Notes: commonly used for substitution or reason in legal-sacrificial contexts.
  2. delicto — Lemma: delictum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular second declension; Function: object of pro; Translation: offense; Notes: denotes a culpable act requiring reparation.
  3. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: postpositive; Function: marks transition or contrast; Translation: but; Notes: often softens or redirects the discourse.
  4. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: modifies delicto; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive possessive referring back to the subject.
  5. offeret — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: states the prescribed action; Translation: he shall offer; Notes: future indicative carries prescriptive force in ritual law.
  6. Domino — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative masculine singular second declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: LORD; Notes: rendered in all caps when referring to YHWH.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: expresses direction toward a place; Translation: to; Notes: standard marker of movement or goal.
  8. ostium — Lemma: ostium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular second declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: entrance; Notes: denotes the official access point to the sanctuary.
  9. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter singular second declension; Function: genitive modifying ostium; Translation: of the tabernacle; Notes: specifies the sacred structure.
  10. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter singular second declension; Function: genitive further defining tabernaculi; Translation: of testimony; Notes: refers to the covenantal witness housed within.
  11. arietem — Lemma: aries; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular third declension; Function: direct object of offeret; Translation: ram; Notes: standard sacrificial animal in reparation offerings.

 

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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