Leviticus 19:29

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 19:29 Ne prostituas filiam tuam, ne contaminetur terra, et impleatur piaculo.

You shall not prostitute your daughter, lest the land be defiled, and filled with guilt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ne lest / do not CONJ
2 prostituas you prostitute 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
3 filiam daughter ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN
4 tuam your ACC.SG.F POSS.ADJ
5 ne lest CONJ
6 contaminetur be defiled 3SG.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
7 terra land NOM.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN
8 et and CONJ
9 impleatur be filled 3SG.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
10 piaculo with guilt ABL.SG.N 2ND DECL NOUN

Syntax

Primary Prohibition: Ne prostituas filiam tuam (negative jussive subjunctive expressing a direct moral prohibition)

Purpose / Result Clause: ne contaminetur terra (negative purpose clause explaining the consequence avoided)

Coordinated Result: et impleatur piaculo (passive subjunctive expressing resulting defilement)

Morphology

  1. Ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative; Function: introduces a prohibition with the subjunctive; Translation: do not / lest; Notes: standard marker of negative commands.
  2. prostituas — Lemma: prostituo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present subjunctive active; Function: jussive prohibition; Translation: you prostitute; Notes: subjunctive used for moral and legal prohibition.
  3. filiam — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular first declension; Function: direct object of prostituas; Translation: daughter; Notes: denotes familial responsibility.
  4. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: modifies filiam; Translation: your; Notes: stresses personal accountability.
  5. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative purpose; Function: introduces a purpose/result clause; Translation: lest; Notes: marks the avoided consequence.
  6. contaminetur — Lemma: contamino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive passive; Function: verb of the purpose clause; Translation: be defiled; Notes: passive emphasizes the land receiving pollution.
  7. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular first declension; Function: subject of contaminetur; Translation: land; Notes: refers to the covenant land as morally affected.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links parallel results; Translation: and; Notes: additive coordination.
  9. impleatur — Lemma: impleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive passive; Function: second verb of the purpose/result clause; Translation: be filled; Notes: passive highlights the state resulting from sin.
  10. piaculo — Lemma: piaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular second declension; Function: ablative of content; Translation: with guilt; Notes: denotes pollution requiring expiation.

 

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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