Leviticus 20:3

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 20:3 Et ego ponam faciem meam contra illum: succidamque eum de medio populi sui, eo quod dederit de semine suo Moloch, et contaminaverit Sanctuarium meum, ac polluerit nomen sanctum meum.

And I will set my face against him, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, because he has given from his offspring to Moloch, and has defiled my Sanctuary, and has polluted my holy name.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ego I NOM.SG (PERS)
3 ponam I will set 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
4 faciem face ACC.SG.F (5TH DECL)
5 meam my ACC.SG.F (POSS)
6 contra against PREP+ACC
7 illum him ACC.SG.M (DEM)
8 succidamque and I will cut off 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 eum him ACC.SG.M (PERS)
10 de from PREP+ABL
11 medio midst ABL.SG.N (2ND DECL)
12 populi people GEN.SG.M (2ND DECL)
13 sui his own GEN.SG.M (POSS)
14 eo because of this ABL.SG.M (DEM)
15 quod that / because CONJ
16 dederit he has given 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
17 de from PREP+ABL
18 semine offspring ABL.SG.N (3RD DECL)
19 suo his own ABL.SG.N (POSS)
20 Moloch Moloch INDECL.PROPN
21 et and CONJ
22 contaminaverit has defiled 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
23 Sanctuarium Sanctuary ACC.SG.N (2ND DECL)
24 meum my ACC.SG.N (POSS)
25 ac and also CONJ
26 polluerit has polluted 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
27 nomen name ACC.SG.N (3RD DECL)
28 sanctum holy ACC.SG.N (ADJ)
29 meum my ACC.SG.N (POSS)

Syntax

Main Clause: ego (Subject) + ponam (Verb) + faciem meam (Direct Object) + contra illum (Prepositional phrase of opposition).

Coordinated Verb: succidamque eum — future action coordinated by enclitic -que.

Separation Phrase: de medio populi sui — ablative phrase expressing removal from the community.

Causal Clause: eo quod dederit — causal construction introducing the grounds for judgment.

Offenses Listed: de semine suo Moloch, contaminaverit Sanctuarium meum, polluerit nomen sanctum meum — coordinated perfect subjunctives enumerating violations.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links with the preceding judgment statement; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the divine pronouncement.
  2. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Explicit pronoun heightens divine agency.
  3. ponam — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will set”; Notes: Future tense expresses determined action.
  4. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of ponam; Translation: “face”; Notes: Idiomatic expression for attention and opposition.
  5. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: modifies faciem; Translation: “my”; Notes: Marks divine ownership.
  6. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses opposition; Translation: “against”; Notes: Strong adversative force.
  7. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of contra; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to the offender.
  8. succidamque — Lemma: succido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular future active indicative + enclitic -que; Function: coordinated main verb; Translation: “and I will cut off”; Notes: Legal term for exclusion or extermination.
  9. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “him”; Notes: Resumes the offender as object.
  10. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Common in removal formulas.
  11. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: object of de; Translation: “the midst”; Notes: Metaphor for communal inclusion.
  12. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of the people”; Notes: Specifies the affected community.
  13. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies populi; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive, referring to the offender.
  14. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: ablative of cause with quod; Translation: “because of this”; Notes: Formal causal introducer.
  15. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a causal clause; Translation: “that / because”; Notes: Governs the following subjunctives.
  16. dederit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the causal clause; Translation: “has given”; Notes: Perfect subjunctive marks completed offense.
  17. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: partitive marker; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates portion taken.
  18. semine — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: object of de; Translation: “offspring”; Notes: Refers to descendants.
  19. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: modifies semine; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive possession.
  20. Moloch — Lemma: Moloch; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: indirect object by sense; Translation: “Moloch”; Notes: Pagan deity condemned in the law.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links offenses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds further grounds.
  22. contaminaverit — Lemma: contamino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the causal clause; Translation: “has defiled”; Notes: Cultic impurity language.
  23. Sanctuarium — Lemma: sanctuarium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “Sanctuary”; Notes: Refers to the sacred dwelling of God.
  24. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: modifies Sanctuarium; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes divine ownership.
  25. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins a closely related action; Translation: “and”; Notes: Slightly emphatic coordination.
  26. polluerit — Lemma: polluo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the causal clause; Translation: “has polluted”; Notes: Parallel to contaminaverit.
  27. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “name”; Notes: Represents divine reputation and authority.
  28. sanctum — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: modifies nomen; Translation: “holy”; Notes: Denotes sacred status.
  29. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: modifies nomen; Translation: “my”; Notes: Concludes the offense list with divine reference.

 

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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