Leviticus 20:12

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 20:12 Si quis dormierit cum nuru sua, uterque moriatur, quia scelus operati sunt: sanguis eorum sit super eos.

If anyone has lain with his daughter-in-law, each of them shall die, for they have committed an abomination; their blood shall be upon them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 quis anyone NOM.SG.M (INDEF)
3 dormierit has lain 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
4 cum with PREP+ABL
5 nuru daughter-in-law ABL.SG.F (4TH DECL)
6 sua his own ABL.SG.F (POSS)
7 uterque each (of the two) NOM.SG.M
8 moriatur let die 3SG.PRES.DEP.SUBJ
9 quia for CONJ
10 scelus abomination NOM.SG.N (3RD DECL)
11 operati having committed PERF.DEP.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
12 sunt they are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
13 sanguis blood NOM.SG.M (3RD DECL)
14 eorum their GEN.PL (POSS)
15 sit may be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
16 super upon PREP+ACC
17 eos them ACC.PL.M (PERS)

Syntax

Conditional Clause: Si quis dormierit cum nuru sua — legal condition using perfect subjunctive to define the offense.

Penalty Statement: uterque moriatur — singular jussive with uterque distributing the penalty to both parties.

Causal Clause: quia scelus operati sunt — deponent perfect participle with auxiliary stating the established crime.

Blood-Guilt Clause: sanguis eorum sit super eos — assigns responsibility to the offenders themselves.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces legal condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Standard juridical conditional marker.
  2. quis — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of the condition; Translation: “anyone”; Notes: Intentionally non-specific.
  3. dormierit — Lemma: dormio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the conditional clause; Translation: “has lain”; Notes: Euphemistic legal term for sexual intercourse.
  4. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks association; Translation: “with”; Notes: Indicates illicit union.
  5. nuru — Lemma: nurus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular (fourth declension); Function: object of cum; Translation: “daughter-in-law”; Notes: Woman married to one’s son.
  6. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: modifies nuru; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive reference to the offender.
  7. uterque — Lemma: uterque; Part of Speech: distributive pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of moriatur; Translation: “each (of the two)”; Notes: Singular form with plural sense.
  8. moriatur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive; Function: jussive penalty verb; Translation: “let die”; Notes: Mandated execution.
  9. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces cause; Translation: “for”; Notes: Grounds the penalty.
  10. scelus — Lemma: scelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: predicate noun; Translation: “abomination”; Notes: Severe moral-legal offense.
  11. operati — Lemma: operor; Part of Speech: deponent verb (participle); Form: perfect deponent participle nominative masculine plural; Function: with sunt forms a perfect statement; Translation: “having committed”; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning.
  12. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “they are”; Notes: Completes the periphrasis.
  13. sanguis — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of sit; Translation: “blood”; Notes: Symbol of blood-guilt.
  14. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: modifies sanguis; Translation: “their”; Notes: Responsibility shared by both offenders.
  15. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive; Function: jussive assignment; Translation: “may be”; Notes: Judicial pronouncement.
  16. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates liability; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Idiom of responsibility.
  17. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: object of super; Translation: “them”; Notes: Concludes the legal verdict.

 

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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