Leviticus 20:13

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 20:13 Qui dormierit cum masculo coitu femineo, uterque operatus est nefas, morte moriantur: sit sanguis eorum super eos.

Whoever has lain with a male in the manner of a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely die; their blood shall be upon them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who NOM.SG.M (REL)
2 dormierit has lain 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
3 cum with PREP+ABL
4 masculo male ABL.SG.M (2ND DECL)
5 coitu intercourse ABL.SG.M (4TH DECL)
6 femineo female ABL.SG.M (ADJ)
7 uterque each of the two NOM.SG.M
8 operatus having committed PERF.DEP.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
9 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 nefas abomination ACC.SG.N (INDECL)
11 morte by death ABL.SG.F (3RD DECL)
12 moriantur let them die 3PL.PRES.DEP.SUBJ
13 sit may be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
14 sanguis blood NOM.SG.M (3RD DECL)
15 eorum their GEN.PL (POSS)
16 super upon PREP+ACC
17 eos them ACC.PL.M (PERS)

Syntax

Legal Relative Clause: Qui dormierit cum masculo coitu femineo — perfect subjunctive defining the illicit act; the ablative phrase specifies the manner of intercourse.

Declarative Guilt Statement: uterque operatus est nefas — singular uterque with a perfect periphrasis asserting joint culpability.

Penalty Formula: morte moriantur — fixed juridical idiom mandating death.

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

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of the legal clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces a general legal case.
  2. dormierit — Lemma: dormio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “has lain”; Notes: Euphemistic legal term for sexual intercourse.
  3. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces the object of association; Translation: “with”; Notes: Marks illicit union.
  4. masculo — Lemma: masculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: object of cum; Translation: “male”; Notes: Specifies the sex of the partner.
  5. coitu — Lemma: coitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: ablative of manner; Translation: “intercourse”; Notes: Describes the act’s manner rather than adding a new participant.
  6. femineo — Lemma: femineus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: modifies coitu; Translation: “female”; Notes: Qualifies the manner of intercourse.
  7. uterque — Lemma: uterque; Part of Speech: distributive pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of operatus est; Translation: “each of the two”; Notes: Singular form with collective sense.
  8. operatus — Lemma: operor; Part of Speech: deponent verb (participle); Form: perfect deponent participle nominative masculine singular; Function: with est forms a perfect statement; Translation: “having committed”; Notes: Deponent with active meaning.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “has”; Notes: Completes the periphrasis.
  10. nefas — Lemma: nefas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular (indeclinable); Function: direct object; Translation: “abomination”; Notes: Strong term for a grave moral violation.
  11. morte — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: ablative of manner; Translation: “by death”; Notes: Part of a fixed judicial formula.
  12. moriantur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person plural present subjunctive; Function: jussive penalty verb; Translation: “let them die”; Notes: Expresses mandated execution.
  13. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive; Function: jussive assignment; Translation: “may be”; Notes: Judicial pronouncement.
  14. sanguis — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of sit; Translation: “blood”; Notes: Symbol of blood-guilt.
  15. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: modifies sanguis; Translation: “their”; Notes: Responsibility shared by both offenders.
  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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