Leviticus 20:14

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 20:14 Qui supra uxorem filiam, duxerit matrem eius, scelus operatus est: vivus ardebit cum eis, nec permanebit tantum nefas in medio vestri.

Whoever, in addition to a woman, has taken her daughter, and has taken her mother, has committed an abomination; alive he shall burn with them, and such an abomination shall not remain in your midst.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who NOM.SG.M (REL)
2 supra in addition to PREP+ACC
3 uxorem wife / woman ACC.SG.F (3RD DECL)
4 filiam daughter ACC.SG.F (1ST DECL)
5 duxerit has taken 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
6 matrem mother ACC.SG.F (3RD DECL)
7 eius of her GEN.SG.F (POSS)
8 scelus abomination NOM.SG.N (3RD DECL)
9 operatus having committed PERF.DEP.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
10 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 vivus alive NOM.SG.M (ADJ)
12 ardebit will burn 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
13 cum with PREP+ABL
14 eis them ABL.PL (PERS)
15 nec and not CONJ
16 permanebit will remain 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
17 tantum such / so great ACC.SG.N (ADJ)
18 nefas abomination ACC.SG.N (INDECL)
19 in in PREP+ABL
20 medio midst ABL.SG.N (2ND DECL)
21 vestri of you GEN.PL (PERS)

Syntax

Legal Relative Clause: Qui supra uxorem filiam duxerit matrem eius — perfect subjunctive defining the prohibited union, with supra expressing addition.

Declarative Judgment: scelus operatus est — perfect periphrasis declaring the offense as an established fact.

Penalty Clause: vivus ardebit cum eis — future indicative specifying execution while alive, shared with the accomplices.

Purging Formula: nec permanebit tantum nefas in medio vestri — negated future stating the removal of the offense from the community.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of the legal clause; Translation: “whoever”; Notes: Introduces a general juridical case.
  2. supra — Lemma: supra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses addition beyond what is permitted; Translation: “in addition to”; Notes: Indicates compounding of forbidden relations.
  3. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: object of supra; Translation: “woman / wife”; Notes: Refers to a female partner already taken.
  4. filiam — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: appositional object; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: Identifies the familial relation involved.
  5. duxerit — Lemma: duco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the legal condition; Translation: “has taken”; Notes: Common legal verb for taking a woman in marriage or union.
  6. matrem — Lemma: mater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of duxerit; Translation: “mother”; Notes: Specifies the further illicit relation.
  7. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies matrem; Translation: “of her”; Notes: Refers back to the daughter.
  8. scelus — Lemma: scelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: predicate noun; Translation: “abomination”; Notes: Strong moral-legal condemnation.
  9. 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.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “has”; Notes: Completes the periphrasis.
  11. vivus — Lemma: vivus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “alive”; Notes: Emphasizes the severity of the punishment.
  12. ardebit — Lemma: ardeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: verb of execution; Translation: “will burn”; Notes: Specifies the mode of punishment.
  13. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Includes the other guilty parties.
  14. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: object of cum; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the women involved.
  15. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: negative coordination; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Adds a negated consequence.
  16. permanebit — Lemma: permaneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: verb of result; Translation: “will remain”; Notes: Expresses permanent removal.
  17. tantum — Lemma: tantus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: modifies nefas; Translation: “such”; Notes: Emphasizes the gravity of the offense.
  18. nefas — Lemma: nefas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular (indeclinable); Function: direct object; Translation: “abomination”; Notes: Act violating divine law.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces the community sphere.
  20. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “the midst”; Notes: Metaphor for communal life.
  21. vestri — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: modifies medio; Translation: “of you”; Notes: Addresses the covenant community.

 

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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