Leviticus 20:27

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 20:27 Vir, sive mulier, in quibus pythonicus, vel divinationis fuerit spiritus, morte moriantur. lapidibus obruent eos: sanguis eorum sit super illos.

A man, or a woman, in whom there has been a spirit of divination, or of necromancy shall surely be put to death. They shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be upon them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Vir man NOM.SG.M (2ND DECL)
2 sive or CONJ
3 mulier woman NOM.SG.F (3RD DECL)
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 quibus in whom ABL.PL (REL)
6 pythonicus necromantic NOM.SG.M (ADJ)
7 vel or CONJ
8 divinationis of divination GEN.SG.F (3RD DECL)
9 fuerit has been 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
10 spiritus spirit NOM.SG.M (4TH DECL)
11 morte by death ABL.SG.F (3RD DECL)
12 moriantur let them die / they shall die 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
13 lapidibus with stones ABL.PL.M (2ND DECL)
14 obruent they shall stone 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
15 eos them ACC.PL.M (PERS)
16 sanguis blood NOM.SG.M (3RD DECL)
17 eorum their GEN.PL (POSS)
18 sit be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
19 super upon PREP+ACC
20 illos them ACC.PL.M (DEM)

Syntax

Inclusive Legal Subject: Vir sive mulier — coordinated nominatives establishing applicability to both sexes.

Relative Characterization Clause: in quibus pythonicus vel divinationis fuerit spiritus — relative clause with perfect subjunctive defining the illicit condition.

Judicial Sentence Formula: morte moriantur — ablative of penalty with subjunctive expressing mandatory death.

Execution Clause: lapidibus obruent eos — future indicative specifying the method of execution.

Responsibility Declaration: sanguis eorum sit super illos — subjunctive jussive assigning bloodguilt to the offenders themselves.

Morphology

  1. Vir — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject; Translation: “man”; Notes: Legal category of male person.
  2. sive — Lemma: sive; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: alternative coordination; Translation: “or”; Notes: Establishes inclusivity.
  3. mulier — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: subject; Translation: “woman”; Notes: Paired with vir.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces relative description; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks indwelling.
  5. quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: object of in; Translation: “in whom”; Notes: Refers to the persons.
  6. pythonicus — Lemma: pythonicus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies spiritus; Translation: “necromantic”; Notes: Associated with spirit-medium practices.
  7. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: alternative; Translation: “or”; Notes: Presents a second category.
  8. divinationis — Lemma: divinatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies spiritus; Translation: “of divination”; Notes: Illicit prophetic practice.
  9. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “has been”; Notes: Subjunctive in legal definition.
  10. spiritus — Lemma: spiritus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of fuerit; Translation: “spirit”; Notes: Supernatural agent.
  11. morte — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: ablative of penalty; Translation: “by death”; Notes: Fixed legal formula.
  12. moriantur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person plural present subjunctive; Function: jussive command; Translation: “they shall die”; Notes: Mandatory sentence.
  13. lapidibus — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with stones”; Notes: Specifies execution method.
  14. obruent — Lemma: obruo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative; Function: execution verb; Translation: “they shall stone”; Notes: Communal action implied.
  15. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: direct object; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to offenders.
  16. sanguis — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of sit; Translation: “blood”; Notes: Symbol of guilt.
  17. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: modifies sanguis; Translation: “their”; Notes: Ownership of guilt.
  18. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive; Function: jussive declaration; Translation: “be”; Notes: Judicial pronouncement.
  19. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses responsibility; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Idiom of accountability.
  20. illos — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: object of super; Translation: “them”; Notes: Emphatic reference to offenders.

 

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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