Leviticus 21:18

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 21:18 nec accedet ad ministerium eius: si cæcus fuerit, si claudus, si parvo vel grandi, vel torto naso,

nor shall he approach his ministry: if he has been blind, if lame, if with a small or large, or twisted nose.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 nec nor CONJ
2 accedet he shall approach 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 ministerium ministry ACC.SG.N (2ND DECL)
5 eius his GEN.SG.M/N (POSS)
6 si if CONJ
7 cæcus blind NOM.SG.M (ADJ)
8 fuerit has been 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
9 si if CONJ
10 claudus lame NOM.SG.M (ADJ)
11 si if CONJ
12 parvo small ABL.SG.M (ADJ)
13 vel or CONJ
14 grandi large ABL.SG.M (ADJ)
15 vel or CONJ
16 torto twisted ABL.SG.M (ADJ)
17 naso nose ABL.SG.M (2ND DECL)

Syntax

Prohibitive Main Clause: nec accedet ad ministerium eius — future indicative with negation stating a standing cultic restriction.

Series of Conditional Clauses: si cæcus fuerit, si claudus — conditional protases using perfect subjunctive (with fuerit) and ellipsis of the copula in the second clause.

Ablative of Respect: si parvo vel grandi, vel torto naso — ablative phrase specifying physical respect (“with respect to the nose”) qualifying the disqualification.

Morphology

  1. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: negative coordination; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Continues a list of prohibitions.
  2. accedet — Lemma: accedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “he shall approach”; Notes: Legal future expressing prohibition.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction/goal; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces the sphere of approach.
  4. ministerium — Lemma: ministerium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “ministry”; Notes: Refers to priestly service.
  5. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine/neuter; Function: modifies ministerium; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to the priest concerned.
  6. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Opens a conditional clause.
  7. cæcus — Lemma: cæcus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “blind”; Notes: Physical condition affecting eligibility.
  8. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: auxiliary in conditional clause; Translation: “has been”; Notes: Required mood in legal conditional.
  9. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Repeats conditional structure.
  10. claudus — Lemma: claudus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “lame”; Notes: Copula is understood.
  11. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Introduces ablative specification.
  12. parvo — Lemma: parvus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: modifies naso; Translation: “small”; Notes: Ablative of respect.
  13. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: alternative; Translation: “or”; Notes: Offers a choice.
  14. grandi — Lemma: grandis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: modifies naso; Translation: “large”; Notes: Shares the same syntactic role.
  15. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: alternative; Translation: “or”; Notes: Continues the list.
  16. torto — Lemma: tortus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: modifies naso; Translation: “twisted”; Notes: Physical irregularity specified.
  17. naso — Lemma: nasus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: ablative of respect; Translation: “nose”; Notes: Governs the preceding adjectives.

 

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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