Leviticus 24:20

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

20 fracturam pro fractura, oculum pro oculo, dentem pro dente restituet. qualem inflixerit maculam, talem sustinere cogetur.

a fracture for a fracture, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth he shall restore. Whatever blemish he has inflicted, such he shall be compelled to endure.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 fracturam fracture ACC.SG.F
2 pro for PREP+ABL
3 fractura fracture ABL.SG.F
4 oculum eye ACC.SG.M
5 pro for PREP+ABL
6 oculo eye ABL.SG.M
7 dentem tooth ACC.SG.M
8 pro for PREP+ABL
9 dente tooth ABL.SG.M
10 restituet he shall restore 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
11 qualem such as ACC.SG.F REL
12 inflixerit has inflicted 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
13 maculam blemish ACC.SG.F
14 talem such ACC.SG.F DEM
15 sustinere to endure PRES.INF.ACT
16 cogetur he shall be compelled 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND

Syntax

Equivalence Formula: fracturam pro fractura, oculum pro oculo, dentem pro dente — a series of accusatives paired with pro + ablative expressing strict equivalence.

Main Predicate: restituet — future indicative prescribing restitution rather than discretionary judgment.

Relative-Result Construction: qualem inflixerit maculam, talem sustinere cogetur — correlatives qualem … talem express measure-for-measure retribution.

Infinitival Complement: sustinere — completes the passive verb of compulsion.

Morphology

  1. fracturam — Lemma: fractura; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular, first declension; Function: item of restitution; Translation: fracture; Notes: denotes bodily injury involving brokenness.
  2. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: expresses substitution or equivalence; Translation: for; Notes: establishes exact correspondence.
  3. fractura — Lemma: fractura; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: object of pro; Translation: fracture; Notes: matches the injury inflicted.
  4. oculum — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular, second declension; Function: second item of restitution; Translation: eye; Notes: concrete bodily member.
  5. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: equivalence marker; Translation: for; Notes: repetition reinforces legal symmetry.
  6. oculo — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: object of pro; Translation: eye; Notes: exact counterpart to oculum.
  7. dentem — Lemma: dens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular, third declension; Function: third item of restitution; Translation: tooth; Notes: continues bodily enumeration.
  8. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: equivalence; Translation: for; Notes: formulaic repetition.
  9. dente — Lemma: dens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: object of pro; Translation: tooth; Notes: completes the triad.
  10. restituet — Lemma: restituo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: main predicate; Translation: he shall restore; Notes: legal term emphasizing repayment or compensation.
  11. qualem — Lemma: qualis; Part of Speech: relative adjective; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: introduces comparative clause; Translation: such as; Notes: correlates with talem.
  12. inflixerit — Lemma: infligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect indicative active; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: has inflicted; Notes: completed act prior to judgment.
  13. maculam — Lemma: macula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular, first declension; Function: direct object of inflixerit; Translation: blemish; Notes: denotes injury or disfigurement.
  14. talem — Lemma: talis; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: correlates with qualem; Translation: such; Notes: marks exact equivalence.
  15. sustinere — Lemma: sustineo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: complement of cogetur; Translation: to endure; Notes: expresses bearing the consequence.
  16. cogetur — Lemma: cogo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative passive; Function: states compulsory outcome; Translation: he shall be compelled; Notes: passive underscores inevitability of enforcement.

 

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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