Leviticus 27:1

Posted on April 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

1 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:

And the LORD spoke to Moyses, saying:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutusque and having spoken PTCP.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
2 est is / has 3SG.PRES.IND
3 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moyses ACC.SG.M
6 dicens saying PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Dominus (Subject) + est (Finite verb forming the perfect periphrasis with locutus)
Participial Predicate: Locutusque (Perfect deponent participle functioning as the main predication: “spoke”)
Prepositional Phrase: ad Moysen — indirect object / goal of speech (“to Moyses”)
Participial Expansion: dicens — attendant circumstance introducing the quoted content that follows (“saying”)

Morphology

  1. Locutusque — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: perfect deponent participle, nominative singular masculine, with enclitic conjunction -que; Function: participial predicate describing the LORD as the speaker, with -que linking smoothly to the following finite verb; Translation: “and having spoken / and spoke”; Notes: As a deponent, the form is passive in shape but active in meaning; in narrative style it often carries the force of a main verb.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular, present indicative active; Function: auxiliary completing the perfect sense with locutus; Translation: “has / did”; Notes: Although present in form, est combines with a perfect participle to express a completed past action (“spoke”).
  3. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, second declension; Function: subject of the clause; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Rendered “LORD” here because the subject is the divine covenant name referent in the Vulgate narrative voice.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: marks direction or goal toward the addressee; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: With persons, ad commonly signals direct address or orientation (“to X”).
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of the preposition ad, indicating the one addressed; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: The accusative after ad expresses the target of the LORD’s speech within the narrative frame.
  6. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: present active participle, nominative singular masculine, third conjugation; Function: participial modifier referring back to Dominus, introducing the content that follows; Translation: “saying”; Notes: This participle regularly functions as a formula to open direct discourse, signaling that quoted speech is about to begin.

 

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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