Leviticus 1:17

Posted on April 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 1:17 confringetque ascellas eius, et non secabit, neque ferro dividet eam, et adolebit super altare, lignis igne supposito. Holocaustum est et oblatio suavissimi odoris Domino.

and he shall break its little wings, but he shall not cut it, nor shall he divide it with iron, and he shall burn it upon the altar, with the wood when the fire has been placed beneath. It is a holocaust and an offering of a most sweet odor to the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 confringetque and he shall break VERB, 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 ascellas little wings NOUN, ACC.PL.F, 1ST DECL
3 eius its PRON, GEN.SG.M/F/N, POSS
4 et and CONJ
5 non not ADV, INDECL
6 secabit he shall cut VERB, 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 neque nor CONJ
8 ferro with iron NOUN, ABL.SG.N, 2ND DECL
9 dividet he shall divide VERB, 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 eam it PRON, ACC.SG.F, PERS
11 et and CONJ
12 adolebit he shall burn VERB, 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
13 super upon PREP+ACC
14 altare altar NOUN, ACC.SG.N, 3RD DECL
15 lignis with the wood NOUN, ABL.PL.N, 2ND DECL
16 igne with fire NOUN, ABL.SG.M, 3RD DECL
17 supposito having been placed beneath PTCP, PERF.PASS.ABL.SG.M/N
18 Holocaustum holocaust NOUN, NOM.SG.N, 2ND DECL
19 est is VERB, 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
20 et and CONJ
21 oblatio offering NOUN, NOM.SG.F, 3RD DECL
22 suavissimi of a most sweet ADJ, GEN.SG.M, SUPER
23 odoris of odor NOUN, GEN.SG.M, 3RD DECL
24 Domino to the LORD NOUN, DAT.SG.M, 2ND DECL

Syntax

Main Clause 1: confringetque ascellas eius — the priest performs a limited disfigurement of the bird by breaking its small wings, without fully dismembering it.
Negative Parallel Clauses: et non secabit neque ferro dividet eam — two coordinated future verbs underscore the prohibition of cutting or dividing the bird, especially with an iron tool.
Main Clause 2: et adolebit super altare — describes the actual burning of the bird as a sacrificial act on the altar.
Ablative Absolute / Circumstantial Phrase: lignis igne supposito — indicates that the fire has already been placed under the wood, setting the scene for the burning.
Nominal Sentence: Holocaustum est et oblatio suavissimi odoris Domino — identifies the offering as a holocaust and characterizes it as an offering of a most sweet odor directed to the LORD (YHWH).

Morphology

  1. confringetque — Lemma: confringo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb describing the breaking of the wings; Translation: and he shall break; Notes: future tense continues the legal-sacrificial instructions, and -que joins this action to the preceding procedure.
  2. ascellas — Lemma: ascella; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, 1st declension; Function: direct object of confringetque; Translation: little wings; Notes: diminutive form highlights the small wings of the bird, which are broken but not removed.
  3. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine/feminine/neuter; Function: possessive genitive modifying ascellas; Translation: its; Notes: refers back to the bird that is being sacrificed.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates clauses and actions; Translation: and; Notes: simple additive connector in the legal sequence.
  5. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates secabit; Translation: not; Notes: introduces the first explicit prohibition.
  6. secabit — Lemma: seco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: verb of a forbidden action; Translation: he shall cut; Notes: future indicative used in legal style to express what must not be done.
  7. neque — Lemma: neque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links a second negated action to non secabit; Translation: nor; Notes: strengthens the double prohibition.
  8. ferro — Lemma: ferrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: ablative of instrument; Translation: with iron; Notes: specifies the tool that must not be used in dividing the bird.
  9. dividet — Lemma: divido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: second negated action coordinated with secabit; Translation: he shall divide; Notes: emphasizes that the bird remains largely whole on the altar.
  10. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of secabit and dividet; Translation: it; Notes: feminine pronoun agrees with the implicit feminine noun for “bird” (e.g., avis).
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces the subsequent positive action; Translation: and; Notes: shifts from prohibitions back to required action.
  12. adolebit — Lemma: adoleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of sacrificial burning; Translation: he shall burn; Notes: a technical verb for burning offerings on the altar.
  13. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces spatial relation; Translation: upon; Notes: marks the altar as the surface for the burning.
  14. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: object of super; Translation: altar; Notes: refers to the bronze altar of burnt offering.
  15. lignis — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter, 2nd declension; Function: part of an ablative circumstantial phrase with igne supposito; Translation: with the wood; Notes: indicates the fuel arranged for the burning.
  16. igne — Lemma: ignis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: component of the ablative phrase; Translation: with fire; Notes: the sacrificial fire that has been placed under the wood.
  17. supposito — Lemma: suppono; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle ablative singular masculine/neuter; Function: ablative absolute with igne; Translation: having been placed beneath; Notes: expresses a completed preparatory action: the fire is already under the wood.
  18. Holocaustum — Lemma: holocaustum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: predicate nominative with est; Translation: a holocaust; Notes: denotes a whole burnt offering entirely consumed on the altar.
  19. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copula linking holocaustum and oblatio to the subject; Translation: is; Notes: forms an identifying statement about the sacrifice.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins the two predicate nouns; Translation: and; Notes: connects holocaustum and oblatio as joint descriptions.
  21. oblatio — Lemma: oblatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: second predicate nominative with est; Translation: an offering; Notes: emphasizes the presented gift aspect of the sacrifice.
  22. suavissimi — Lemma: suavis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine, superlative degree; Function: genitive modifier of odoris; Translation: of a most sweet; Notes: SUPER indicates the highest degree of pleasantness attributed to the sacrificial aroma.
  23. odoris — Lemma: odor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: genitive governed by suavissimi; Translation: odor; Notes: part of the technical formula “sweet-smelling offering” in sacrificial language.
  24. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: dative of advantage or recipient; Translation: to the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH as the one to whom the pleasing sacrifice is directed.

 

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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