Leviticus 11:2

Posted on April 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 11:2 Dicite filiis Israel: Hæc sunt animalia quæ comedere debetis de cunctis animantibus terræ:

“Speak to the sons of Israel: ‘These are the animals which you must eat from all the living creatures of the earth:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dicite speak 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
2 filiis to the sons DAT.PL.M
3 Israel of Israel GEN.SG.M
4 Hæc these NOM.PL.N
5 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
6 animalia animals NOM.PL.N
7 quæ which REL.NOM.PL.N
8 comedere to eat INF.PRES.ACT
9 debetis you must 2PL.PRES.ACT.IND
10 de from PREP+ABL
11 cunctis all ABL.PL.N
12 animantibus living creatures ABL.PL.N
13 terræ of the earth GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Imperative Command: Dicite — directive issued to authorized speakers
Indirect Object: filiis Israel — recipients of instruction
Demonstrative Clause: Hæc sunt animalia — subject identification
Relative Clause: quæ comedere debetis — obligation defining permitted food
Partitive Source: de cunctis animantibus terræ — scope of the classification

Morphology

  1. Dicite — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: speak; Notes: Authoritative transmission of divine law.
  2. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative masculine plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the sons; Notes: Covenant community members.
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: of Israel; Notes: National designation.
  4. Hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative neuter plural; Function: subject; Translation: these; Notes: Points forward to enumerated animals.
  5. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: are; Notes: Establishes definition.
  6. animalia — Lemma: animal; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative neuter plural; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: animals; Notes: Living creatures suitable for classification.
  7. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative neuter plural; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: Refers back to animalia.
  8. comedere — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: to eat; Notes: Permitted consumption.
  9. debetis — Lemma: debeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present active indicative; Function: obligation; Translation: you must; Notes: Legal requirement not optional.
  10. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: partitive source; Translation: from; Notes: Indicates selection from a whole.
  11. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative neuter plural; Function: modifies animantibus; Translation: all; Notes: Comprehensive scope.
  12. animantibus — Lemma: animans; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter plural; Function: object of de; Translation: living creatures; Notes: All animate beings.
  13. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies animantibus; Translation: of the earth; Notes: Terrestrial domain.

 

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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