Leviticus 11:36

Posted on April 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 11:36 Fontes vero et cisternæ, et omnis aquarum congregatio munda erit. Qui morticinum eorum tetigerit, polluetur.

But springs and cisterns, and every gathering of waters shall be clean. Whoever touches their carcass, shall be defiled.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fontes springs NOM.PL.M
2 vero but ADV
3 et and CONJ
4 cisternæ cisterns NOM.PL.F
5 et and CONJ
6 omnis every NOM.SG.F
7 aquarum of waters GEN.PL.F
8 congregatio gathering NOM.SG.F
9 munda clean NOM.SG.F
10 erit will be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
11 Qui whoever REL.NOM.SG.M
12 morticinum carcass ACC.SG.N
13 eorum their GEN.PL
14 tetigerit touches 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
15 polluetur will be defiled 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND

Syntax

Contrastive Topic: Fontes vero — exception introduced against prior contamination rules
Coordinated Subjects: fontes et cisternæ et omnis aquarum congregatio — natural and collected water sources
Main Predicate: munda erit — declaration of ritual cleanliness
Relative Legal Clause: qui morticinum eorum tetigerit — condition concerning contact
Resulting Status: polluetur — impurity incurred by the person

Morphology

  1. Fontes — Lemma: fons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine plural; Function: subject; Translation: springs; Notes: Natural flowing water sources.
  2. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: contrastive marker; Translation: but; Notes: Introduces an exception or clarification.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Links items in the list.
  4. cisternæ — Lemma: cisterna; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine plural; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: cisterns; Notes: Man-made water reservoirs.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Continues enumeration.
  6. omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: modifier of congregatio; Translation: every; Notes: Universal scope.
  7. aquarum — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine plural; Function: genitive of content; Translation: of waters; Notes: Specifies the substance gathered.
  8. congregatio — Lemma: congregatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: subject; Translation: gathering; Notes: Collective body of water.
  9. munda — Lemma: mundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: clean; Notes: Ritual purity affirmed.
  10. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: will be; Notes: Establishes legal status.
  11. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of conditional clause; Translation: whoever; Notes: General legal subject.
  12. morticinum — Lemma: morticinum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object; Translation: carcass; Notes: Dead body transmitting impurity.
  13. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: their; Notes: Refers to the previously listed creatures.
  14. tetigerit — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of general condition; Translation: touches; Notes: Legal conditional action.
  15. polluetur — Lemma: polluo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future passive indicative; Function: main predicate of result; Translation: will be defiled; Notes: Personal impurity incurred.

 

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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