Leviticus 11:39

Posted on April 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 11:39 Si mortuum fuerit animal, quod licet vobis comedere, qui cadaver eius tetigerit, immundus erit usque ad vesperum:

If an animal shall have died, which it is permitted to you to eat, whoever touches its carcass, shall be unclean until evening;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 mortuum dead NOM.SG.N
3 fuerit has been 3SG.FUTP.ACT.SUBJ
4 animal animal NOM.SG.N
5 quod which REL.NOM.SG.N
6 licet is permitted 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 vobis to you DAT.PL
8 comedere to eat INF.PRES.ACT
9 qui whoever REL.NOM.SG.M
10 cadaver carcass ACC.SG.N
11 eius its GEN.SG
12 tetigerit touches 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
13 immundus unclean NOM.SG.M
14 erit will be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
15 usque until PREP+ACC
16 ad to PREP+ACC
17 vesperum evening ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Conditional Clause: si mortuum fuerit animal — circumstance of death
Relative Qualification: quod licet vobis comedere — restriction to permitted animals
Relative Legal Clause: qui cadaver eius tetigerit — defining the liable person
Main Predicate: immundus erit — resulting ritual state
Temporal Limit: usque ad vesperum — duration of impurity

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: if; Notes: Opens a legal contingency.
  2. mortuum — Lemma: mortuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: predicate adjective with fuerit; Translation: dead; Notes: Describes the state of the animal.
  3. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: has been; Notes: Prospective condition.
  4. animal — Lemma: animal; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: subject; Translation: animal; Notes: Living creature permitted for food.
  5. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: subject of licet; Translation: which; Notes: Refers back to animal.
  6. licet — Lemma: licet; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: impersonal verb of permission; Translation: is permitted; Notes: Establishes lawful allowance.
  7. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: to you; Notes: Specifies the addressees.
  8. comedere — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: to eat; Notes: Completes the permission construction.
  9. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of conditional clause; Translation: whoever; Notes: Introduces a general human subject.
  10. cadaver — Lemma: cadaver; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object; Translation: carcass; Notes: Dead body conveying impurity.
  11. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: its; Notes: Refers to the animal.
  12. 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.
  13. immundus — Lemma: immundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: unclean; Notes: Ritual status incurred.
  14. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: will be; Notes: States binding legal result.
  15. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative with ad; Function: temporal limit; Translation: until; Notes: Specifies duration.
  16. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: temporal direction; Translation: to; Notes: Completes the time phrase.
  17. vesperum — Lemma: vesper; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: evening; Notes: Standard terminus of impurity.

 

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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