Leviticus 11:43

Posted on April 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 11:43 Nolite contaminare animas vestras, nec tangatis quidquam eorum, ne immundi sitis.

Do not defile your souls, and do not touch anything of them, lest you be unclean.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nolite do not 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 contaminare defile INF.PRES.ACT
3 animas souls ACC.PL.F
4 vestras your ACC.PL.F.POSS
5 nec nor CONJ
6 tangatis touch 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
7 quidquam anything ACC.SG.N.INDEF
8 eorum of them GEN.PL
9 ne lest CONJ
10 immundi unclean NOM.PL.M
11 sitis you be 2PL.PRES.SUBJ

Syntax

Prohibitive Command: Nolite contaminare animas vestras — negative imperative formed with nolite + infinitive
Coordinated Prohibition: nec tangatis quidquam eorum — second prohibition expressed with nec and subjunctive
Purpose Clause: ne immundi sitis — negative purpose explaining the rationale

Morphology

  1. Nolite — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present active imperative; Function: auxiliary of prohibition; Translation: do not; Notes: Standard Latin negative command with infinitive.
  2. contaminare — Lemma: contamino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: defile; Notes: Refers to ritual or moral pollution.
  3. animas — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: direct object; Translation: souls; Notes: Denotes the life or inner being of the person.
  4. vestras — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: modifier of animas; Translation: your; Notes: Refers to the addressed community.
  5. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: negative coordination; Translation: nor; Notes: Adds a second prohibition.
  6. tangatis — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present active subjunctive; Function: jussive prohibition; Translation: touch; Notes: Subjunctive used after nec in prohibitions.
  7. quidquam — Lemma: quidquam; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object; Translation: anything; Notes: Emphasizes total avoidance.
  8. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: partitive modifier; Translation: of them; Notes: Refers to the previously mentioned unclean creatures.
  9. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: negative purpose; Translation: lest; Notes: Introduces the intended prevention.
  10. immundi — Lemma: immundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine plural; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: unclean; Notes: Ritual state to be avoided.
  11. sitis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: you be; Notes: Subjunctive governed by ne.

 

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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