Leviticus 11:8

Posted on April 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 11:8 horum carnibus non vescemini, nec cadavera contingetis, quia immunda sunt vobis.

Of their flesh you shall not eat, nor shall you touch their carcasses, because they are unclean for you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 horum of these GEN.PL.M
2 carnibus flesh ABL.PL.F
3 non not ADV
4 vescemini you shall eat 2PL.FUT.DEP.IND
5 nec nor CONJ
6 cadavera carcasses ACC.PL.N
7 contingetis you shall touch 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
8 quia because CONJ
9 immunda unclean NOM.PL.N
10 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
11 vobis for you DAT.PL

Syntax

Partitive Domain: horum carnibus — source or material from which abstention is required
Main Prohibition: non vescemini — negative command expressed with deponent future
Coordinated Prohibition: nec cadavera contingetis — added ban concerning contact
Causal Clause: quia immunda sunt vobis — rationale grounded in ritual status

Morphology

  1. horum — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive masculine plural; Function: partitive modifier; Translation: of these; Notes: Refers back to the previously listed animals.
  2. carnibus — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine plural; Function: object of deponent verb; Translation: flesh; Notes: Ablative used with vescor to indicate what is eaten.
  3. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Negates the verbal action.
  4. vescemini — Lemma: vescor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: second person plural future indicative; Function: main verb of prohibition; Translation: you shall eat; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning governing the ablative.
  5. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: negative coordination; Translation: nor; Notes: Joins a second prohibition to the first.
  6. cadavera — Lemma: cadaver; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: direct object; Translation: carcasses; Notes: Dead bodies of the forbidden animals.
  7. contingetis — Lemma: contingo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future active indicative; Function: coordinated verb; Translation: you shall touch; Notes: Contact implies ritual defilement.
  8. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: causal marker; Translation: because; Notes: Introduces the reason for the prohibitions.
  9. immunda — Lemma: immundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative neuter plural; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: unclean; Notes: Ritual status under the law.
  10. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: are; Notes: Links subject and predicate.
  11. vobis — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: dative of reference; Translation: for you; Notes: Indicates applicability to Israel.

 

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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