Leviticus 12:8

Posted on April 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 12:8 Quod si non invenerit manus eius, nec potuerit offerre agnum, sumet duos turtures vel duos pullos columbarum, unum in holocaustum, et alterum pro peccato. orabitque pro ea sacerdos, et sic mundabitur.

But if her means do not suffice, and she cannot offer a lamb, she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering, and the other for sin, and the priest shall pray for her, and thus she shall be cleansed.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quod but CONJ
2 si if CONJ
3 non not ADV
4 invenerit has found 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
5 manus hand NOM.SG.F
6 eius her GEN.SG.F.POSS
7 nec and not CONJ
8 potuerit has been able 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
9 offerre to offer PRES.ACT.INF
10 agnum lamb ACC.SG.M
11 sumet she shall take 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
12 duos two ACC.PL.M
13 turtures turtledoves ACC.PL.M
14 vel or CONJ
15 duos two ACC.PL.M
16 pullos young ones ACC.PL.M
17 columbarum of pigeons GEN.PL.F
18 unum one ACC.SG.M
19 in for PREP+ACC
20 holocaustum burnt offering ACC.SG.N
21 et and CONJ
22 alterum the other ACC.SG.M
23 pro for PREP+ABL
24 peccato sin ABL.SG.N
25 orabitque and shall pray 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
26 pro for PREP+ABL
27 ea her ABL.SG.F
28 sacerdos priest NOM.SG.M
29 et and CONJ
30 sic thus ADV
31 mundabitur shall be cleansed 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND

Syntax

Conditional Protasis: Quod si non invenerit manus eius nec potuerit offerre agnum — condition describing lack of means
Main Clause: sumet — prescribed alternative action
Objects: duos turtures vel duos pullos columbarum — permitted substitutes
Purpose Phrases: unum in holocaustum and alterum pro peccato
Priestly Action: orabitque pro ea sacerdos — intercession
Result: et sic mundabitur — cleansing effected

Morphology

  1. Quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adversative transition; Translation: but; Notes: Introduces a mitigating provision.
  2. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: conditional marker; Translation: if; Notes: Opens the condition.
  3. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Negates sufficiency.
  4. invenerit — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the conditional clause; Translation: has found; Notes: Idiomatically refers to having sufficient means.
  5. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular fourth declension; Function: subject of invenerit; Translation: hand; Notes: Metonymy for resources or ability.
  6. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifier; Translation: her; Notes: Refers to the woman.
  7. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: negative coordination; Translation: and not; Notes: Links a second insufficiency.
  8. potuerit — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: coordinated verb; Translation: has been able; Notes: Ability denied under the condition.
  9. offerre — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: to offer; Notes: Cultic presentation.
  10. agnum — Lemma: agnus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of offerre; Translation: lamb; Notes: Standard required offering.
  11. sumet — Lemma: sumo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: she shall take; Notes: Prescribed alternative action.
  12. duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: modifier; Translation: two; Notes: Quantifies the offering.
  13. turtures — Lemma: turtur; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: direct object; Translation: turtledoves; Notes: Acceptable substitute offering.
  14. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: alternative; Translation: or; Notes: Permits equivalence.
  15. duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: modifier; Translation: two; Notes: Repeated for balance.
  16. pullos — Lemma: pullus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: direct object; Translation: young ones; Notes: Young birds for offering.
  17. columbarum — Lemma: columba; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine plural; Function: genitive modifier; Translation: of pigeons; Notes: Specifies species.
  18. unum — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: partitive designation; Translation: one; Notes: First allocation.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: purpose; Translation: for; Notes: Indicates sacrificial role.
  20. holocaustum — Lemma: holocaustum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: object of in; Translation: burnt offering; Notes: Offering wholly consumed.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Links the second allocation.
  22. alterum — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: contrastive object; Translation: the other; Notes: Second item of the pair.
  23. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: purpose; Translation: for; Notes: Marks the sin offering.
  24. peccato — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: object of pro; Translation: sin; Notes: Expiatory rite.
  25. orabitque — Lemma: oro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative with enclitic; Function: priestly intercession; Translation: and shall pray; Notes: Enclitic links to the preceding rite.
  26. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: beneficiary; Translation: for; Notes: Represents the woman.
  27. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: object of pro; Translation: her; Notes: The woman undergoing purification.
  28. sacerdos — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject; Translation: priest; Notes: Authorized mediator.
  29. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Links action to result.
  30. sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: result marker; Translation: thus; Notes: Indicates consequence.
  31. mundabitur — Lemma: mundo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future passive indicative; Function: result predicate; Translation: shall be cleansed; Notes: Passive emphasizes effected purity.

 

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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