Leviticus 15:5

Posted on April 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 15:5 Si quis hominum tetigerit lectum eius, lavabit vestimenta sua: et ipse lotus aqua, immundus erit usque ad vesperum.

If anyone of men shall have touched his bed, he shall wash his garments; and he himself having been washed with water, shall be unclean until evening.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 quis anyone NOM.SG.M INDEF.PRON
3 hominum of men GEN.PL.M
4 tetigerit shall have touched 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
5 lectum bed ACC.SG.M
6 eius of him GEN.SG.M PERS.PRON
7 lavabit he shall wash 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
8 vestimenta garments ACC.PL.N
9 sua his own ACC.PL.N POSS.PRON
10 et and CONJ
11 ipse he himself NOM.SG.M PERS.PRON
12 lotus having been washed NOM.SG.M PERF.PASS.PTCP
13 aqua with water ABL.SG.F
14 immundus unclean NOM.SG.M ADJ
15 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
16 usque until PREP
17 ad to PREP+ACC
18 vesperum evening ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Conditional Clause: Si quis hominum tetigerit lectum eius sets the condition triggering impurity.
Main Consequence: lavabit vestimenta sua states the required action.
Participial Circumstance: ipse lotus aqua describes the person after ritual washing.
Temporal Limitation: immundus erit usque ad vesperum defines the duration of impurity.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: if; Notes: Opens a legal conditional.
  2. quis — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: anyone; Notes: Refers to any person without restriction.
  3. hominum — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: partitive genitive; Translation: of men; Notes: Specifies the class from which the individual comes.
  4. tetigerit — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future perfect indicative active; Function: verb of condition; Translation: shall have touched; Notes: A completed act triggering consequence.
  5. lectum — Lemma: lectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: bed; Notes: The contaminated resting place.
  6. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: of him; Notes: Refers to the man with the discharge.
  7. lavabit — Lemma: lavo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: he shall wash; Notes: Required ritual response.
  8. vestimenta — Lemma: vestimentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of lavabit; Translation: garments; Notes: Clothing exposed to impurity.
  9. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies vestimenta; Translation: his own; Notes: Reflexive possession.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Adds a further result.
  11. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: he himself; Notes: Emphasizes the person’s own state.
  12. lotus — Lemma: lavo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: having been washed; Notes: Ritual washing completed.
  13. aqua — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with water; Notes: Medium of purification.
  14. immundus — Lemma: immundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: unclean; Notes: Ritual status remains temporarily.
  15. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: shall be; Notes: Declares duration of condition.
  16. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: invariable; Function: limit; Translation: until; Notes: Sets the endpoint.
  17. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: temporal direction; Translation: to; Notes: Used with time expressions.
  18. vesperum — Lemma: vespera; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: evening; Notes: Standard limit of daily 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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