Leviticus 16:16

Posted on April 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 16:16 et expiet Sanctuarium ab immunditiis filiorum Israel, et a prævaricationibus eorum, cunctisque peccatis. Iuxta hunc ritum faciet tabernaculo testimonii, quod fixum est inter eos in medio sordium habitationis eorum.

and he shall make atonement for the Sanctuary from the impurities of the sons of Israel, and from their transgressions, and from all their sins. According to this rite he shall do for the tent of testimony, which is fixed among them in the midst of the uncleanness of their dwelling.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 expiet he-shall-make-atonement 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 Sanctuarium sanctuary ACC.SG.N
4 ab from PREP+ABL
5 immunditiis impurities ABL.PL.F
6 filiorum sons GEN.PL.M
7 Israel Israel INDECL
8 et and CONJ
9 a from PREP+ABL
10 prævaricationibus transgressions ABL.PL.F
11 eorum their GEN.PL.M.PRON.POSS
12 cunctisque and-all ABL.PL.N+CONJ
13 peccatis sins ABL.PL.N
14 Iuxta according-to PREP+ACC
15 hunc this ACC.SG.M.DEM
16 ritum rite ACC.SG.M
17 faciet he-shall-do 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
18 tabernaculo tent DAT.SG.N
19 testimonii testimony GEN.SG.N
20 quod which NOM.SG.N.REL
21 fixum fixed NOM.SG.N
22 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
23 inter among PREP+ACC
24 eos them ACC.PL.M.PRON.PERS
25 in in PREP+ABL
26 medio midst ABL.SG.N
27 sordium uncleanness GEN.PL.F
28 habitationis dwelling GEN.SG.F
29 eorum their GEN.PL.M.PRON.POSS

Syntax

Main Clause: expiet Sanctuarium — future action of ritual atonement applied to the sacred space
Ablative of Separation: ab immunditiis … et a prævaricationibus … cunctisque peccatis — three coordinated sources of defilement removed
Regulative Phrase: Iuxta hunc ritum — standard governing the procedure
Main Clause (Continuation): faciet tabernaculo testimonii — dative of reference indicating the object of ritual action
Relative Clause: quod fixum est inter eos — descriptive clause locating the tent among the people
Locative Phrase: in medio sordium habitationis eorum — emphasizes the paradox of holiness dwelling amid impurity

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Continues the ritual sequence.
  2. expiet — Lemma: expio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: main predicate; Translation: he shall make atonement; Notes: Expresses ritual purification.
  3. Sanctuarium — Lemma: sanctuarium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular, second declension; Function: direct object; Translation: sanctuary; Notes: The holy space requiring cleansing.
  4. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: separation; Translation: from; Notes: Indicates removal of defilement.
  5. immunditiis — Lemma: immunditia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine plural, first declension; Function: object of ab; Translation: impurities; Notes: Ritual uncleanness.
  6. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine plural, second declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of sons; Notes: Identifies the people responsible.
  7. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: apposition; Translation: Israel; Notes: Covenant community.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Adds further causes of defilement.
  9. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: separation; Translation: from; Notes: Parallel to ab.
  10. prævaricationibus — Lemma: prævaricatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine plural, third declension; Function: object of a; Translation: transgressions; Notes: Willful violations.
  11. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive masculine plural; Function: modifies prævaricationibus; Translation: their; Notes: Refers to Israel.
  12. cunctisque — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective with enclitic; Form: ablative neuter plural + -que; Function: coordinates with previous ablatives; Translation: and all; Notes: Emphasizes totality.
  13. peccatis — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter plural, second declension; Function: object of implied ab; Translation: sins; Notes: Broad term covering all offenses.
  14. Iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: standard or conformity; Translation: according to; Notes: Establishes procedural norm.
  15. hunc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies ritum; Translation: this; Notes: Refers to the described rite.
  16. ritum — Lemma: ritus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular, fourth declension; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: rite; Notes: Prescribed ceremonial procedure.
  17. faciet — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: main predicate; Translation: he shall do; Notes: Applies the rite.
  18. tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative neuter singular, second declension; Function: dative of reference; Translation: to/for the tent; Notes: Sacred dwelling.
  19. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of testimony; Notes: Covenant designation.
  20. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: subject of est; Translation: which; Notes: Refers to the tent.
  21. fixum — Lemma: figo; Part of Speech: verb participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative neuter singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: fixed; Notes: Indicates permanent placement.
  22. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: States fact.
  23. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: position among; Translation: among; Notes: Communal placement.
  24. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: object of inter; Translation: them; Notes: The people of Israel.
  25. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: location; Translation: in; Notes: Static position.
  26. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: object of in; Translation: midst; Notes: Emphasizes centrality.
  27. sordium — Lemma: sordes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine plural; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: uncleanness; Notes: Moral and ritual impurity.
  28. habitationis — Lemma: habitatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies sordium; Translation: dwelling; Notes: Refers to communal life.
  29. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive masculine plural; Function: modifies habitationis; Translation: their; Notes: Belongs to the people.

 

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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