Leviticus 16:21

Posted on April 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 16:21 et posita utraque manu super caput eius, confiteatur omnes iniquitates filiorum Israel, et universa delicta atque peccata eorum: quæ imprecans capiti eius, emittet illum per hominem paratum, in desertum.

and having placed both hands upon its head, he shall confess all the iniquities of the sons of Israel, and all their offenses and sins; which invoking upon its head, he shall send it away by a prepared man, into the wilderness.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 posita having-placed PTCP.PERF.PASS.ABL.SG.F
3 utraque both ABL.SG.F
4 manu hand ABL.SG.F
5 super upon PREP+ACC
6 caput head ACC.SG.N
7 eius of-it GEN.SG.N.PRON.POSS
8 confiteatur he-may-confess 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
9 omnes all ACC.PL.F
10 iniquitates iniquities ACC.PL.F
11 filiorum sons GEN.PL.M
12 Israel Israel INDECL
13 et and CONJ
14 universa all ACC.PL.N
15 delicta offenses ACC.PL.N
16 atque and CONJ
17 peccata sins ACC.PL.N
18 eorum their GEN.PL.M.PRON.POSS
19 quæ which ACC.PL.N.REL
20 imprecans invoking PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
21 capiti upon-the-head DAT.SG.N
22 eius of-it GEN.SG.N.PRON.POSS
23 emittet he-shall-send-away 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
24 illum him ACC.SG.M.DEM
25 per by PREP+ACC
26 hominem man ACC.SG.M
27 paratum prepared ACC.SG.M.PTCP.PERF.PASS
28 in into PREP+ACC
29 desertum wilderness ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Ablative Absolute: posita utraque manu — preparatory action preceding confession
Prepositional Phrase: super caput eius — physical locus of the rite
Main Jussive: confiteatur — mandated confession
Objects of Confession: omnes iniquitates, universa delicta atque peccata — comprehensive enumeration
Relative + Participial Construction: quæ imprecans capiti eius — transferring guilt by invocation
Main Action: emittet illum — decisive removal
Agency & Destination: per hominem paratum + in desertum — means and endpoint

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Continues the ritual sequence.
  2. posita — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle ablative feminine singular; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: having been placed; Notes: Sets the physical preparation.
  3. utraque — Lemma: uterque; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: modifies manu; Translation: both; Notes: Emphasizes completeness.
  4. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular, fourth declension; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: hand; Notes: Instrumental posture.
  5. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: position upon; Translation: upon; Notes: Indicates contact.
  6. caput — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular, third declension; Function: object of super; Translation: head; Notes: Focus of imposition.
  7. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive neuter singular; Function: modifies caput; Translation: of it; Notes: Refers to the goat.
  8. confiteatur — Lemma: confiteor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive deponent; Function: jussive predicate; Translation: he shall confess; Notes: Formal verbal acknowledgment.
  9. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: modifies iniquitates; Translation: all; Notes: Total scope.
  10. iniquitates — Lemma: iniquitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine plural, third declension; Function: object of confiteatur; Translation: iniquities; Notes: Moral wrongs.
  11. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine plural; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the sons; Notes: Identifies the people.
  12. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: apposition; Translation: Israel; Notes: Covenant community.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Continues enumeration.
  14. universa — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: modifies delicta; Translation: all; Notes: Emphasizes entirety.
  15. delicta — Lemma: delictum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural, second declension; Function: object of confiteatur; Translation: offenses; Notes: Legal breaches.
  16. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Strong connective.
  17. peccata — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: object of confiteatur; Translation: sins; Notes: Broad category of wrongdoing.
  18. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive masculine plural; Function: modifies peccata; Translation: their; Notes: Belongs to Israel.
  19. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: object of implied action; Translation: which; Notes: Refers to the confessed sins.
  20. imprecans — Lemma: imprecor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative masculine singular; Function: attendant circumstance; Translation: invoking; Notes: Ritual imposition by speech.
  21. capiti — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative neuter singular; Function: dative of direction; Translation: upon the head; Notes: Target of invocation.
  22. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive neuter singular; Function: modifies capiti; Translation: of it; Notes: The goat.
  23. emittet — Lemma: emitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: main predicate; Translation: he shall send away; Notes: Concludes the rite.
  24. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: him; Notes: The scapegoat.
  25. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: agency; Translation: by; Notes: Means of conveyance.
  26. hominem — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular, third declension; Function: object of per; Translation: man; Notes: Human agent.
  27. paratum — Lemma: paro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies hominem; Translation: prepared; Notes: Designated for the task.
  28. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: motion into; Translation: into; Notes: Directional movement.
  29. desertum — Lemma: desertum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: object of in; Translation: wilderness; Notes: Place of removal.

 

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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