Leviticus 16:8

Posted on April 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 16:8 mittensque super utrumque sortem, unam Domino, alteram capro emissario:

and casting upon both a lot, one for the LORD, the other for the scapegoat;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 mittensque casting-and PTCP.NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT+CONJ
2 super upon PREP+ACC
3 utrumque both ACC.SG.N
4 sortem lot ACC.SG.F
5 unam one ACC.SG.F
6 Domino LORD DAT.SG.M
7 alteram the-other ACC.SG.F
8 capro goat DAT.SG.M
9 emissario scapegoat DAT.SG.M

Syntax

Participial Clause: mittensque — attendant circumstance linked to the preceding ritual actions
Prepositional Phrase: super utrumque — direction of the action “upon both”
Direct Object: sortem — the lot being cast
Appositional Distribution: unam Domino, alteram capro emissario — paired accusatives specifying assignment, with datives indicating recipients

Morphology

  1. mittensque — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb (participle) with enclitic conjunction; Form: present participle nominative masculine singular active + enclitic -que; Function: expresses an accompanying action; Translation: and casting; Notes: The participle advances the ritual sequence without a new finite verb.
  2. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: indicates motion or placement upon; Translation: upon; Notes: Used here with an accusative to mark direction.
  3. utrumque — Lemma: uterque; Part of Speech: distributive pronoun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: object of super; Translation: both; Notes: Neuter singular used collectively for the pair.
  4. sortem — Lemma: sors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: lot; Notes: Refers to the casting of lots to determine divine assignment.
  5. unam — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: modifies sortem elliptically; Translation: one; Notes: The noun sortem is understood by ellipsis.
  6. Domino — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative masculine singular; Function: dative of recipient; Translation: LORD; Notes: Rendered “LORD” because it refers to YHWH.
  7. alteram — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: contrasts with unam, modifying the implied sortem; Translation: the other; Notes: Completes the paired distribution.
  8. capro — Lemma: caper; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative masculine singular, third declension; Function: dative of recipient; Translation: goat; Notes: Identifies the recipient animal of the lot.
  9. emissario — Lemma: emissarius; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: dative masculine singular; Function: modifies capro; Translation: scapegoat; Notes: Denotes the goat designated to be sent away.

 

 

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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