Leviticus 17:4

Posted on April 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 17:4 et non obtulerit ad ostium tabernaculi oblationem Domino, sanguinis reus erit: quasi si sanguinem fuderit, sic peribit de medio populi sui.

and if he has not offered the offering to the door of the tabernacle to the LORD, he shall be guilty of blood; as though he had shed blood, so he shall perish from the midst of his people.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 non not ADV
3 obtulerit has-offered 3SG.PERF.SUBJ.ACT
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 ostium door ACC.SG.N
6 tabernaculi of-the-tabernacle GEN.SG.N
7 oblationem offering ACC.SG.F
8 Domino LORD DAT.SG.M
9 sanguinis of-blood GEN.SG.M
10 reus guilty NOM.SG.M
11 erit shall-be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
12 quasi as-if ADV
13 si if CONJ
14 sanguinem blood ACC.SG.M
15 fuderit had-shed 3SG.PERF.SUBJ.ACT
16 sic thus ADV
17 peribit he-shall-perish 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
18 de from PREP+ABL
19 medio midst ABL.SG.N
20 populi of-the-people GEN.SG.M
21 sui his-own GEN.SG.M.PRON.POSS

Syntax

Negative Conditional Clause: et non obtulerit — failure to present the offering
Prepositional Goal: ad ostium tabernaculi — required cultic location
Dative of Recipient: Domino — the LORD as the one to whom the offering is due
Predicate Nominal: sanguinis reus erit — legal status of bloodguilt
Comparative Clause: quasi si sanguinem fuderit — equivalence to bloodshed
Main Result: sic peribit — prescribed consequence
Separation Phrase: de medio populi sui — removal from the community

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Links this condition to the prior statute.
  2. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Denies fulfillment of the required act.
  3. obtulerit — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: has offered; Notes: Subjunctive after si-like condition implied.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: direction toward; Translation: to; Notes: Specifies the required approach.
  5. ostium — Lemma: ostium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular, second declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: door; Notes: Entrance point of the sanctuary.
  6. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter singular, second declension; Function: genitive modifier; Translation: of the tabernacle; Notes: Specifies the sacred structure.
  7. oblationem — Lemma: oblatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: offering; Notes: The required sacrificial presentation.
  8. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative masculine singular, second declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: LORD; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  9. sanguinis — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular, third declension; Function: objective genitive; Translation: of blood; Notes: Specifies the offense category.
  10. reus — Lemma: reus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: guilty; Notes: Legal culpability.
  11. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: shall be; Notes: Declares the legal outcome.
  12. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: comparative marker; Translation: as if; Notes: Establishes equivalence.
  13. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: conditional marker; Translation: if; Notes: Introduces the hypothetical comparison.
  14. sanguinem — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: blood; Notes: Represents unlawful bloodshed.
  15. fuderit — Lemma: fundo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of hypothetical clause; Translation: had shed; Notes: Subjunctive in comparison.
  16. sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: result marker; Translation: so; Notes: Draws the conclusion.
  17. peribit — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future indicative active; Function: main predicate; Translation: he shall perish; Notes: Judicial removal.
  18. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: separation; Translation: from; Notes: Indicates exclusion.
  19. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular, second declension; Function: object of de; Translation: midst; Notes: The community center.
  20. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular, second declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the people; Notes: The covenant community.
  21. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies populi; Translation: his own; Notes: Reflexive possession.

 

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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