Leviticus 18:1

Posted on April 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 18:1 Locutus est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:

The LORD spoke to Moyses, saying:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutus having-spoken NOM.SG.M.PTCP.PERF.DEP
2 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
6 dicens saying NOM.SG.M.PTCP.PRES.ACT

Syntax

Main Predicate: Locutus est — periphrastic perfect with deponent participle
Subject: Dominus — YHWH as the speaker
Indirect Object: ad Moysen — recipient of the speech
Supplementary Participle: dicens — introduces the content that follows

Morphology

  1. Locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative masculine singular perfect deponent participle; Function: forms the verbal idea with est; Translation: having spoken; Notes: Deponent verb using active meaning with passive form.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative active; Function: auxiliary with perfect participle; Translation: is; Notes: Completes the perfect tense periphrasis.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular, second declension; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: direction toward; Translation: to; Notes: Marks the addressee of speech.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative masculine singular, third declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: Moses; Notes: Mediator of divine instruction.
  6. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative masculine singular present active participle; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: saying; Notes: Introduces direct speech content.

 

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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