Leviticus 18:16

Posted on April 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 18:16 Turpitudinem uxoris fratris tui non revelabis: quia turpitudo fratris tui est.

The nakedness of your brother’s wife you shall not uncover; for it is the nakedness of your brother.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Turpitudinem nakedness ACC.SG.F
2 uxoris of-wife GEN.SG.F
3 fratris of-brother GEN.SG.M
4 tui your GEN.SG.M.PRON.POSS
5 non not ADV
6 revelabis you-shall-uncover 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 quia for CONJ
8 turpitudo nakedness NOM.SG.F
9 fratris of-brother GEN.SG.M
10 tui your GEN.SG.M.PRON.POSS
11 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Primary Prohibition: non revelabis — legal future expressing absolute prohibition
Direct Object: turpitudinem uxoris fratris tui — forbidden sexual exposure defined by fraternal marriage
Causal Clause: quia turpitudo fratris tui est — grounds the prohibition in the brother’s own honor and identity

Morphology

  1. Turpitudinem — Lemma: turpitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: nakedness; Notes: Legal euphemism for prohibited sexual exposure.
  2. uxoris — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular, third declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of wife; Notes: Specifies the marital relation.
  3. fratris — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular, third declension; Function: genitive of relation; Translation: of brother; Notes: Identifies fraternal kinship.
  4. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies fratris; Translation: your; Notes: Direct address to the hearer.
  5. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Marks absolute legal prohibition.
  6. revelabis — Lemma: revelo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: main predicate; Translation: you shall uncover; Notes: Legal future with imperative force.
  7. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: causal connector; Translation: for; Notes: Introduces the legal rationale.
  8. turpitudo — Lemma: turpitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular, third declension; Function: subject; Translation: nakedness; Notes: Reiterates the core legal concept.
  9. fratris — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular, third declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of brother; Notes: Grounds the offense in fraternal identity.
  10. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies fratris; Translation: your; Notes: Reiterates personal relation.
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: States the rationale as a factual identity.

 

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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