Leviticus 2:2

Posted on April 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 2:2 ac deferet ad filios Aaron sacerdotes: quorum unus tollet pugillum plenum similæ et olei, ac totum thus, et ponet memoriale super altare in odorem suavissimum Domino.

and he shall bring it to the sons of Aaron the priests, and one of them shall take a handful full of fine flour and oil, and all the frankincense, and he shall place the memorial upon the altar as a most sweet odor to the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ac and CONJ
2 deferet he shall bring VERB, 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 filios sons NOUN, ACC.PL.M, 2ND DECL
5 Aaron Aaron NOUN, ACC.SG.M, INDECL
6 sacerdotes priests NOUN, ACC.PL.M, 3RD DECL
7 quorum of whom PRON, GEN.PL.M, REL
8 unus one ADJ/PRON, NOM.SG.M, 1ST/2ND DECL
9 tollet he shall take VERB, 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 pugillum a handful NOUN, ACC.SG.M, 2ND DECL
11 plenum full ADJ, ACC.SG.M, POS
12 similæ of fine flour NOUN, GEN.SG.F, 1ST DECL
13 et and CONJ
14 olei of oil NOUN, GEN.SG.N, 2ND DECL
15 ac and CONJ
16 totum all ADJ, ACC.SG.N, POS
17 thus frankincense NOUN, ACC.SG.N, 3RD DECL
18 et and CONJ
19 ponet he shall place VERB, 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
20 memoriale memorial portion NOUN, ACC.SG.N, 3RD DECL
21 super upon PREP+ACC
22 altare altar NOUN, ACC.SG.N, 3RD DECL
23 in as PREP+ACC
24 odorem odor NOUN, ACC.SG.M, 3RD DECL
25 suavissimum most sweet ADJ, ACC.SG.M, SUPER
26 Domino to the LORD NOUN, DAT.SG.M, 2ND DECL

Syntax

Main Clause: ac deferet ad filios Aaron sacerdotes — “and he shall bring (it) to the sons of Aaron the priests,” with deferet as the main verb and the priestly group as the goal.
Relative Clause: quorum unus tollet… — specifies that one priest performs the action.
Object Phrase: pugillum plenum similæ et olei, ac totum thus — lists the elements taken: a full handful of flour and oil, and all the frankincense.
Second Main Clause: et ponet memoriale super altare — describes the act of placing the memorial portion on the altar.
Final Purpose / Result Construction: in odorem suavissimum Domino — expresses the resulting pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Morphology

  1. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects this regulation to the previous one; Translation: and; Notes: stylistic variant of et, often before consonants.
  2. deferet — Lemma: defero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he shall bring; Notes: denotes formal presentation of the offering.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks direction; Translation: to; Notes: indicates the officiating priests as recipients of the offering.
  4. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: sons; Notes: refers to Aaron’s priestly descendants.
  5. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: apposition to filios; Translation: Aaron; Notes: Hebrew name treated as indeclinable.
  6. sacerdotes — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: further apposition; Translation: priests; Notes: clarifies their priestly role.
  7. quorum — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: of whom; Notes: relates to the group of priests.
  8. unus — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of tollet; Translation: one; Notes: specifies the officiating priest.
  9. tollet — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: he shall take; Notes: technical action beginning the offering’s elevation.
  10. pugillum — Lemma: pugillus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of tollet; Translation: a handful; Notes: ritual measure taken with the fingers.
  11. plenum — Lemma: plenus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies pugillum; Translation: full; Notes: ensures the required quantity.
  12. similæ — Lemma: simila; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of content; Translation: of fine flour; Notes: denotes the grain material.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects genitives; Translation: and; Notes: joins the flour and oil as the contents of the handful.
  14. olei — Lemma: oleum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of content; Translation: of oil; Notes: complements the flour mixture.
  15. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links new object; Translation: and; Notes: marks transition to frankincense.
  16. totum — Lemma: totus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies thus; Translation: all; Notes: emphasizes that the entire amount is offered.
  17. thus — Lemma: thus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of tollet (understood); Translation: frankincense; Notes: aromatic element of the offering.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces next action; Translation: and; Notes: links taking with placing.
  19. ponet — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he shall place; Notes: describes ritual placement on altar.
  20. memoriale — Lemma: memoriale; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of ponet; Translation: memorial portion; Notes: refers to the part burnt as a remembrance before the LORD.
  21. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates location; Translation: upon; Notes: marks altar placement.
  22. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of super; Translation: altar; Notes: sacred locus of burning.
  23. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses resultant state; Translation: as; Notes: often used for purpose/result expressions.
  24. odorem — Lemma: odor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: odor; Notes: sacrificial aroma ascending to God.
  25. suavissimum — Lemma: suavis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine, superlative; Function: modifies odorem; Translation: most sweet; Notes: SUPER form expressing utmost acceptability.
  26. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH, recipient of the offering.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Leviticus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.