Leviticus 20:11

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

11 Qui dormierit cum noverca sua, et revelaverit ignominiam patris sui, morte moriantur ambo: sanguis eorum sit super eos.

Whoever has lain with his stepmother and has uncovered the shame of his father, both of them shall surely die; their blood shall be upon them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who NOM.SG.M (REL)
2 dormierit has lain 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
3 cum with PREP+ABL
4 noverca stepmother ABL.SG.F (1ST DECL)
5 sua his own ABL.SG.F (POSS)
6 et and CONJ
7 revelaverit has uncovered 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
8 ignominiam shame ACC.SG.F (1ST DECL)
9 patris of father GEN.SG.M (3RD DECL)
10 sui his own GEN.SG.M (POSS)
11 morte by death ABL.SG.F (3RD DECL)
12 moriantur let them die 3PL.PRES.DEP.SUBJ
13 ambo both NOM.PL.M
14 sanguis blood NOM.SG.M (3RD DECL)
15 eorum their GEN.PL (POSS)
16 sit may be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
17 super upon PREP+ACC
18 eos them ACC.PL.M (PERS)

Syntax

Legal Relative Clause: Qui dormierit cum noverca sua — perfect subjunctive defining the offender and the illicit act.

Coordinated Offense: et revelaverit ignominiam patris sui — parallel perfect subjunctive specifying the violation of paternal honor.

Penalty Formula: morte moriantur ambo — fixed juridical idiom mandating death for both parties.

Blood-Guilt Clause: sanguis eorum sit super eos — jussive assignment of responsibility to the offenders themselves.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of the legal clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces a general legal case.
  2. dormierit — Lemma: dormio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “has lain”; Notes: Euphemistic legal term for sexual intercourse.
  3. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates association; Translation: “with”; Notes: Marks illicit union.
  4. noverca — Lemma: noverca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: object of cum; Translation: “stepmother”; Notes: Woman married to one’s father.
  5. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: modifies noverca; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive reference to the offender.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins parallel offenses.
  7. revelaverit — Lemma: revelo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “has uncovered”; Notes: Legal metaphor for exposing sexual shame.
  8. ignominiam — Lemma: ignominia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of revelaverit; Translation: “shame”; Notes: Refers to dishonor brought upon the family.
  9. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of father”; Notes: Specifies whose honor is violated.
  10. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies patris; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive back to the offender.
  11. morte — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: ablative of manner; Translation: “by death”; Notes: Part of a fixed judicial formula.
  12. moriantur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person plural present subjunctive; Function: jussive penalty verb; Translation: “let them die”; Notes: Expresses mandated execution.
  13. ambo — Lemma: ambo; Part of Speech: numeral/adjective; Form: nominative masculine plural; Function: subject of moriantur; Translation: “both”; Notes: Indicates joint culpability.
  14. sanguis — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of sit; Translation: “blood”; Notes: Symbol of blood-guilt.
  15. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: modifies sanguis; Translation: “their”; Notes: Responsibility shared by both offenders.
  16. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive; Function: jussive assignment; Translation: “may be”; Notes: Judicial pronouncement.
  17. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates liability; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Idiom of responsibility.
  18. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: object of super; Translation: “them”; Notes: Concludes the legal verdict.

 

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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