Leviticus 20:15

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 20:15 Qui cum iumento et pecore coierit, morte moriatur: pecus quoque occidite.

Whoever has had intercourse with a beast or an animal, shall surely die; the animal also you shall kill.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui whoever NOM.SG.M (REL)
2 cum with PREP+ABL
3 iumento beast ABL.SG.N (2ND DECL)
4 et and CONJ
5 pecore animal ABL.SG.N (3RD DECL)
6 coierit has had intercourse 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
7 morte by death ABL.SG.F (3RD DECL)
8 moriatur let him die 3SG.PRES.DEP.SUBJ
9 pecus the animal ACC.SG.N (3RD DECL)
10 quoque also ADV
11 occidite kill 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD

Syntax

Legal Relative Clause: Qui cum iumento et pecore coierit — perfect subjunctive defining the prohibited act, with two coordinated ablative objects governed by cum.

Penalty Formula: morte moriatur — fixed juridical idiom mandating death for the offender.

Additional Command: pecus quoque occidite — independent imperative clause directing the community to execute the animal as well.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of the legal clause; Translation: “whoever”; Notes: Introduces a general juridical case.
  2. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks association; Translation: “with”; Notes: Indicates illicit union.
  3. iumento — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: object of cum; Translation: “beast”; Notes: Refers to a domesticated animal.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins parallel terms.
  5. pecore — Lemma: pecus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: object of cum; Translation: “animal”; Notes: Broad term for livestock.
  6. coierit — Lemma: coeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the legal clause; Translation: “has had intercourse”; Notes: Euphemistic legal verb for sexual union.
  7. 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.
  8. moriatur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive; Function: jussive penalty verb; Translation: “let him die”; Notes: Expresses mandated execution.
  9. pecus — Lemma: pecus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object of occidite; Translation: “the animal”; Notes: Refers back to the beast involved.
  10. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifier; Translation: “also”; Notes: Adds the animal to the scope of judgment.
  11. occidite — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present active imperative; Function: direct command to the community; Translation: “kill”; Notes: Imperative assigning communal responsibility.

 

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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