Leviticus 20:16

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 20:16 Mulier, quæ succubuerit cuilibet iumento, simul interficietur cum eo: sanguis eorum sit super eos.

A woman, who has lain with any beast, shall be put to death together with it; their blood shall be upon them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Mulier woman NOM.SG.F (3RD DECL)
2 quæ who NOM.SG.F (REL)
3 succubuerit has lain with 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
4 cuilibet to any DAT.SG.N (INDEF)
5 iumento beast DAT.SG.N (2ND DECL)
6 simul together ADV
7 interficietur will be put to death 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
8 cum with PREP+ABL
9 eo it ABL.SG.N (PERS)
10 sanguis blood NOM.SG.M (3RD DECL)
11 eorum their GEN.PL (POSS)
12 sit may be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
13 super upon PREP+ACC
14 eos them ACC.PL.M (PERS)

Syntax

Legal Relative Clause: Mulier quæ succubuerit cuilibet iumento — perfect subjunctive defining the prohibited act, with an indefinite dative object specifying any beast whatsoever.

Penalty Clause: simul interficietur cum eo — future passive indicative stating execution of the woman together with the animal.

Blood-Guilt Clause: sanguis eorum sit super eos — jussive subjunctive assigning full responsibility to both parties.

Morphology

  1. Mulier — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: subject of the legal case; Translation: “woman”; Notes: Specifies the female offender.
  2. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: introduces the defining clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Links the subject to the offense.
  3. succubuerit — Lemma: succumbo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the legal condition; Translation: “has lain with”; Notes: Euphemistic legal term for sexual submission.
  4. cuilibet — Lemma: quilibet; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: dative neuter singular; Function: modifies iumento; Translation: “to any”; Notes: Emphasizes lack of exception.
  5. iumento — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative neuter singular; Function: object of succubuerit; Translation: “beast”; Notes: Refers to a domesticated animal.
  6. simul — Lemma: simul; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies interficietur; Translation: “together”; Notes: Indicates joint execution.
  7. interficietur — Lemma: interficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future passive indicative; Function: main penalty verb; Translation: “will be put to death”; Notes: Passive form highlights imposed judgment.
  8. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Links the fate of woman and animal.
  9. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: object of cum; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers back to the animal.
  10. sanguis — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of sit; Translation: “blood”; Notes: Symbol of blood-guilt.
  11. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: modifies sanguis; Translation: “their”; Notes: Responsibility shared by both offenders.
  12. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive; Function: jussive assignment; Translation: “may be”; Notes: Formal judicial pronouncement.
  13. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates liability; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Idiom of moral responsibility.
  14. 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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