Leviticus 20:19

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 20:19 Turpitudinem materteræ, et amitæ tuæ non discooperies: qui hoc fecerit, ignominiam carnis suæ nudavit, portabunt ambo iniquitatem suam.

You shall not uncover the nakedness of your aunt, or of your father’s sister; whoever has done this, has uncovered the shame of his own flesh; both of them shall bear their iniquity.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Turpitudinem nakedness ACC.SG.F (3RD DECL)
2 materteræ of (the) aunt GEN.SG.F (1ST DECL)
3 et and CONJ
4 amitæ of (the) aunt GEN.SG.F (1ST DECL)
5 tuæ your GEN.SG.F (POSS)
6 non not ADV
7 discooperies you shall uncover 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
8 qui whoever NOM.SG.M (REL)
9 hoc this ACC.SG.N (DEM)
10 fecerit has done 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
11 ignominiam shame ACC.SG.F (1ST DECL)
12 carnis of flesh GEN.SG.F (3RD DECL)
13 suæ his own GEN.SG.F (POSS)
14 nudavit has uncovered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 portabunt they shall bear 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
16 ambo both NOM.PL.M (NUM)
17 iniquitatem iniquity ACC.SG.F (3RD DECL)
18 suam their ACC.SG.F (POSS)

Syntax

Prohibition Clause: Turpitudinem materteræ et amitæ tuæ non discooperies — second-person future indicative used as a legal prohibition.

Legal Relative Clause: qui hoc fecerit — perfect subjunctive defining the offender.

Declarative Guilt Statement: ignominiam carnis suæ nudavit — perfect indicative asserting the offense as fact.

Consequence Clause: portabunt ambo iniquitatem suam — future indicative stating the bearing of guilt by both parties.

Morphology

  1. Turpitudinem — Lemma: turpitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of discooperies; Translation: “nakedness”; Notes: Technical term for sexual shame.
  2. materteræ — Lemma: matertera; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of the maternal aunt”; Notes: Specifies forbidden kinship.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links parallel relations.
  4. amitæ — Lemma: amita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of the paternal aunt”; Notes: Complements materteræ.
  5. tuæ — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies amitæ; Translation: “your”; Notes: Direct address in the law.
  6. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the command.
  7. discooperies — Lemma: discooperio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: legal prohibition; Translation: “you shall uncover”; Notes: Future indicative used imperatively.
  8. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of the legal clause; Translation: “whoever”; Notes: Introduces offender category.
  9. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object of fecerit; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the prohibited act.
  10. fecerit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “has done”; Notes: Subjunctive used in legal definition.
  11. ignominiam — Lemma: ignominia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of nudavit; Translation: “shame”; Notes: Emphasizes disgrace.
  12. carnis — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of flesh”; Notes: Bodily kinship emphasized.
  13. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies carnis; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive guilt.
  14. nudavit — Lemma: nudo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: declarative guilt statement; Translation: “has uncovered”; Notes: Indicative asserts the offense.
  15. portabunt — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative; Function: consequence; Translation: “they shall bear”; Notes: Idiom for carrying guilt.
  16. ambo — Lemma: ambo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative masculine plural; Function: subject of portabunt; Translation: “both”; Notes: Shared responsibility.
  17. iniquitatem — Lemma: iniquitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “iniquity”; Notes: Moral guilt.
  18. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: modifies iniquitatem; Translation: “their”; Notes: Final emphasis on personal liability.

 

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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