Leviticus 20:20

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

20 Qui coierit cum uxore patrui, vel avunculi sui, et revelaverit ignominiam cognationis suæ, portabunt ambo peccatum suum: absque liberis morientur.

Whoever has had intercourse with the wife of his uncle, or of his maternal uncle, and has uncovered the shame of his kinship, both of them shall bear their sin; they shall die without children.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui whoever NOM.SG.M (REL)
2 coierit has had intercourse 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
3 cum with PREP+ABL
4 uxore wife ABL.SG.F (3RD DECL)
5 patrui of the paternal uncle GEN.SG.M (2ND DECL)
6 vel or CONJ
7 avunculi of the maternal uncle GEN.SG.M (2ND DECL)
8 sui his GEN.SG.M (POSS)
9 et and CONJ
10 revelaverit has uncovered 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
11 ignominiam shame ACC.SG.F (1ST DECL)
12 cognationis of kinship GEN.SG.F (3RD DECL)
13 suæ his own GEN.SG.F (POSS)
14 portabunt they shall bear 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
15 ambo both NOM.PL.M (NUM)
16 peccatum sin ACC.SG.N (2ND DECL)
17 suum their own ACC.SG.N (POSS)
18 absque without PREP+ABL
19 liberis children ABL.PL.M/F (3RD DECL)
20 morientur they shall die 3PL.FUT.DEP.IND

Syntax

Legal Relative Clause: Qui coierit cum uxore patrui vel avunculi sui — perfect subjunctive defining the incestuous act, with a coordinated genitive specifying degrees of kinship.

Exposure Clause: et revelaverit ignominiam cognationis suæ — coordinated perfect subjunctive expressing the violation of familial honor.

Guilt Consequence Clause: portabunt ambo peccatum suum — future indicative assigning shared moral liability.

Judgment Result Clause: absque liberis morientur — future deponent indicative stating the enduring consequence of the offense.

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. coierit — Lemma: coeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: defines illicit intercourse; Translation: “has had intercourse”; Notes: Euphemistic legal verb.
  3. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces partner; Translation: “with”; Notes: Marks prohibited union.
  4. uxore — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: object of cum; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Identifies the forbidden spouse.
  5. patrui — Lemma: patruus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies uxore; Translation: “of the paternal uncle”; Notes: Specifies paternal kinship.
  6. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: alternative coordination; Translation: “or”; Notes: Presents an alternative kinship.
  7. avunculi — Lemma: avunculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies uxore; Translation: “of the maternal uncle”; Notes: Complements patrui.
  8. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies avunculi; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive possession.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins offense clauses.
  10. revelaverit — Lemma: revelo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: defines exposure; Translation: “has uncovered”; Notes: Legal euphemism for sexual violation.
  11. ignominiam — Lemma: ignominia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “shame”; Notes: Refers to familial dishonor.
  12. cognationis — Lemma: cognatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies ignominiam; Translation: “of kinship”; Notes: Emphasizes blood relation.
  13. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies cognationis; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive moral responsibility.
  14. portabunt — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative; Function: consequence clause; Translation: “they shall bear”; Notes: Idiom for carrying guilt.
  15. ambo — Lemma: ambo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative masculine plural; Function: subject of portabunt; Translation: “both”; Notes: Shared culpability.
  16. peccatum — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “sin”; Notes: Moral offense before divine law.
  17. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: modifies peccatum; Translation: “their own”; Notes: Individual responsibility.
  18. absque — Lemma: absque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses deprivation; Translation: “without”; Notes: Emphasizes loss of posterity.
  19. liberis — Lemma: liberi; Part of Speech: noun (plural only); Form: ablative plural; Function: object of absque; Translation: “children”; Notes: Denotes offspring.
  20. morientur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person plural future indicative; Function: final judgment verb; Translation: “they shall die”; Notes: Deponent with active sense.

 

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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