Leviticus 20:21

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

21 Qui duxerit uxorem fratris sui, rem facit illicitam, turpitudinem fratris sui revelavit: absque liberis erunt.

Whoever has taken the wife of his brother, commits an unlawful act; he has uncovered the nakedness of his brother; they shall be without children.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui whoever NOM.SG.M (REL)
2 duxerit has taken (as wife) 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
3 uxorem wife ACC.SG.F (3RD DECL)
4 fratris of (his) brother GEN.SG.M (3RD DECL)
5 sui his own GEN.SG.M (POSS)
6 rem a thing ACC.SG.F (5TH DECL)
7 facit does / commits 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 illicitam unlawful ACC.SG.F (ADJ)
9 turpitudinem nakedness ACC.SG.F (3RD DECL)
10 fratris of (his) brother GEN.SG.M (3RD DECL)
11 sui his own GEN.SG.M (POSS)
12 revelavit has uncovered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 absque without PREP+ABL
14 liberis children ABL.PL.M/F (3RD DECL)
15 erunt they shall be 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Legal Relative Clause: Qui duxerit uxorem fratris sui — perfect subjunctive defining the prohibited marital action within kinship law.

Judicial Assessment Clause: rem facit illicitam — present indicative declaring the act inherently unlawful.

Exposure Clause: turpitudinem fratris sui revelavit — perfect indicative stating the violation as an accomplished fact.

Penalty Result Clause: absque liberis erunt — future indicative expressing the lasting consequence of childlessness.

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. duxerit — Lemma: duco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: defines the forbidden marital action; Translation: “has taken”; Notes: Legal euphemism for taking a wife.
  3. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of duxerit; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Indicates a lawful spouse in another bond.
  4. fratris — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies uxorem; Translation: “of the brother”; Notes: Establishes prohibited degree of kinship.
  5. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies fratris; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive reference to the offender.
  6. rem — Lemma: res; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: object complement of facit; Translation: “a thing”; Notes: Abstract legal designation of the act.
  7. facit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: judicial declaration; Translation: “does / commits”; Notes: States inherent unlawfulness.
  8. illicitam — Lemma: illicitus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: predicate adjective modifying rem; Translation: “unlawful”; Notes: Contrary to divine and communal law.
  9. turpitudinem — Lemma: turpitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of revelavit; Translation: “nakedness”; Notes: Technical term for sexual shame.
  10. fratris — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies turpitudinem; Translation: “of the brother”; Notes: Emphasizes violation of brotherly bond.
  11. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies fratris; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reinforces personal culpability.
  12. revelavit — Lemma: revelo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: declarative statement of guilt; Translation: “has uncovered”; Notes: Indicative asserts the offense as accomplished.
  13. absque — Lemma: absque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses deprivation; Translation: “without”; Notes: Introduces the penalty condition.
  14. liberis — Lemma: liberi; Part of Speech: noun (plural only); Form: ablative plural; Function: object of absque; Translation: “children”; Notes: Denotes offspring and lineage.
  15. erunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative; Function: final penalty statement; Translation: “they shall be”; Notes: Establishes enduring consequence.

 

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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