Leviticus 21:10

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

10 Pontifex, id est, sacerdos maximus inter fratres suos, super cuius caput fusum est unctionis oleum, et cuius manus in sacerdotio consecratæ sunt, vestitusque est sanctis vestibus, caput suum non discooperiet, vestimenta non scindet:

The high priest, that is, the chief priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil has been poured and whose hands have been consecrated in the priesthood, and who is clothed with the holy garments, shall not uncover his head, nor shall he tear his garments;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Pontifex high priest NOM.SG.M (3RD DECL)
2 id that is NOM.SG.N (DEM)
3 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 sacerdos priest NOM.SG.M (3RD DECL)
5 maximus greatest NOM.SG.M (ADJ.SUPER)
6 inter among PREP+ACC
7 fratres brothers ACC.PL.M (3RD DECL)
8 suos his own ACC.PL.M (POSS)
9 super upon PREP+ACC
10 cuius whose GEN.SG.M/N (REL)
11 caput head ACC.SG.N (3RD DECL)
12 fusum poured NOM.SG.N (PTCP.PERF.PASS)
13 est has been 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 unctionis of anointing GEN.SG.F (3RD DECL)
15 oleum oil NOM.SG.N (2ND DECL)
16 et and CONJ
17 cuius whose GEN.SG.F (REL)
18 manus hands NOM.PL.F (4TH DECL)
19 in in PREP+ABL
20 sacerdotio priesthood ABL.SG.N (2ND DECL)
21 consecratæ consecrated NOM.PL.F (PTCP.PERF.PASS)
22 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
23 vestitusque and clothed NOM.SG.M (PTCP.PERF.PASS)
24 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
25 sanctis holy ABL.PL.F (ADJ)
26 vestibus garments ABL.PL.F (3RD DECL)
27 caput head ACC.SG.N (3RD DECL)
28 suum his own ACC.SG.N (POSS)
29 non not ADV
30 discooperiet he shall uncover 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
31 vestimenta garments ACC.PL.N (2ND DECL)
32 non not ADV
33 scindet he shall tear 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Appositional Identification: Pontifex id est sacerdos maximus — nominative apposition defining the office with a superlative of rank.

Relative Descriptions: super cuius caput fusum est unctionis oleum and cuius manus in sacerdotio consecratæ sunt — two relative clauses specifying consecration by anointing and ordination.

Participial State: vestitusque est sanctis vestibus — perfect passive participle with copula expressing permanent invested status.

Prohibitive Futures: caput suum non discooperiet and vestimenta non scindet — future indicatives with negation stating enduring legal prohibitions.

Morphology

  1. Pontifex — Lemma: pontifex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject; Translation: “high priest”; Notes: Supreme priestly office.
  2. id — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: appositional identifier; Translation: “that”; Notes: Used with est to define.
  3. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links title and explanation.
  4. sacerdos — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate noun; Translation: “priest”; Notes: Generic priestly designation.
  5. maximus — Lemma: magnus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular superlative; Function: modifier; Translation: “greatest”; Notes: Indicates supreme rank.
  6. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: relation; Translation: “among”; Notes: Expresses inclusion within a group.
  7. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: object of inter; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Fellow priests.
  8. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive possession.
  9. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: location; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Spatial relation.
  10. cuius — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive relative; Translation: “whose”; Notes: Refers to the pontiff.
  11. caput — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: object of super; Translation: “head”; Notes: Site of anointing.
  12. fusum — Lemma: fundo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative neuter singular perfect passive; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “poured”; Notes: Describes completed anointing.
  13. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “has been”; Notes: Forms passive periphrasis.
  14. unctionis — Lemma: unctio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: genitive modifier; Translation: “of anointing”; Notes: Ritual consecration.
  15. oleum — Lemma: oleum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: subject; Translation: “oil”; Notes: Sacred anointing substance.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins relative clauses.
  17. cuius — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive relative; Translation: “whose”; Notes: Refers to the same subject.
  18. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine plural; Function: subject; Translation: “hands”; Notes: Symbol of ordination.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: sphere; Translation: “in”; Notes: Context of consecration.
  20. sacerdotio — Lemma: sacerdotium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “priesthood”; Notes: Office and function.
  21. consecratæ — Lemma: consecro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative feminine plural perfect passive; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “consecrated”; Notes: Indicates completed dedication.
  22. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “are”; Notes: Completes periphrasis.
  23. vestitusque — Lemma: vestio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative masculine singular perfect passive; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “and clothed”; Notes: Enclitic -que coordinates this state.
  24. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: States ongoing condition.
  25. sanctis — Lemma: sanctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative feminine plural; Function: modifies vestibus; Translation: “holy”; Notes: Sacred designation.
  26. vestibus — Lemma: vestis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine plural; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “garments”; Notes: Priestly attire.
  27. caput — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “head”; Notes: Object of prohibition.
  28. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: modifies caput; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive reference.
  29. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Governs the future verb.
  30. discooperiet — Lemma: discooperio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “he shall uncover”; Notes: Legal future prohibition.
  31. vestimenta — Lemma: vestimentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: direct object; Translation: “garments”; Notes: Parallel object.
  32. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis.
  33. scindet — Lemma: scindo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “he shall tear”; Notes: Prohibited mourning gesture.

 

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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