Leviticus 21:14

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

14 Viduam autem et repudiatam, et sordidam, atque meretricem non accipiet, sed puellam de populo suo:

But a widow, or one who has been repudiated, or defiled, or a prostitute he shall not take; rather, a maiden from his own people;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Viduam widow ACC.SG.F (1ST DECL)
2 autem but CONJ
3 et and CONJ
4 repudiatam repudiated ACC.SG.F (PTCP.PERF.PASS)
5 et and CONJ
6 sordidam defiled ACC.SG.F (ADJ)
7 atque and also CONJ
8 meretricem prostitute ACC.SG.F (3RD DECL)
9 non not ADV
10 accipiet he shall take 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
11 sed but rather CONJ
12 puellam maiden ACC.SG.F (1ST DECL)
13 de from PREP+ABL
14 populo people ABL.SG.M (2ND DECL)
15 suo his own ABL.SG.M (POSS)

Syntax

Negative Prescription: Viduam autem … meretricem non accipiet — future indicative with negation listing excluded categories via coordinated accusatives.

Adversative Correction: sed puellam de populo suo — adversative sed introduces the permitted and required alternative, with a partitive/source phrase defining communal origin.

Morphology

  1. Viduam — Lemma: vidua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object (excluded category); Translation: “widow”; Notes: Listed among prohibited marital statuses.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adversative transition; Translation: “but”; Notes: Marks contrast with the prior prescription.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins excluded categories.
  4. repudiatam — Lemma: repudio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative feminine singular perfect passive; Function: appositive descriptor; Translation: “repudiated”; Notes: Legal divorce status.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the list.
  6. sordidam — Lemma: sordidus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: modifier; Translation: “defiled”; Notes: Indicates moral/ritual impurity.
  7. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: emphatic coordination; Translation: “and also”; Notes: Adds emphasis to the final category.
  8. meretricem — Lemma: meretrix; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object (excluded category); Translation: “prostitute”; Notes: Explicitly prohibited marital partner.
  9. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Governs the future verb.
  10. accipiet — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “he shall take”; Notes: Legal future expressing prohibition.
  11. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adversative; Translation: “but rather”; Notes: Introduces the permitted alternative.
  12. puellam — Lemma: puella; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object (required category); Translation: “maiden”; Notes: Specifies eligibility.
  13. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: source/origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates communal origin.
  14. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: object of de; Translation: “people”; Notes: The covenant community.
  15. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: modifies populo; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive possession.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Leviticus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.