Leviticus 21:15

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

15 ne commisceat stirpem generis sui vulgo gentis suæ: quia ego Dominus qui sanctifico eum.

lest he mingle the stock of his lineage among the common people of his nation, because I am the LORD who sanctify him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ne lest CONJ
2 commisceat he mingle 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
3 stirpem stock / lineage ACC.SG.F (3RD DECL)
4 generis of lineage GEN.SG.N (3RD DECL)
5 sui his own GEN.SG.N (POSS)
6 vulgo commonly / among the multitude ADV
7 gentis of the nation GEN.SG.F (3RD DECL)
8 suæ his own GEN.SG.F (POSS)
9 quia because CONJ
10 ego I NOM.SG (PERS)
11 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M (2ND DECL)
12 qui who NOM.SG.M (REL)
13 sanctifico I sanctify 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 eum him ACC.SG.M (PERS)

Syntax

Purpose Clause: ne commisceat stirpem generis sui — ne with present subjunctive expressing prevention of an action affecting priestly lineage.

Manner/Context Modifier: vulgo gentis suæ — adverb vulgo with a dependent genitive specifying the common mass of the nation.

Causal Ground: quia ego Dominus qui sanctifico eum — causal clause with divine self-identification and a relative clause asserting ongoing sanctifying action.

Morphology

  1. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose; Translation: “lest”; Notes: Governs a subjunctive verb.
  2. commisceat — Lemma: commisceo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “he mingle”; Notes: Expresses a prevented mixing.
  3. stirpem — Lemma: stirps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “stock / lineage”; Notes: Refers to genealogical descent.
  4. generis — Lemma: genus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter singular; Function: genitive modifier; Translation: “of lineage”; Notes: Specifies the type of stirps.
  5. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive neuter singular; Function: modifies generis; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive possession.
  6. vulgo — Lemma: vulgo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: manner/context; Translation: “among the multitude”; Notes: Indicates common public mixing.
  7. gentis — Lemma: gens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: genitive of reference; Translation: “of the nation”; Notes: The wider people group.
  8. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies gentis; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive reference to the priest.
  9. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces cause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Grounds the prohibition.
  10. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Divine self-reference.
  11. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate title; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  12. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to Dominus.
  13. sanctifico — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: relative-clause verb; Translation: “I sanctify”; Notes: Ongoing divine action.
  14. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to the high priest.

 

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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