Leviticus 21:16

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

16 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:

And the LORD spoke to Moyses, saying:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutusque and having spoken NOM.SG.M (PTCP.PERF.DEP)
2 est has been / is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M (2ND DECL)
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M (3RD DECL)
6 dicens saying NOM.SG.M (PTCP.PRES.ACT)

Syntax

Narrative Introduction: Locutusque est Dominus — perfect deponent periphrasis introducing divine speech, with enclitic -que linking to prior context.

Indirect Address: ad Moysen — prepositional phrase marking the recipient of speech.

Speech Framing: dicens — present participle introducing the content of the following divine utterance.

Morphology

  1. Locutusque — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: nominative masculine singular perfect deponent participle with enclitic -que; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “and having spoken”; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning; -que coordinates with the preceding narrative.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “has been / is”; Notes: Completes the perfect deponent periphrasis.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction/recipient; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces the addressee.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Recipient of divine speech.
  6. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative masculine singular present active participle; Function: speech-introducing participle; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Signals that direct speech follows.

 

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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