Leviticus 21:20

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 21:20 si gibbus, si lippus, si albuginem habens in oculo, si iugem scabiem, si impetiginem in corpore, vel herniosus.

if hunchbacked, if bleary-eyed, if having a white spot in the eye, if chronic scab, if a skin eruption on the body, or ruptured.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 si if CONJ
2 gibbus hunchbacked NOM.SG.M (ADJ)
3 si if CONJ
4 lippus bleary-eyed NOM.SG.M (ADJ)
5 si if CONJ
6 albuginem white spot ACC.SG.F (3RD DECL)
7 habens having NOM.SG.M (PTCP.PRES.ACT)
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 oculo eye ABL.SG.M (2ND DECL)
10 si if CONJ
11 iugem chronic ACC.SG.F (ADJ)
12 scabiem scab ACC.SG.F (5TH DECL)
13 si if CONJ
14 impetiginem skin eruption ACC.SG.F (3RD DECL)
15 in on PREP+ABL
16 corpore body ABL.SG.N (3RD DECL)
17 vel or CONJ
18 herniosus ruptured NOM.SG.M (ADJ)

Syntax

Conditional Enumeration: a coordinated series of si-clauses listing disqualifying physical conditions.

Participial Construction: albuginem habens in oculo — present participle modifying the implicit subject, with an accusative object and an ablative of location.

Adjectival-Nominal Pairs: iugem scabiem and impetiginem in corpore — accusative objects specifying chronic conditions, the latter with an ablative of location.

Morphology

  1. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Repeated to enumerate conditions.
  2. gibbus — Lemma: gibbus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “hunchbacked”; Notes: Describes a spinal deformity.
  3. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Continues the series.
  4. lippus — Lemma: lippus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “bleary-eyed”; Notes: Refers to chronic eye weakness.
  5. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Introduces a participial phrase.
  6. albuginem — Lemma: albugo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “white spot”; Notes: Medical term for an eye opacity.
  7. habens — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative masculine singular present active; Function: adjectival modifier; Translation: “having”; Notes: Describes possession of a condition.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates where the defect appears.
  9. oculo — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “eye”; Notes: Specifies the affected organ.
  10. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Continues enumeration.
  11. iugem — Lemma: iugis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: modifies scabiem; Translation: “chronic”; Notes: Emphasizes permanence.
  12. scabiem — Lemma: scabies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “scab”; Notes: Skin disease term.
  13. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Adds another case.
  14. impetiginem — Lemma: impetigo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “skin eruption”; Notes: Refers to a spreading skin condition.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location; Translation: “on”; Notes: Specifies bodily location.
  16. corpore — Lemma: corpus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “body”; Notes: General bodily reference.
  17. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: alternative; Translation: “or”; Notes: Introduces the final option.
  18. herniosus — Lemma: herniosus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “ruptured”; Notes: Refers to a hernia condition.

 

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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