Leviticus 21:23

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 21:23 ita dumtaxat, ut intra velum non ingrediatur, nec accedat ad altare, quia maculam habet, et contaminare non debet Sanctuarium meum. Ego Dominus qui sanctifico eos.

only thus, that he must not enter within the veil, nor approach the altar, because he has a blemish and must not defile my Sanctuary. I am the LORD who sanctify them.’”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ita thus ADV
2 duntaxat only ADV
3 ut that CONJ
4 intra within PREP+ACC
5 velum veil ACC.SG.N (2ND DECL)
6 non not ADV
7 ingrediatur he enter 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
8 nec nor CONJ
9 accedat he approach 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
10 ad to PREP+ACC
11 altare altar ACC.SG.N (3RD DECL)
12 quia because CONJ
13 maculam blemish ACC.SG.F (1ST DECL)
14 habet he has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
15 et and CONJ
16 contaminare to defile INF.PRES.ACT
17 non not ADV
18 debet he must 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
19 Sanctuarium Sanctuary ACC.SG.N (2ND DECL)
20 meum my ACC.SG.N (POSS)
21 Ego I NOM.SG (PERS)
22 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M (2ND DECL)
23 qui who NOM.PL.M (REL)
24 sanctifico I sanctify 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
25 eos them ACC.PL.M (PERS)

Syntax

Restrictive Framework: ita duntaxat — adverbial limitation narrowing the permitted action.

Negative Purpose Clause: ut intra velum non ingrediatur, nec accedat ad altare — ut with present subjunctives expressing prohibition from sacred zones.

Causal Explanation: quia maculam habet — causal clause justifying restriction.

Obligation Clause: et contaminare non debet Sanctuarium meum — modal verb stating moral-ritual obligation.

Divine Seal: Ego Dominus qui sanctifico eos — emphatic divine self-identification with a relative clause grounding holiness.

Morphology

  1. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: manner/degree; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Introduces a limiting condition.
  2. duntaxat — Lemma: duntaxat; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: restriction; Translation: “only”; Notes: Strongly limits the allowance.
  3. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose/content; Translation: “that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive verbs.
  4. intra — Lemma: intra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial boundary; Translation: “within”; Notes: Marks restricted sacred space.
  5. velum — Lemma: velum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: object of intra; Translation: “veil”; Notes: Curtain of the sanctuary.
  6. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the subjunctive verb.
  7. ingrediatur — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive; Function: verb of prohibition; Translation: “he enter”; Notes: Deponent with active meaning.
  8. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: negative coordination; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Extends the prohibition.
  9. accedat — Lemma: accedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive active; Function: coordinated verb; Translation: “he approach”; Notes: Parallel to ingrediatur.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks goal of movement.
  11. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “altar”; Notes: Central cultic structure.
  12. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces cause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Grounds the restriction.
  13. maculam — Lemma: macula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “blemish”; Notes: Physical defect.
  14. habet — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: “he has”; Notes: States an existing condition.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links obligations.
  16. contaminare — Lemma: contamino; Part of Speech: infinitive verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to defile”; Notes: Action explicitly forbidden.
  17. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the modal verb.
  18. debet — Lemma: debeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: modal verb; Translation: “he must”; Notes: Expresses obligation.
  19. Sanctuarium — Lemma: sanctuarium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “Sanctuary”; Notes: Sacred dwelling place.
  20. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: modifies Sanctuarium; Translation: “my”; Notes: Divine ownership.
  21. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Stresses divine speaker.
  22. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate title; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  23. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine plural; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to the priestly group.
  24. 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.
  25. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: direct object; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the priests.

 

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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