Leviticus 21:9

Posted on April 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 21:9 Sacerdotis filia si deprehensa fuerit in stupro, et violaverit nomen patris sui, flammis exuretur.

If the daughter of a priest is found in sexual immorality, and has profaned the name of her father, she shall be burned with fire.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sacerdotis of a priest GEN.SG.M (3RD DECL)
2 filia daughter NOM.SG.F (1ST DECL)
3 si if CONJ
4 deprehensa caught / found NOM.SG.F (PTCP.PERF.PASS)
5 fuerit has been 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 stupro sexual immorality ABL.SG.N (2ND DECL)
8 et and CONJ
9 violaverit has violated 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
10 nomen name ACC.SG.N (3RD DECL)
11 patris of father GEN.SG.M (3RD DECL)
12 sui her own GEN.SG.M (POSS)
13 flammis with flames ABL.PL.F (1ST DECL)
14 exuretur she shall be burned 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND

Syntax

Conditional Protasis: si deprehensa fuerit in stupro — conditional clause with perfect subjunctive defining the offense.

Coordinated Offense Clause: et violaverit nomen patris sui — coordinated perfect subjunctive adding the gravity of familial profanation.

Judicial Apodosis: flammis exuretur — future passive indicative specifying the prescribed penalty.

Morphology

  1. Sacerdotis — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “of a priest”; Notes: Establishes priestly lineage.
  2. filia — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: subject; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: Legal subject of the statute.
  3. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Opens a legal contingency.
  4. deprehensa — Lemma: deprehendo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative feminine singular perfect passive participle; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “caught / found”; Notes: Indicates discovery of the act.
  5. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: auxiliary in perfect periphrasis; Translation: “has been”; Notes: Required in conditional clause.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: circumstance; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks the sphere of offense.
  7. stupro — Lemma: stuprum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “sexual immorality”; Notes: Grave moral offense.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the offenses.
  9. violaverit — Lemma: vio lo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of coordinated clause; Translation: “has violated”; Notes: Emphasizes desecration.
  10. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “name”; Notes: Represents honor and reputation.
  11. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “of father”; Notes: Points to priestly authority.
  12. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies patris; Translation: “her own”; Notes: Reflexive possession.
  13. flammis — Lemma: flamma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine plural; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with flames”; Notes: Specifies the mode of punishment.
  14. exuretur — Lemma: exuro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future passive indicative; Function: main verb (penalty); Translation: “she shall be burned”; Notes: Judicial future expressing sentence.

 

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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