Leviticus 22:8

Posted on April 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 22:8 Morticinum et captum a bestia non comedent, nec polluentur in eis. ego sum Dominus.

They shall not eat a carcass or what has been torn by a beast, nor shall they be defiled by them. I am the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Morticinum carcass ACC.SG.N
2 et and CONJ
3 captum that which has been taken PERF.PTCP.PASS.ACC.SG.N
4 a by PREP+ABL
5 bestia beast ABL.SG.F
6 non not ADV
7 comedent they will eat 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
8 nec nor CONJ
9 polluentur they will be defiled 3PL.FUT.PASS.IND
10 in by / in PREP+ABL
11 eis by them ABL.PL.N.PERS
12 ego I NOM.SG.PERS
13 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Negative Prohibition: non comedent — forbids consumption.
Direct Objects: Morticinum + captum a bestia — two sources of impurity.

Coordinated Negative Result: nec polluentur — consequence expressed in the passive.
Ablative of Means/Source: in eis — specifies the cause of defilement.

Divine Self-Identification: ego sum Dominus — covenantal authority grounding the command.

Morphology

  1. Morticinum — Lemma: morticinum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: first direct object of comedent; Translation: “carcass”; Notes: Refers to an animal that died of itself, a major source of ritual impurity.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins two prohibited items.
  3. captum — Lemma: capio; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: perfect passive participle accusative neuter singular; Function: substantive object coordinated with Morticinum; Translation: “that which has been taken”; Notes: Implies prey torn or seized rather than properly slaughtered.
  4. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: introduces agent; Translation: “by”; Notes: Standard agent marker with passive forms.
  5. bestia — Lemma: bestia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: agent of captum; Translation: “beast”; Notes: Wild animal causing death or tearing.
  6. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates the verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: Introduces absolute prohibition.
  7. comedent — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative; Function: states forbidden action; Translation: “they will eat”; Notes: Future indicative used legislatively for commands.
  8. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates a further negation; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Strong negative connector.
  9. polluentur — Lemma: polluo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural future passive indicative; Function: expresses resulting state; Translation: “they will be defiled”; Notes: Passive emphasizes the condition incurred.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: marks means or cause; Translation: “by / in”; Notes: Common with states resulting from contact.
  11. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: ablative neuter plural; Function: object of in; Translation: “by them”; Notes: Refers back to the prohibited items.
  12. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of identification; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphatic divine self-reference.
  13. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: “am”; Notes: Asserts enduring authority.
  14. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Covenant name of YHWH grounding the command.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Leviticus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.