Leviticus 24:14

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 24:14 dicens: Educ blasphemum extra castra, et ponant omnes qui audierunt, manus suas super caput eius, et lapidet eum populus universus.

saying: “Bring the blasphemer outside the camp, and let all who heard, lay their hands upon his head, and let the whole people stone him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dicens saying NOM.SG.M PRES.PTCP ACT
2 Educ bring out 2SG.PRES.IMP.ACT
3 blasphemum the blasphemer ACC.SG.M
4 extra outside PREP+ACC
5 castra the camp ACC.PL.N
6 et and CONJ
7 ponant let them place 3PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
8 omnes all NOM.PL.M
9 qui who NOM.PL.M REL
10 audierunt have heard 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
11 manus hands ACC.PL.F
12 suas their ACC.PL.F POSS
13 super upon PREP+ACC
14 caput head ACC.SG.N
15 eius his GEN.SG.M POSS
16 et and CONJ
17 lapidet let him stone 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
18 eum him ACC.SG.M PRON
19 populus the people NOM.SG.M
20 universus entire NOM.SG.M ADJ

Syntax

Speech Introduction: dicens — present participle introducing the divine directive.

Primary Command: Educ blasphemum extra castra — imperative ordering removal from the community.

Secondary Injunction: ponant omnes qui audierunt manus suas super caput eius — subjunctive clause prescribing communal witness participation.

Final Judicial Act: lapidet eum populus universus — jussive subjunctive assigning execution to the whole assembly.

Morphology

  1. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: nominative masculine singular present active participle; Function: introduces quoted speech; Translation: saying; Notes: standard narrative hinge before direct commands.
  2. Educ — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present imperative active; Function: issues a direct command; Translation: bring out; Notes: implies authoritative removal.
  3. blasphemum — Lemma: blasphemus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object of Educ; Translation: the blasphemer; Notes: denotes the offender defined by the act.
  4. extra — Lemma: extra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: marks exclusion from sacred space; Translation: outside; Notes: removal from the camp signifies expulsion from holiness.
  5. castra — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: object of extra; Translation: the camp; Notes: plural form with collective sense.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links commands; Translation: and; Notes: additive progression.
  7. ponant — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present subjunctive active; Function: jussive command; Translation: let them place; Notes: subjunctive expresses mandated action.
  8. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine plural; Function: subject of ponant; Translation: all; Notes: totality emphasizes communal responsibility.
  9. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine plural; Function: introduces qualifying clause; Translation: who; Notes: limits participants to witnesses.
  10. audierunt — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect indicative active; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: have heard; Notes: perfect denotes completed witnessing.
  11. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine plural, fourth declension; Function: direct object of ponant; Translation: hands; Notes: symbolic act of testimony.
  12. suas — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: modifies manus; Translation: their; Notes: reflexive ownership tied to the subject.
  13. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: indicates placement upon; Translation: upon; Notes: accusative emphasizes the act.
  14. caput — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular, third declension; Function: object of super; Translation: head; Notes: locus of symbolic transfer of guilt.
  15. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies caput; Translation: his; Notes: refers to the blasphemer.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links final command; Translation: and; Notes: sequential culmination.
  17. lapidet — Lemma: lapido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present subjunctive active; Function: jussive predicate; Translation: let him stone; Notes: legal execution formula.
  18. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object of lapidet; Translation: him; Notes: refers to the offender.
  19. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular, second declension; Function: grammatical subject; Translation: the people; Notes: collective executor.
  20. universus — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies populus; Translation: entire; Notes: stresses unanimity of the community.

 

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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