Leviticus 27:12

Posted on April 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 27:12 qui iudicans utrum bonum an malum sit, statuet pretium.

who, judging whether it be good or bad, will set the price.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 qui who PRON.REL.NOM.SG.M
2 iudicans judging PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
3 utrum whether CONJ
4 bonum good ADJ.NOM.SG.N
5 an or CONJ
6 malum bad ADJ.NOM.SG.N
7 sit may be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
8 statuet will establish 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 pretium price NOUN.ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Relative Clause: qui (subject, referring to sacerdotem in the previous verse) + statuet (future main verb).

Object: pretium — direct object of statuet.

Participial Phrase: iudicans — circumstantial participle modifying qui, describing the manner or process by which the price is set.

Indirect Question: utrum … an introduces a deliberative alternative; bonum and malum function as predicate adjectives with sit (present subjunctive) expressing uncertainty under evaluation.

Morphology

  1. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of statuet; Translation: who; Notes: refers back to the priest as the evaluator.
  2. iudicans — Lemma: iudicare; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine third conjugation; Function: modifies qui describing attendant action; Translation: judging; Notes: present participle expresses ongoing evaluative action.
  3. utrum — Lemma: utrum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable interrogative particle; Function: introduces indirect alternative question; Translation: whether; Notes: regularly paired with an for two alternatives.
  4. bonum — Lemma: bonus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate adjective with sit; Translation: good; Notes: neuter agrees with the implied animal.
  5. an — Lemma: an; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces second alternative; Translation: or; Notes: balances utrum in indirect question.
  6. malum — Lemma: malus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate adjective with sit; Translation: bad; Notes: contrasts with bonum for evaluative judgment.
  7. sit — Lemma: esse; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of indirect question; Translation: may be; Notes: subjunctive marks dependent deliberation.
  8. statuet — Lemma: statuere; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative third conjugation; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: will set; Notes: future expresses formal legal determination.
  9. pretium — Lemma: pretium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter second declension; Function: direct object of statuet; Translation: price; Notes: denotes assessed monetary value.

 

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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