Leviticus 3:2

Posted on April 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 3:2 Ponetque manum super caput victimæ suæ, quæ immolabitur in introitu tabernaculi testimonii, fundentque filii Aaron sacerdotes, sanguinem per altaris circuitum.

And he shall place his hand upon the head of his victim, which shall be slain at the entrance of the tabernacle of testimony, and the sons of Aaron the priests shall pour out the blood around the altar.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ponetque and he shall place VERB, 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 manum hand NOUN, ACC.SG.F, 4TH DECL
3 super upon PREP+ACC
4 caput head NOUN, ACC.SG.N, 3RD DECL
5 victimæ of the victim NOUN, GEN.SG.F, 1ST DECL
6 suæ his PRON, GEN.SG.F, POSS
7 quæ which PRON, NOM.SG.F, REL
8 immolabitur shall be slain VERB, 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 introitu entrance NOUN, ABL.SG.M, 4TH DECL
11 tabernaculi of the tabernacle NOUN, GEN.SG.N, 2ND DECL
12 testimonii of testimony NOUN, GEN.SG.N, 2ND DECL
13 fundentque and they shall pour VERB, 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
14 filii sons NOUN, NOM.PL.M, 2ND DECL
15 Aaron Aaron NOUN, NOM.SG.M, INDECL
16 sacerdotes priests NOUN, NOM.PL.M, 3RD DECL
17 sanguinem blood NOUN, ACC.SG.M, 3RD DECL
18 per around PREP+ACC
19 altaris of the altar NOUN, GEN.SG.N, 3RD DECL
20 circuitum circuit NOUN, ACC.SG.M, 4TH DECL

Syntax

Main Action: Ponetque manum super caput victimæ suæ — the offerer places his hand upon the head of his sacrificial victim.
Relative Clause: quæ immolabitur in introitu tabernaculi testimonii — describes the victim which shall be slain at the entrance of the tabernacle of testimony.
Second Main Clause: fundentque filii Aaron sacerdotes sanguinem — Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall pour out the blood.
Prepositional Phrase: per altaris circuitum — indicates where the blood is poured, around the altar.

Morphology

  1. Ponetque — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and he shall place; Notes: action performed by the offerer.
  2. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: hand; Notes: object involved in ritual gesture.
  3. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses placement; Translation: upon; Notes: standard sacrificial formula.
  4. caput — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of super; Translation: head; Notes: signifies identification with victim.
  5. victimæ — Lemma: victima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies caput; Translation: of the victim; Notes: sacrificial animal.
  6. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: his; Notes: refers to the offerer.
  7. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of immolabitur; Translation: which; Notes: relative pronoun linking clause.
  8. immolabitur — Lemma: immolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future passive indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: shall be slain; Notes: technical sacrificial verb.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: specifies location of slaughter.
  10. introitu — Lemma: introitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: entrance; Notes: ritual site.
  11. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: descriptive genitive; Translation: of the tabernacle; Notes: sacred dwelling structure.
  12. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies tabernaculi; Translation: of testimony; Notes: refers to covenantal witness.
  13. fundentque — Lemma: fundo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative with -que; Function: second main verb; Translation: and they shall pour out; Notes: describes priestly action.
  14. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of fundentque; Translation: sons; Notes: refers to Aaron’s sons.
  15. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: noun (proper); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to filii; Translation: Aaron; Notes: Hebrew proper name.
  16. sacerdotes — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: further apposition; Translation: priests; Notes: identifies official role.
  17. sanguinem — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: blood; Notes: sacrificial blood.
  18. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses distribution; Translation: around; Notes: describes manner of blood application.
  19. altaris — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies circuitum; Translation: of the altar; Notes: sacred structure.
  20. circuitum — Lemma: circuitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of per; Translation: circuit; Notes: describes perimeter of the altar.

 

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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