Leviticus 4:25

Posted on April 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 4:25 tinget sacerdos digitum in sanguine hostiæ pro peccato, tangens cornua altaris holocausti, et reliquum fundens ad basim eius.

the priest shall dip his finger in the blood of the victim for sin, touching the horns of the altar of the burnt offering, and pouring the rest at its base.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 tinget he shall dip VERB, 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 sacerdos the priest NOUN, NOM.SG.M
3 digitum finger NOUN, ACC.SG.M
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 sanguine blood NOUN, ABL.SG.M
6 hostiæ of the victim NOUN, GEN.SG.F
7 pro for PREP+ABL
8 peccato sin NOUN, ABL.SG.N
9 tangens touching PARTICIPLE, PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
10 cornua horns NOUN, ACC.PL.N
11 altaris of the altar NOUN, GEN.SG.N
12 holocausti of the burnt offering NOUN, GEN.SG.N
13 et and CONJ
14 reliquum the rest ADJ/NOUN, ACC.SG.N
15 fundens pouring PARTICIPLE, PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
16 ad at / to PREP+ACC
17 basim base NOUN, ACC.SG.F
18 eius its PRON, GEN.SG.M/F/N

Syntax

Main clause: tinget sacerdos digitum — future ritual action, the priest dipping his finger.
Prepositional phrase: in sanguine hostiæ pro peccato — specifies the sacrificial context (sin offering).
Participial clause 1: tangens cornua altaris holocausti — describes simultaneous ritual action of touching the altar’s horns.
Participial clause 2: reliquum fundens ad basim eius — describes pouring the remaining blood at the altar’s base.
Overall structure: a sequence of ritual actions performed by the priest in prescribed order.

Morphology

  1. tinget — Lemma: tingo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he shall dip; Notes: begins ritual procedure.
  2. sacerdos — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: the priest; Notes: officiating priest.
  3. digitum — Lemma: digitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: finger; Notes: instrument of ritual action.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: locative use.
  5. sanguine — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: blood; Notes: medium of purification.
  6. hostiæ — Lemma: hostia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies sanguine; Translation: of the victim; Notes: specifies type of sacrifice.
  7. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates purpose; Translation: for; Notes: sacrificial function marker.
  8. peccato — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of pro; Translation: sin; Notes: specifies offering category.
  9. tangens — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: touching; Notes: ongoing action accompanying dipping.
  10. cornua — Lemma: cornu; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of tangens; Translation: horns; Notes: ritual contact point of the altar.
  11. altaris — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies cornua; Translation: of the altar; Notes: altar of burnt offering.
  12. holocausti — Lemma: holocaustum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: specifies altar type; Translation: of the burnt offering; Notes: technical sacrificial designation.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links participles; Translation: and; Notes: joins ritual steps.
  14. reliquum — Lemma: reliquus; Part of Speech: adjective functioning substantively; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of fundens; Translation: the rest; Notes: remainder of the blood.
  15. fundens — Lemma: fundo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: pouring; Notes: second ritual action.
  16. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: directional; Translation: at / to; Notes: marks target of pouring.
  17. basim — Lemma: basis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: base; Notes: lower part of the altar.
  18. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine/feminine/neuter; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: its; Notes: refers to 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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