Leviticus 4:30

Posted on April 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 4:30 Tolletque sacerdos de sanguine in digito suo: et tangens cornua altaris holocausti, reliquum fundet ad basim eius.

And the priest shall take from the blood on his finger, and touching the horns of the altar of the burnt offering, he shall pour the remainder at its base.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tolletque and he shall take VERB, 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 sacerdos the priest NOUN, NOM.SG.M
3 de from PREP+ABL
4 sanguine blood NOUN, ABL.SG.M
5 in on PREP+ABL
6 digito finger NOUN, ABL.SG.M
7 suo his ADJ, ABL.SG.M, POSS
8 et and CONJ
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 reliquum the remainder ADJ/NOUN, ACC.SG.N
14 fundet he shall pour VERB, 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
15 ad at / to PREP+ACC
16 basim base NOUN, ACC.SG.F
17 eius its PRON, GEN.SG.M/F/N

Syntax

Main clause: Tolletque sacerdos de sanguine in digito suo — the priest takes some blood upon his finger.
Participial clause: tangens cornua altaris holocausti — indicates the attendant action of touching the altar’s horns.
Final action: reliquum fundet ad basim eius — the remainder of the blood is poured at the base of the altar.
Overall sequence: three ritual actions performed in fixed order.

Morphology

  1. Tolletque — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and he shall take; Notes: continues procedural sequence.
  2. sacerdos — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: the priest; Notes: officiant performing ritual.
  3. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: from; Notes: marks extraction of sacrificial blood.
  4. sanguine — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: blood; Notes: ritual medium for atonement.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: on; Notes: describes where the blood rests.
  6. digito — Lemma: digitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: finger; Notes: instrument used in the ritual.
  7. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies digito; Translation: his; Notes: refers to the priest.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links ritual acts; Translation: and; Notes: coordinates sequence.
  9. tangens — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: touching; Notes: describes concurrent ritual action.
  10. cornua — Lemma: cornu; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of tangens; Translation: horns; Notes: symbolic points on the altar.
  11. altaris — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies cornua; Translation: of the altar; Notes: refers to main sacrificial altar.
  12. holocausti — Lemma: holocaustum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: specifies altar type; Translation: of the burnt offering; Notes: distinguishes altar from incense altar.
  13. reliquum — Lemma: reliquus; Part of Speech: adjective functioning substantively; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of fundet; Translation: the remainder; Notes: refers to blood not used at horns.
  14. fundet — Lemma: fundo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he shall pour; Notes: final action of blood application.
  15. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: directional; Translation: at / to; Notes: marks destination of the pouring.
  16. basim — Lemma: basis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: base; Notes: lower structure of the altar.
  17. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine/feminine/neuter; Function: indicates possession; 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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