Leviticus 4:34

Posted on April 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 4:34 Sumetque sacerdos de sanguine eius digito suo, et tangens cornua altaris holocausti, reliquum fundet ad basim eius.

And the priest shall take from its blood with 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 Sumetque 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 eius its PRON, GEN.SG.M/F/N, POSS
6 digito with (his) finger NOUN, ABL.SG.M
7 suo his PRON, ABL.SG.M, POSS
8 et and CONJ
9 tangens touching VERB, PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
10 cornua the 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 PREP+ACC
16 basim base NOUN, ACC.SG.F
17 eius its PRON, GEN.SG.M/F/N, POSS

Syntax

Sumetque sacerdos de sanguine eius digito suo forms the first clause:
– sacerdos is the subject,
– Sumetque the main verb,
– de sanguine eius a source phrase,
– digito suo an ablative of means.

et tangens cornua altaris holocausti is a participial clause describing the priest’s concurrent action.

reliquum fundet ad basim eius is a second main action, with reliquum as object and ad basim eius indicating location.

Morphology

  1. Sumetque — Lemma: sumo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and he shall take; Notes: marks ritual action performed by the priest.
  2. sacerdos — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: the priest; Notes: officiating minister.
  3. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source; Translation: from; Notes: common in sacrificial prescriptions.
  4. sanguine — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: blood; Notes: refers to the sacrificial victim’s blood.
  5. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: its; Notes: identifies the blood as belonging to the victim.
  6. digito — Lemma: digitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with (his) finger; Notes: specifies method of manipulation.
  7. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: agrees with digito; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive possession referring to priest.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links actions; Translation: and; Notes: coordinates clauses.
  9. tangens — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: touching; Notes: describes simultaneous action.
  10. cornua — Lemma: cornu; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of tangens; Translation: the horns; Notes: refers to horned projections of the altar.
  11. altaris — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies cornua; Translation: of the altar; Notes: identifies which horns.
  12. holocausti — Lemma: holocaustum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies altaris; Translation: of the burnt offering; Notes: specifies altar type.
  13. reliquum — Lemma: reliquus; Part of Speech: adjective functioning substantively; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of fundet; Translation: the remainder; Notes: refers to remaining blood.
  14. fundet — Lemma: fundo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he shall pour; Notes: concluding act of blood disposal.
  15. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: at; Notes: specifies where blood is poured.
  16. basim — Lemma: basis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: base; Notes: architectural feature of altar.
  17. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: its; Notes: refers to 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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