Leviticus 5:1

Posted on April 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 5:1 Si peccaverit anima, et audierit vocem iurantis, testisque fuerit quod aut ipse vidit, aut conscius est: nisi indicaverit, portabit iniquitatem suam.

If a soul shall sin and hears the voice of one swearing, and has been a witness, because either he himself saw or he is aware, unless he reveals it, he shall bear his iniquity.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 peccaverit shall sin 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND VERB
3 anima soul NOM.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
4 et and CONJ
5 audierit shall hear 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND VERB
6 vocem voice ACC.SG.F NOUN 3RD DECL
7 iurantis of one swearing GEN.SG.M PTCP.PRES.ACT
8 testisque and (a) witness NOM.SG.C NOUN 3RD DECL
9 fuerit shall have been 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND VERB
10 quod because / that CONJ
11 aut or CONJ
12 ipse he himself NOM.SG.M PRON.PERS
13 vidit saw 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND VERB
14 aut or CONJ
15 conscius aware NOM.SG.M ADJ.POS
16 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND VERB
17 nisi unless CONJ
18 indicaverit shall reveal 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND VERB
19 portabit shall bear 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND VERB
20 iniquitatem iniquity ACC.SG.F NOUN 3RD DECL
21 suam his own ACC.SG.F ADJ.POSS

Syntax

Main conditional protasis: Si peccaverit anima — subject anima with verb peccaverit, “If a soul shall sin.”
Linked condition: et audierit vocem iurantis — coordinating et adds a second condition: the same subject “soul” with verb audierit and object vocem qualified by iurantis.
Further specification: testisque fuerit — predicate noun testis (with enclitic -que) linked by fuerit, giving the status “and has been a witness.”
Causal explanation: quod aut ipse vidit aut conscius est — conjunction quod introduces the reason for being a witness, with two alternatives: ipse vidit (“he himself saw”) and conscius est (“he is aware”).
Exception clause: nisi indicaverit — subordinating nisi governs verb indicaverit, stating the sole condition under which the consequence is avoided.
Apodosis (main consequence): portabit iniquitatem suam — verb portabit with object phrase iniquitatem suam, “he shall bear his iniquity.”

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces the conditional protasis; Translation: if; Notes: standard Latin marker for simple and complex conditional clauses.
  2. peccaverit — Lemma: pecco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the protasis; Translation: shall sin; Notes: the future perfect highlights the completed act of sin prior to the legal consequence.
  3. anima — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of peccaverit (and the following finite verbs unless changed); Translation: soul; Notes: frequently used in legal and religious contexts for “person” rather than merely the immaterial soul.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates an additional condition with the first; Translation: and; Notes: simple copulative conjunction linking verbs under the same subject.
  5. audierit — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the second conditional element in the protasis; Translation: shall hear; Notes: again future perfect, marking the act of hearing as accomplished before judgment is passed.
  6. vocem — Lemma: vox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of audierit; Translation: voice; Notes: in context, refers specifically to the sworn statement being uttered.
  7. iurantis — Lemma: iuro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: genitive singular masculine present active participle; Function: genitive modifier of vocem, specifying whose voice it is; Translation: of one swearing; Notes: the present participle keeps the scene vivid as the oath is being sworn.
  8. testisque — Lemma: testis; Part of Speech: noun (with enclitic conjunction); Form: nominative singular common gender, with enclitic -que; Function: predicate nominative with fuerit, describing the subject as “a witness”; Translation: and (a) witness; Notes: enclitic -que joins this predicate closely to the preceding condition.
  9. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: copular verb linking the subject with predicate testis; Translation: shall have been; Notes: future perfect stresses a state already established at the time of reckoning.
  10. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a causal clause explaining the grounds of the testimony; Translation: because / that; Notes: in Vulgate legal style, quod often shades into a causal nuance.
  11. aut — Lemma: aut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: marks the first of two mutually exclusive alternatives; Translation: or; Notes: unlike vel, aut often implies a sharper either–or distinction.
  12. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: emphatic subject with vidit; Translation: he himself; Notes: adds emphasis that the same person personally observed the act.
  13. vidit — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the first alternative in the causal clause; Translation: saw; Notes: perfect tense presents the seeing as a completed past event forming the basis of testimony.
  14. aut — Lemma: aut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces the second alternative; Translation: or; Notes: balances the alternative “saw” with “is aware.”
  15. conscius — Lemma: conscius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective with est; Translation: aware; Notes: often implies inner knowledge or awareness, not merely casual information.
  16. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: copular verb with predicate conscius; Translation: is; Notes: present tense underlines a continuing state of awareness.
  17. nisi — Lemma: nisi; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces an exceptive clause; Translation: unless; Notes: sets a single condition that can remove the otherwise inevitable consequence.
  18. indicaverit — Lemma: indico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the exceptive clause; Translation: shall reveal; Notes: future perfect again stresses that disclosure must actually have occurred to avert guilt.
  19. portabit — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of the apodosis; Translation: shall bear; Notes: future indicates the coming legal or divine consequence for withholding testimony.
  20. iniquitatem — Lemma: iniquitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of portabit; Translation: iniquity; Notes: in biblical legal diction, often denotes guilt or wrongdoing incurred before God.
  21. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative singular feminine agreeing with iniquitatem; Function: possessive modifier specifying whose iniquity; Translation: his own; Notes: reflexive possessive makes clear that the guilt borne is personal and not transferred from another.

 

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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