Καὶ ψυχή ἣ ἂν ἅψηται παντὸς πράγματος ἀκαθάρτου ἢ ἀπὸ ἀκαθαρσίας ἀνθρώπου ἢ τῶν τετραπόδων τῶν ἀκαθάρτων ἢ παντὸς βδελύγματος ἀκαθάρτου καὶ φάγῃ ἀπὸ τῶν κρεῶν τῆς θυσίας τοῦ σωτηρίου ὅ ἐστιν κυρίου ἀπολεῖται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῆς (Leviticus 7:21 LXX)
A Law of Boundaries
Leviticus 7:21 LXX sets strict boundaries around ritual purity and participation in sacred meals. The verse’s intricate Greek syntax reflects its seriousness: it is a finely structured conditional law, involving relative clauses, modal particles, and a strong apodosis of judgment. The syntax does not merely prohibit — it guards the holiness of the covenant community.
ψυχή ἣ ἂν ἅψηται… καὶ φάγῃ… ἀπολεῖται
— A Conditional Compound Structure
At the core is a double condition:
– A person touches something unclean
– And eats from the peace offering of YHWH
If both occur, the result is excision.
1. Relative Conditional Clause with Modal Particle
– ψυχή ἣ ἂν ἅψηται…
“a soul who might touch…”
Grammatically:
– ἣ ἂν ἅψηται: relative clause with ἂν + subjunctive
– ἅψηται: aorist middle subjunctive, 3rd singular of ἅπτομαι (“to touch”)
– This structure forms a general future condition: whoever touches…
2. Coordinated Subjunctive Clause: καὶ φάγῃ
– φάγῃ: aorist active subjunctive, 3rd singular of ἐσθίω (“to eat”)
– Coordinated with the first subjunctive: both must happen for the judgment clause to be triggered
The List of Defilement: Precision through Parallelism
The objects of defilement are listed in a tightly coordinated series:
παντὸς πράγματος ἀκαθάρτου
ἢ ἀπὸ ἀκαθαρσίας ἀνθρώπου
ἢ τῶν τετραπόδων τῶν ἀκαθάρτων
ἢ παντὸς βδελύγματος ἀκαθάρτου
Structural Notes:
– Repetition of ἢ marks syntactic disjunction, but semantically it functions as an inclusive list — any one of these brings impurity.
– The genitive structures are descriptive: each item defines a specific category of uncleanness (object, human impurity, unclean animals, abominable things).
Lexical Observations:
– ἀκαθαρσία: ritual or moral impurity
– τετράποδα ἀκάθαρτα: unclean quadrupeds — echoing Leviticus 11
– βδέλυγμα: something detestable — often idolatrous or carcass-related
τῆς θυσίας τοῦ σωτηρίου ὅ ἐστιν κυρίου: The Peace Offering of YHWH
The phrase ἀπὸ τῶν κρεῶν τῆς θυσίας τοῦ σωτηρίου describes the holy food in question — the meat of the peace offering.
– σωτηρίου: from σωτήρ, meaning “deliverance” or “salvation” — thus, this is the offering of well-being or fellowship
– ὅ ἐστιν κυρίου: a relative clause affirming divine ownership — “which belongs to the Lord”
Apodosis of Judgment: ἀπολεῖται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη
The apodosis (result clause) comes with unmistakable finality:
– ἀπολεῖται: future passive indicative, 3rd singular of ἀπόλλυμι — “shall be cut off” or “destroyed”
– ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη: “that soul” — the definite article + demonstrative intensify the identity of the offender
– ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῆς: “from her people” — a feminine possessive pronoun referring back to ψυχή
Legal and Theological Force:
– This is the biblical formula for karet (כָּרֵת) — excision from the covenant people
– The grammar signifies divine exclusion, not simply physical death
Sacred Syntax of Separation
The verse’s construction reveals a sacred boundary upheld by syntax:
– Two subjunctives express contingent sin
– Four parallel genitive phrases identify impurity
– One future passive executes divine judgment
Everything hinges on what is touched and eaten — and who dares to ignore the sanctity of God’s table.
When Grammar Protects the Holy
Leviticus 7:21 LXX is not only a law — it is a liturgical firewall, constructed from relative clauses and modal particles. It protects what belongs to YHWH — His offerings, His fellowship, His presence among the people.
Greek grammar here is guardian and gatekeeper. It does not merely inform; it enforces. To touch the impure and eat the holy is to profane the covenant — and the syntax itself declares the cost.
The soul that does so — ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη — “that very soul” — shall be cut off. Not by men, but by the Lord, whose holiness is watched over by word and by clause.
