Exodus 20:23

Posted on March 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 20:23 Non facietis deos argenteos, nec deos aureos facietis vobis.

You shall not make gods of silver, nor shall you make gods of gold for yourselves.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Non not ADV INDECL
2 facietis you will make 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
3 deos gods ACC.PL.M 2ND DECL
4 argenteos of silver ACC.PL.M ADJ.POS
5 nec nor CONJ INDECL
6 deos gods ACC.PL.M 2ND DECL
7 aureos of gold ACC.PL.M ADJ.POS
8 facietis you will make 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
9 vobis for yourselves DAT.PL.PERS

Syntax

Main prohibition: Non facietis deos argenteos — negative particle Non negates facietis; object deos modified by argenteos.

Second prohibition: nec deos aureos facietis vobis — nec joins a second coordinated prohibition; repeated verb facietis governs deos aureos; vobis expresses “for yourselves.”

Morphology

  1. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates facietis; Translation: “not”; Notes: Standard Latin negator used in legal prohibitions.
  2. facietis — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future active indicative; Function: main verb of prohibition; Translation: “you will make”; Notes: Future indicative used imperatively in biblical legal style.
  3. deos — Lemma: deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of facietis; Translation: “gods”; Notes: Refers to idols, not divine beings.
  4. argenteos — Lemma: argenteus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine positive; Function: modifies deos; Translation: “silver”; Notes: Material adjective indicating composition.
  5. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a second negative clause; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Coordinates equivalent prohibitions.
  6. deos — Lemma: deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of second facietis; Translation: “gods”; Notes: Repetition strengthens parallelism.
  7. aureos — Lemma: aureus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine positive; Function: modifies deos; Translation: “golden,” “of gold”; Notes: Specifies the second prohibited material.
  8. facietis — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future active indicative; Function: repeated main verb; Translation: “you will make”; Notes: Repetition is deliberate in biblical legal phrasing.
  9. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “for yourselves”; Notes: Emphasizes self-made idols for personal use.

 

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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