Exodus 23:2

Posted on March 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

2 Non sequeris turbam ad faciendum malum: nec in iudicio, plurimorum acquiesces sententiæ, ut a vero devies.

You will not follow a crowd to do evil, nor in judgment will you yield to the opinion of many so that you turn aside from the truth.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Non not ADV
2 sequeris you will follow 2SG.FUT.DEP.IND
3 turbam crowd ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 faciendum doing ACC.SG.N GERUNDV
6 malum evil ACC.SG.N 2ND DECL
7 nec nor CONJ
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 iudicio judgment ABL.SG.N 2ND DECL
10 plurimorum of many GEN.PL.M SUPER
11 acquiesces you will yield 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
12 sententiæ to the opinion DAT.SG.F 1ST DECL
13 ut so that CONJ
14 a from PREP+ABL
15 vero truth ABL.SG.N 2ND DECL
16 devies you turn aside 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Non sequeris (verb phrase with negation)
→ object: turbam
→ purpose phrase: ad faciendum malum (“to do evil”).

Main Clause 2: nec … acquiesces (coordinated prohibition)
→ prepositional phrase: in iudicio
→ indirect object: sententiæ plurimorum (“to the judgment/opinion of many”).

Subordinate Clause: Introduced by ut (“so that”).
→ devies (subjunctive verb of result)
→ with ablative separation a vero (“from the truth”).

Morphology

  1. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: negates sequeris.
  2. sequeris — Lemma: sequor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: future indicative, 2nd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: you will follow; Notes: deponent in form but active in meaning.
  3. turbam — Lemma: turba; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: direct object; Translation: crowd; Notes: object of sequeris.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: purpose marker; Translation: to; Notes: introduces gerundive construction.
  5. faciendum — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verbal (gerundive/gerund); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: complements ad; Translation: doing; Notes: expresses purpose: “to do.”
  6. malum — Lemma: malum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: object of the verbal idea in faciendum; Translation: evil; Notes: completes the phrase “to do evil.”
  7. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates prohibitions; Translation: nor; Notes: links second clause to first.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces setting; Translation: in; Notes: defines judicial context.
  9. iudicio — Lemma: iudicium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: object of in; Translation: judgment; Notes: judicial setting for action.
  10. plurimorum — Lemma: plurimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine, superlative; Function: modifies implied “men” or “people”; Translation: of many; Notes: superlative used partitively.
  11. acquiesces — Lemma: acquiesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 2nd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: you will yield; Notes: second prohibition.
  12. sententiæ — Lemma: sententia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the opinion; Notes: governed by acquiesces.
  13. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces result clause; Translation: so that; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  14. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: separation; Translation: from; Notes: marks deviation source.
  15. vero — Lemma: verum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: object of a; Translation: truth; Notes: expresses the standard one should not depart from.
  16. devies — Lemma: devio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, 2nd person singular; Function: verb of result clause; Translation: you turn aside; Notes: expresses moral deviation.

 

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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