Exodus 23:24

Posted on March 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 23:24 Non adorabis deos eorum, nec coles eos: non facies opera eorum, sed destrues eos, et confringes statuas eorum.

You shall not worship their gods, nor shall you serve them; you shall not do their works, but you shall destroy them, and you shall break their statues.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Non not ADV
2 adorabis you shall worship 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 deos gods ACC.PL.M NOUN 2ND DECL
4 eorum of them / their GEN.PL.M PRON POSS
5 nec nor CONJ
6 coles you shall serve 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 eos them ACC.PL.M PRON PERS
8 non not ADV
9 facies you shall do 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 opera works ACC.PL.N NOUN 3RD DECL
11 eorum of them / their GEN.PL.M PRON POSS
12 sed but CONJ
13 destrues you shall destroy 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
14 eos them ACC.PL.M PRON PERS
15 et and CONJ
16 confringes you shall break 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
17 statuas statues ACC.PL.F NOUN 1ST DECL
18 eorum of them / their GEN.PL.M PRON POSS

Syntax

First Prohibition:
Non adorabis deos eorum — “You shall not worship their gods.”
• adorabis is a future active indicative used as a legal prohibition.
• deos eorum is the direct object, “their gods,” with a possessive genitive.

Second Prohibition (coordinated):
nec coles eos — “nor shall you serve them.”
• nec links another negative command.
• coles is parallel in form and force to adorabis.
• eos refers back to the foreign gods.

Third Prohibition:
non facies opera eorum — “you shall not do their works.”
• opera eorum denotes the practices or cultic deeds associated with those gods.

Positive Counter-Commands:
sed destrues eos — “but you shall destroy them.”
• sed introduces a strong contrast with the previous prohibitions.

et confringes statuas eorum — “and you shall break their statues.”
• confringes statuas eorum commands the physical demolition of images.

Morphology

  1. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates the finite verb adorabis; Translation: not; Notes: introduces a legal prohibition by negating the future indicative.
  2. adorabis — Lemma: adoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb of the first prohibition; Translation: you shall worship / you shall adore; Notes: future indicative in legal style functions as an imperative command.
  3. deos — Lemma: deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, irregular second declension; Function: direct object of adorabis; Translation: gods; Notes: refers to the deities of the surrounding nations.
  4. eorum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun (possessive genitive); Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying deos; Translation: of them / their; Notes: identifies the gods as belonging to the foreign nations.
  5. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects an additional negative command; Translation: nor / and not; Notes: carries forward the negative force from the first clause.
  6. coles — Lemma: colo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb of the second prohibition; Translation: you shall serve; Notes: includes ideas of worship, cultic service, and religious homage.
  7. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of coles; Translation: them; Notes: refers back to the foreign gods already named.
  8. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates facies; Translation: not; Notes: begins a new but related prohibition concerning their works.
  9. facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb of the third prohibition; Translation: you shall do; Notes: forbids imitation of pagan religious practices.
  10. opera — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, third declension; Function: direct object of facies; Translation: works; Notes: in context, the “works” are cultic deeds and religious actions associated with those gods.
  11. eorum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun (possessive genitive); Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying opera; Translation: of them / their; Notes: marks the works as belonging to or characteristic of the foreign worshippers and their deities.
  12. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a strong contrast to the preceding negative commands; Translation: but; Notes: shifts from what must not be done to what must positively be done.
  13. destrues — Lemma: destruo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb of a positive command; Translation: you shall destroy; Notes: expresses the required eradication of idolatrous objects and cults.
  14. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of destrues; Translation: them; Notes: may refer to the idols themselves and, by extension, to their cultic presence.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects the additional command confringes to destrues; Translation: and; Notes: simple additive conjunction continuing the imperative sequence.
  16. confringes — Lemma: confringo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb of the final command; Translation: you shall break; Notes: indicates violent shattering or smashing, highlighting the thoroughness of the destruction.
  17. statuas — Lemma: statua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, first declension; Function: direct object of confringes; Translation: statues; Notes: refers to carved or fashioned images used in worship.
  18. eorum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun (possessive genitive); Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying statuas; Translation: of them / their; Notes: identifies the statues as belonging to the foreign gods and their worshippers.

 

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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