Leviticus 18:24

Posted on April 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 18:24 Nec polluamini in omnibus his, quibus contaminatæ sunt universæ gentes, quas ego eiiciam ante conspectum vestrum,

And do not defile yourselves in all these things, by which all the nations have been defiled, which I will cast out before your presence,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nec and not CONJ
2 polluamini be-defiled 2PL.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
3 in in PREP+ABL
4 omnibus all ABL.PL.N.ADJ
5 his these ABL.PL.N.DEM
6 quibus by-which ABL.PL.REL
7 contaminatæ defiled NOM.PL.F.PTCP.PERF.PASS
8 sunt have-been 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
9 universæ all NOM.PL.F.ADJ
10 gentes nations NOM.PL.F
11 quas which ACC.PL.F.REL
12 ego I NOM.SG.PERS
13 eiiciam I-will-cast-out 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
14 ante before PREP+ACC
15 conspectum presence ACC.SG.M
16 vestrum your ACC.SG.M.PRON.POSS

Syntax

Primary Prohibition: nec polluamini — negative present subjunctive expressing prohibition
Prepositional Phrase: in omnibus his — sphere in which defilement occurs
Relative Clause of Means: quibus contaminatæ sunt universæ gentes — identifies the practices causing defilement
Relative Clause of Judgment: quas ego eiiciam — divine action against the nations
Prepositional Phrase: ante conspectum vestrum — indicates expulsion before Israel

Morphology

  1. Nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: negative coordination; Translation: and not; Notes: Links this prohibition to the preceding commands.
  2. polluamini — Lemma: polluo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present subjunctive passive; Function: main predicate; Translation: be defiled; Notes: Prohibitive subjunctive emphasizing avoidance of impurity.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: location or sphere; Translation: in; Notes: Marks the domain of conduct.
  4. omnibus — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative neuter plural; Function: modifies his; Translation: all; Notes: Expresses totality.
  5. his — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative neuter plural; Function: object of in; Translation: these things; Notes: Refers to the forbidden practices listed earlier.
  6. quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: ablative of means; Translation: by which; Notes: Connects the defilement to specific actions.
  7. contaminatæ — Lemma: contamino; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative feminine plural perfect passive; Function: modifies gentes; Translation: defiled; Notes: Indicates completed moral pollution.
  8. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present indicative active; Function: auxiliary; Translation: have been; Notes: Forms the perfect passive construction.
  9. universæ — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative feminine plural; Function: modifies gentes; Translation: all; Notes: Emphasizes comprehensive scope.
  10. gentes — Lemma: gens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine plural, third declension; Function: subject; Translation: nations; Notes: Refers to the peoples of the land.
  11. quas — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: direct object of eiiciam; Translation: which; Notes: Refers back to the nations.
  12. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: I; Notes: Emphatic divine speaker.
  13. eiiciam — Lemma: eicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular future indicative active; Function: main predicate of the relative clause; Translation: I will cast out; Notes: Expresses certain future judgment.
  14. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: precedence; Translation: before; Notes: Indicates spatial and covenantal priority.
  15. conspectum — Lemma: conspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular, fourth declension; Function: object of ante; Translation: presence; Notes: Denotes visible presence.
  16. vestrum — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies conspectum; Translation: your; Notes: Addresses Israel collectively.

 

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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