Leviticus 19:16

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 19:16 Non eris criminator, nec susurro in populo. Non stabis contra sanguinem proximi tui. ego Dominus.

You shall not be a slanderer, nor a whisperer among the people. You shall not stand against the blood of your neighbor. I am the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Non not ADV
2 eris you shall be 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 criminator slanderer NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL NOUN
4 nec nor CONJ
5 susurro whisperer NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL NOUN
6 in among PREP+ABL
7 populo people ABL.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
8 Non not ADV
9 stabis you shall stand 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 contra against PREP+ACC
11 sanguinem blood ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL NOUN
12 proximi of a neighbor GEN.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
13 tui your GEN.SG.M POSS.ADJ
14 ego I NOM.SG PERS.PRON
15 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN

Syntax

Predicate Prohibition: Non eris criminator (future indicative of sum with predicate nominative)

Coordinated Predicate: nec susurro in populo (elliptical repetition of eris; locative phrase)

Second Prohibition: Non stabis contra sanguinem proximi tui (future indicative with prepositional object)

Authority Formula: ego Dominus (divine self-identification grounding the commands)

Morphology

  1. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negation; Function: negates the verb; Translation: not; Notes: standard marker of legal prohibition.
  2. eris — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: links the subject to a forbidden identity; Translation: you shall be; Notes: future indicative functions prescriptively.
  3. criminator — Lemma: criminator; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular third declension; Function: predicate nominative after eris; Translation: slanderer; Notes: denotes one who brings malicious accusations.
  4. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative coordinator; Function: links a parallel prohibition; Translation: nor; Notes: cumulative negation.
  5. susurro — Lemma: susurro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular third declension; Function: predicate nominative with ellipsed eris; Translation: whisperer; Notes: refers to secretive spreader of harmful speech.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: marks location or sphere; Translation: among; Notes: locative sense with people groups.
  7. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular second declension; Function: object of in; Translation: people; Notes: the covenant community.
  8. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negation; Function: introduces a new prohibition; Translation: not; Notes: resets the command sequence.
  9. stabis — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: forbids an oppositional act; Translation: you shall stand; Notes: metaphorical for taking a hostile stance.
  10. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: expresses opposition; Translation: against; Notes: indicates adversarial action.
  11. sanguinem — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular third declension; Function: object of contra; Translation: blood; Notes: idiom for life or lethal harm.
  12. proximi — Lemma: proximus; Part of Speech: noun used substantively; Form: genitive masculine singular second declension; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: of a neighbor; Notes: the one endangered by the action.
  13. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies proximi; Translation: your; Notes: stresses personal responsibility.
  14. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of identification; Translation: I; Notes: emphatic divine self-reference.
  15. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular second declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: LORD; Notes: rendered in all caps when referring to YHWH.

 

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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