Leviticus 19:18

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 29:18 Non quæras ultionem, nec memor eris iniuriæ civium tuorum. Diliges amicum tuum sicut teipsum. ego Dominus.

You shall not seek vengeance, nor shall you remember the injury of your fellow citizens. You shall love your friend as yourself. I am the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Non not ADV
2 quæras you should seek 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
3 ultionem vengeance ACC.SG.F 3RD DECL NOUN
4 nec nor CONJ
5 memor mindful NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL ADJ
6 eris you shall be 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 iniuriæ of injury GEN.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN
8 civium of fellow citizens GEN.PL.M 3RD DECL NOUN
9 tuorum your GEN.PL.M POSS.ADJ
10 Diliges you shall love 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
11 amicum friend ACC.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
12 tuum your ACC.SG.M POSS.ADJ
13 sicut as CONJ
14 teipsum yourself ACC.SG.M REFL.PRON
15 ego I NOM.SG PERS.PRON
16 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN

Syntax

First Prohibition: Non quæras ultionem (negative jussive subjunctive expressing moral restraint)

Second Prohibition: nec memor eris iniuriæ civium tuorum (predicate adjective with future of sum; genitives specify the offense and community)

Positive Command: Diliges amicum tuum sicut teipsum (future indicative with prescriptive force; comparative conjunction)

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

Morphology

  1. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negation; Function: negates the jussive verb; Translation: not; Notes: standard marker introducing a prohibition.
  2. quæras — Lemma: quæro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present subjunctive active; Function: jussive prohibition; Translation: you should seek; Notes: subjunctive expresses moral restraint rather than mere prediction.
  3. ultionem — Lemma: ultio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular third declension; Function: direct object of quæras; Translation: vengeance; Notes: refers to retaliatory punishment.
  4. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative coordinator; Function: links a second prohibition; Translation: nor; Notes: cumulative negation.
  5. memor — Lemma: memor; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular third declension; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: mindful; Notes: governs a genitive of the thing remembered.
  6. eris — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: completes the predicate with memor; Translation: you shall be; Notes: future indicative carries prescriptive force.
  7. iniuriæ — Lemma: iniuria; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular first declension; Function: genitive dependent on memor; Translation: of injury; Notes: denotes a wrong suffered.
  8. civium — Lemma: civis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine plural third declension; Function: genitive of the persons involved; Translation: of fellow citizens; Notes: situates the offense within the community.
  9. tuorum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive masculine plural; Function: modifies civium; Translation: your; Notes: stresses communal responsibility.
  10. Diliges — Lemma: diligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: positive command; Translation: you shall love; Notes: future indicative used prescriptively.
  11. amicum — Lemma: amicus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular second declension; Function: direct object of diliges; Translation: friend; Notes: refers to one’s fellow member or companion.
  12. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies amicum; Translation: your; Notes: personalizes the obligation.
  13. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: comparative; Function: introduces the standard of comparison; Translation: as; Notes: sets the measure of love.
  14. teipsum — Lemma: teipsum; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of comparison; Translation: yourself; Notes: intensifies the reflexive with -ipsum.
  15. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of identification; Translation: I; Notes: emphatic divine self-reference.
  16. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular second declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: LORD; Notes: rendered in all caps for 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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