Leviticus 20:23

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 20:23 Nolite ambulare in legitimis nationum, quas ego expulsurus sum ante vos. Omnia enim hæc fecerunt, et abominatus sum eas.

Do not walk in the statutes of the nations, which I am about to drive out before you. For they did all these things, and I have abhorred them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nolite do not 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 ambulare to walk PRES.ACT.INF
3 in in PREP+ABL
4 legitimis statutes ABL.PL.N (ADJ)
5 nationum of nations GEN.PL.F (3RD DECL)
6 quas which ACC.PL.F (REL)
7 ego I NOM.SG (PERS)
8 expulsurus about to expel NOM.SG.M (FUT.ACT.PTCP)
9 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 ante before PREP+ACC
11 vos you ACC.PL (PERS)
12 Omnia all things ACC.PL.N (INDEF)
13 enim for CONJ
14 hæc these ACC.PL.N (DEM)
15 fecerunt they did 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
16 et and CONJ
17 abominatus abhorred NOM.SG.M (PERF.PTCP)
18 sum I have 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
19 eas them ACC.PL.F (PERS)

Syntax

Prohibitive Command: Nolite ambulare in legitimis nationum — negative imperative with infinitive expressing categorical prohibition.

Relative Clause: quas ego expulsurus sum ante vos — future periphrastic construction indicating imminent divine action toward the nations.

Causal Explanation: Omnia enim hæc fecerunt — perfect indicative stating completed guilt.

Divine Response: et abominatus sum eas — perfect participle with auxiliary asserting settled divine rejection.

Morphology

  1. Nolite — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present active imperative; Function: introduces prohibition; Translation: “do not”; Notes: Governs an infinitive in prohibitions.
  2. ambulare — Lemma: ambulo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to walk”; Notes: Metaphor for conduct.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates sphere; Translation: “in”; Notes: Expresses manner of life.
  4. legitimis — Lemma: legitimus; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: ablative neuter plural; Function: object of in; Translation: “statutes”; Notes: Refers to established practices.
  5. nationum — Lemma: natio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine plural; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of nations”; Notes: Identifies foreign peoples.
  6. quas — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: object of expulsurus; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to the nations.
  7. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphatic divine speaker.
  8. expulsurus — Lemma: expello; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative masculine singular future active participle; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “about to drive out”; Notes: Indicates imminent action.
  9. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “am”; Notes: Completes periphrastic future.
  10. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses precedence; Translation: “before”; Notes: Spatial and covenantal sense.
  11. vos — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of ante; Translation: “you”; Notes: Community addressed.
  12. Omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: direct object; Translation: “all things”; Notes: Comprehensive scope.
  13. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: causal connector; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces explanation.
  14. hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: modifies omnia; Translation: “these”; Notes: Refers to prohibited acts.
  15. fecerunt — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the causal clause; Translation: “they did”; Notes: Completed historical action.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links consequences.
  17. abominatus — Lemma: abominor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative masculine singular perfect participle; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “abhorred”; Notes: Expresses settled revulsion.
  18. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “I have”; Notes: Forms perfect sense with participle.
  19. eas — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: direct object; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the nations.

 

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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