Exodus 20:26

Posted on March 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 20:26 Non ascendes per gradus ad altare meum, ne reveletur turpitudo tua.

You shall not go up by steps to My altar, lest your nakedness be exposed.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Non not ADV INDECL
2 ascendes you shall go up 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 per by PREP +ACC
4 gradus steps ACC.PL.M NOUN 4TH DECL
5 ad to PREP +ACC
6 altare altar ACC.SG.N NOUN 3RD DECL
7 meum my ACC.SG.N PRON POSS
8 ne lest CONJ INDECL
9 revelatur be exposed 3SG.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
10 turpitudo nakedness NOM.SG.F NOUN 3RD DECL
11 tua your NOM.SG.F PRON POSS

Syntax

Main prohibition: Non ascendes per gradus ad altare meum — negative particle Non negates ascendes (future indicative used imperatively); prepositional phrases per gradus (“by steps”) and ad altare meum (“to My altar”).

Purpose/precaution clause: ne reveletur turpitudo tua — ne introduces a negative purpose clause; verb reveletur (present passive subjunctive); subject turpitudo; possessive tua (“your nakedness”).

Morphology

  1. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates ascendes; Translation: “not”; Notes: Standard legal negator in biblical Latin.
  2. ascendes — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of command; Translation: “you shall go up”; Notes: Future indicative conveys legal prohibition.
  3. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses means; Translation: “by,” “via”; Notes: Introduces the mode of ascent.
  4. gradus — Lemma: gradus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, 4th declension; Function: object of per; Translation: “steps”; Notes: Physical ascending steps.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Used with verbs of motion.
  6. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: “altar”; Notes: Refers to the cultic structure.
  7. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies altare; Translation: “my”; Notes: Marks the altar as belonging to God.
  8. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces negative purpose clause; Translation: “lest”; Notes: Warns against an undesired result.
  9. revelatur — Lemma: revelo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present passive subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “be exposed”; Notes: Passive to indicate involuntary revelation.
  10. turpitudo — Lemma: turpitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: subject of revelatur; Translation: “nakedness,” “shame”; Notes: Ritual modesty is in view.
  11. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies turpitudo; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to the priest or worshiper ascending.

 

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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