Exodus 23:8

Posted on March 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 23:8 Nec accipies munera, quæ etiam excæcant prudentes, et subvertunt verba iustorum.

You shall not receive gifts, which even blind the prudent and overturn the words of the just.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nec nor CONJ
2 accipies you will receive 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 munera gifts ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
4 quæ which NOM.PL.N PRON REL
5 etiam even ADV INDECL
6 excæcant they blind 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
7 prudentes the prudent ACC.PL.C ADJ POS 3RD DECL
8 et and CONJ
9 subvertunt they overturn 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
10 verba words ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
11 iustorum of the just GEN.PL.M ADJ POS 2ND DECL

Syntax

Main Prohibition: Nec accipies munera — future indicative used as a legal prohibition, “Nor shall you receive gifts,” referring to bribes.
Relative Clause: quæ etiam excæcant prudentes — “which even blind the prudent,” with quæ as the subject referring back to munera, and prudentes as the object of excæcant.
Coordinated Predicate: et subvertunt verba iustorum — “and overturn the words of the just,” where verba is the object and iustorum is a possessive genitive, “the words of just men.”

Morphology

  1. Nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating, invariable; Function: introduces an additional prohibition linked to preceding commands; Translation: nor; Notes: continues the legal series of “you shall not” statements.
  2. accipies — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 2nd person singular; Function: main verb of prohibition; Translation: you will receive / you shall receive; Notes: future indicative used in biblical legal style as a binding command.
  3. munera — Lemma: munus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of accipies; Translation: gifts; Notes: in this context, “gifts” are judicial bribes that influence judgment.
  4. quæ — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: pronoun (relative); Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of excæcant and subvertunt; Translation: which; Notes: refers back to munera and introduces the relative clause describing their effects.
  5. etiam — Lemma: etiam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: intensifier; Translation: even; Notes: stresses that bribes are so powerful that they corrupt those who are normally wise.
  6. excæcant — Lemma: excæco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: they blind; Notes: metaphorically describes moral and intellectual blindness caused by bribery.
  7. prudentes — Lemma: prudens; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative plural common gender, 3rd declension; Function: direct object of excæcant; Translation: the prudent; Notes: refers to normally discerning or wise people, such as judges or elders.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates the two effects of bribes; Translation: and; Notes: links “they blind the prudent” with “they overturn the words of the just.”
  9. subvertunt — Lemma: subverto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: second verb of the relative clause; Translation: they overturn / subvert; Notes: conveys the idea of overthrowing or corrupting just judgments or testimonies.
  10. verba — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter, 2nd declension; Function: direct object of subvertunt; Translation: words; Notes: likely refers to the words or decisions of judges or witnesses.
  11. iustorum — Lemma: iustus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: genitive plural masculine, 2nd declension; Function: possessive genitive with verba; Translation: of the just; Notes: indicates that even the speech of righteous people can be corrupted when bribes are accepted.

 

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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