Genesis 18:25

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:25 Absit a te, ut rem hanc facias, et occidas iustum cum impio, fiatque iustus sicut impius, non est hoc tuum: qui iudicas omnem terram, nequaquam facies iudicium hoc.

Far be it from You to do this thing, and to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous be as the wicked; this is not Yours to do. You who judge all the earth—will You indeed not do this justice?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Absit far be it 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
2 a from PREP+ABL
3 te you ABL.SG.2ND.PRON
4 ut that / so that CONJ.PURP
5 rem thing / act ACC.SG.F
6 hanc this ACC.SG.F.DEMON.ADJ
7 facias you should do 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
8 et and CONJ
9 occidas you should kill 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
10 iustum the righteous ACC.SG.M.ADJ.SUBST
11 cum with PREP+ABL
12 impio the wicked ABL.SG.M.ADJ.SUBST
13 fiatque and may become 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ + ENCLITIC -QUE
14 iustus the righteous NOM.SG.M.ADJ.SUBST
15 sicut as / like CONJ.COMP
16 impius the wicked NOM.SG.M.ADJ.SUBST
17 non not ADV
18 est it is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
19 hoc this NOM.SG.N.DEMON.PRON
20 tuum yours NOM.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
21 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
22 iudicas you judge 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
23 omnem all ACC.SG.F.ADJ
24 terram earth ACC.SG.F
25 nequaquam by no means / surely not ADV
26 facies will You do 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
27 iudicium judgment ACC.SG.N
28 hoc this ACC.SG.N.DEMON.ADJ

Syntax

Main Exclamation: Absit a te ut rem hanc facias — The optative Absit expresses strong negation or moral indignation: “Far be it from You.” The clause ut rem hanc facias (“that You should do this thing”) depends on Absit, functioning as an indirect purpose clause.
Coordinated Clause: et occidas iustum cum impio — Parallel structure reinforces the plea. The verb occidas (subjunctive) is governed by the same optative idea: “and that You should kill the righteous with the wicked.” The prepositional phrase cum impio underscores association in fate.
Result Clause: fiatque iustus sicut impius — Introduced by fiatque, expressing potential consequence: “and that the righteous become as the wicked.”
Assertion of Justice: non est hoc tuum — “This is not Yours to do.” A moral declaration about the divine nature.
Relative Clause: qui iudicas omnem terram — Identifies God’s role as universal Judge.
Rhetorical Question: nequaquam facies iudicium hoc? — A future indicative used as a rhetorical question expecting “You certainly will!”—Abraham’s ultimate appeal to divine righteousness.

Morphology

  1. Absit — Lemma: absum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, third person singular; Function: optative expression of prohibition; Translation: “far be it”; Notes: Common idiom for moral rejection, expressing horror at an unworthy act.
  2. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Denotes source or agent (“from You”).
  3. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “You”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the one appealed to for moral restraint.
  4. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces dependent clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces the act Abraham asks to be averted.
  5. rem — Lemma: res; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “facias”; Translation: “thing”; Notes: Refers to the unjust act of destroying the righteous with the wicked.
  6. hanc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “rem”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Highlights the specific action under protest.
  7. facias — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, second person singular; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “you should do”; Notes: Subjunctive expressing potential wrongdoing.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins coordinated verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links Abraham’s successive prohibitions.
  9. occidas — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, second person singular; Function: dependent on “Absit”; Translation: “you should kill”; Notes: Indicates moral impossibility in Abraham’s reasoning.
  10. iustum — Lemma: iustus; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “the righteous”; Notes: Represents innocent individuals under threat.
  11. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Expresses unjust association between righteous and wicked.
  12. impio — Lemma: impius; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “the wicked”; Notes: Moral contrast to “iustum.”
  13. fiatque — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: present active subjunctive, third person singular + -que; Function: introduces result clause; Translation: “and may become”; Notes: Depicts consequence of divine injustice.
  14. iustus — Lemma: iustus; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “fiat”; Translation: “the righteous”; Notes: Represents those unjustly treated as sinners.
  15. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: comparison; Translation: “as”; Notes: Introduces moral equivalence Abraham rejects.
  16. impius — Lemma: impius; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: complement in comparison; Translation: “the wicked”; Notes: Represents the condemned class of Sodom.
  17. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Denies possibility of divine injustice.
  18. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Connects moral subject to predicate.
  19. hoc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the act of indiscriminate destruction.
  20. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “yours”; Notes: Asserts that such an act is contrary to God’s nature.
  21. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the Judge of all.
  22. iudicas — Lemma: iudico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, second person singular; Function: predicate of relative clause; Translation: “you judge”; Notes: Expresses God’s universal authority over moral order.
  23. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “terram”; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes the totality of divine jurisdiction.
  24. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “iudicas”; Translation: “earth”; Notes: Symbol of humanity under divine justice.
  25. nequaquam — Lemma: nequaquam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifying negation; Translation: “by no means / surely not”; Notes: Used rhetorically for emphasis.
  26. facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb of rhetorical question; Translation: “will You do”; Notes: Expects a negative response affirming divine justice.
  27. iudicium — Lemma: iudicium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “judgment”; Notes: Represents the act of righteous decision-making.
  28. hoc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies “iudicium”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Emphasizes the specific case under discussion—Sodom and Gomorrah.

 

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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