Leviticus 18:26

Posted on April 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 18:26 Custodite legitima mea atque iudicia, et non faciatis ex omnibus abominationibus istis, tam indigena quam colonus qui peregrinantur apud vos.

Keep my statutes and my judgments, and do not commit any of all these abominations, whether native-born or the sojourner who dwells among you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Custodite keep 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
2 legitima statutes ACC.PL.N
3 mea my ACC.PL.N.PRON.POSS
4 atque and CONJ
5 iudicia judgments ACC.PL.N
6 et and CONJ
7 non not ADV
8 faciatis you-may-do 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
9 ex from / out-of PREP+ABL
10 omnibus all ABL.PL.N.ADJ
11 abominationibus abominations ABL.PL.F
12 istis these ABL.PL.F.DEM
13 tam both ADV
14 indigena native-born NOM.SG.M
15 quam as-well-as ADV
16 colonus sojourner NOM.SG.M
17 qui who NOM.PL.M.REL
18 peregrinantur sojourn 3PL.PRES.DEP.IND
19 apud among PREP+ACC
20 vos you ACC.PL.PERS

Syntax

Primary Command: Custodite — present imperative issuing a direct covenantal command
Direct Objects: legitima mea + iudicia — paired objects defining required obedience
Negative Injunction: non faciatis — negative subjunctive expressing prohibition
Ablative of Source: ex omnibus abominationibus istis — sphere of forbidden actions
Inclusive Apposition: tam indigena quam colonus — rule applies equally
Relative Clause: qui peregrinantur apud vos — identifies resident sojourners

Morphology

  1. Custodite — Lemma: custodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present imperative active; Function: main command; Translation: keep; Notes: Calls for continual observance.
  2. legitima — Lemma: legitimus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: direct object; Translation: statutes; Notes: Normative ordinances.
  3. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: modifies legitima; Translation: my; Notes: Asserts divine ownership.
  4. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Strong conjunction pairing obligations.
  5. iudicia — Lemma: iudicium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural, second declension; Function: direct object; Translation: judgments; Notes: Judicial determinations.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Links commands.
  7. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: Absolute prohibition.
  8. faciatis — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present subjunctive active; Function: prohibitive predicate; Translation: you may do; Notes: Negative subjunctive expressing restraint.
  9. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: source; Translation: from; Notes: Indicates the class of acts excluded.
  10. omnibus — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative neuter plural; Function: modifies abominationibus; Translation: all; Notes: Comprehensive scope.
  11. abominationibus — Lemma: abominatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine plural, third declension; Function: object of ex; Translation: abominations; Notes: Acts provoking divine abhorrence.
  12. istis — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative feminine plural; Function: modifies abominationibus; Translation: these; Notes: Points to previously enumerated acts.
  13. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: correlative; Translation: both; Notes: Introduces inclusive pairing.
  14. indigena — Lemma: indigena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: appositional subject; Translation: native-born; Notes: Member of the covenant people.
  15. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: correlative; Translation: as well as; Notes: Completes the pair with tam.
  16. colonus — Lemma: colonus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular, second declension; Function: appositional subject; Translation: sojourner; Notes: Resident non-native.
  17. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine plural; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: who; Notes: Refers collectively to both classes.
  18. peregrinantur — Lemma: peregrinor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present indicative deponent; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: sojourn; Notes: Ongoing residence.
  19. apud — Lemma: apud; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: location; Translation: among; Notes: Denotes proximity within the community.
  20. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of apud; Translation: you; Notes: Addresses Israel collectively.

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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