Leviticus 18:4

Posted on April 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 18:4 Facietis iudicia mea, et præcepta mea servabitis, et ambulabitis in eis. ego Dominus Deus vester.

You shall do my judgments, and you shall keep my commandments, and you shall walk in them. I am the LORD your God.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Facietis you-shall-do 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
2 iudicia judgments ACC.PL.N
3 mea my ACC.PL.N.PRON.POSS
4 et and CONJ
5 præcepta commandments ACC.PL.N
6 mea my ACC.PL.N.PRON.POSS
7 servabitis you-shall-keep 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
8 et and CONJ
9 ambulabitis you-shall-walk 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 eis them ABL.PL.PRON.PERS
12 ego I NOM.SG.PRON.PERS
13 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
14 Deus God NOM.SG.M
15 vester your NOM.SG.M.PRON.POSS

Syntax

Main Commands: Facietis, servabitis, ambulabitis — coordinated future imperatives expressing covenant obligation
Direct Objects: iudicia mea, præcepta mea — divine ordinances to be enacted and kept
Prepositional Phrase: in eis — sphere of conduct and ongoing obedience
Self-Identification Clause: ego Dominus Deus vester — covenantal authority grounding the commands

Morphology

  1. Facietis — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future indicative active; Function: primary command; Translation: you shall do; Notes: Legal future with imperative force.
  2. iudicia — Lemma: iudicium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural, second declension; Function: direct object; Translation: judgments; Notes: Judicial ordinances.
  3. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: modifies iudicia; Translation: my; Notes: Divine ownership.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Links parallel commands.
  5. præcepta — Lemma: præceptum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural, second declension; Function: direct object; Translation: commandments; Notes: Authoritative instructions.
  6. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: modifies præcepta; Translation: my; Notes: Emphasizes source.
  7. servabitis — Lemma: servo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future indicative active; Function: secondary command; Translation: you shall keep; Notes: Connotes careful observance.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: Continues the command sequence.
  9. ambulabitis — Lemma: ambulo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future indicative active; Function: metaphorical command; Translation: you shall walk; Notes: Figurative for habitual conduct.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: domain marker; Translation: in; Notes: Sphere of action.
  11. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: object of in; Translation: them; Notes: Refers to judgments and commandments.
  12. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: I; Notes: Stresses divine speaker.
  13. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular, second declension; Function: predicate noun; Translation: LORD; Notes: Renders the divine name YHWH.
  14. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular, second declension; Function: predicate noun in apposition; Translation: God; Notes: Affirms divine identity.
  15. vester — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies Deus; Translation: your; Notes: Expresses covenant relationship.

 

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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