Leviticus 19:15

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 19:15 Non facies quod iniquum est, nec iniuste iudicabis. Non consideres personam pauperis, nec honores vultum potentis. Iuste iudica proximo tuo.

You shall not do what is unjust, nor shall you judge unjustly. You shall not show regard for the person of the poor, nor honor the face of the powerful. Judge your neighbor justly.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Non not ADV
2 facies you shall do 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 quod that which ACC.SG.N REL.PRON
4 iniquum unjust ACC.SG.N POS ADJ
5 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 nec nor CONJ
7 iniuste unjustly ADV
8 iudicabis you shall judge 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 Non not ADV
10 consideres you shall consider 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
11 personam person ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN
12 pauperis of the poor GEN.SG.M 3RD DECL NOUN
13 nec nor CONJ
14 honores you shall honor 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
15 vultum face ACC.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
16 potentis of the powerful GEN.SG.M 3RD DECL ADJ
17 Iuste justly ADV
18 iudica judge 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
19 proximo neighbor DAT.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
20 tuo your DAT.SG.M POSS.ADJ

Syntax

General Prohibition: Non facies quod iniquum est (negative particle + future indicative; relative clause as object)

Judicial Prohibition: nec iniuste iudicabis (negative coordination with adverb modifying the verb)

Impartiality Commands: Non consideres personam pauperis and nec honores vultum potentis (negative jussive subjunctives expressing judicial restraint)

Positive Command: Iuste iudica proximo tuo (adverb + imperative with dative of the person concerned)

Morphology

  1. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negation; Function: negates the verb; Translation: not; Notes: standard marker of legal prohibition.
  2. facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: issues a binding prohibition; Translation: you shall do; Notes: future indicative carries prescriptive force.
  3. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: object of facies; Translation: that which; Notes: introduces a substantive relative clause.
  4. iniquum — Lemma: iniquus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative neuter singular positive degree; Function: predicate adjective within the relative clause; Translation: unjust; Notes: denotes moral and legal wrong.
  5. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: states the defining quality of the act.
  6. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative coordinator; Function: links prohibitions; Translation: nor; Notes: cumulative negation.
  7. iniuste — Lemma: iniuste; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: manner; Function: modifies iudicabis; Translation: unjustly; Notes: targets biased judicial action.
  8. iudicabis — Lemma: iudico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future indicative active; Function: judicial prohibition; Translation: you shall judge; Notes: future indicative used as command.
  9. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negation; Function: introduces a new prohibition; Translation: not; Notes: resets the command sequence.
  10. consideres — Lemma: considero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present subjunctive active; Function: jussive prohibition; Translation: you should consider; Notes: subjunctive expresses restraint in judgment.
  11. personam — Lemma: persona; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular first declension; Function: direct object of consideres; Translation: person; Notes: legal idiom for partiality.
  12. pauperis — Lemma: pauper; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular third declension; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: of the poor; Notes: forbids favoritism even toward the needy.
  13. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative coordinator; Function: links a parallel prohibition; Translation: nor; Notes: balances the prior clause.
  14. honores — Lemma: honoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present subjunctive active; Function: jussive prohibition; Translation: you should honor; Notes: subjunctive maintains parallelism with consideres.
  15. vultum — Lemma: vultus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular second declension; Function: direct object; Translation: face; Notes: idiom for social status or presence.
  16. potentis — Lemma: potens; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: genitive masculine singular third declension; Function: genitive of description; Translation: of the powerful; Notes: forbids deference to power.
  17. Iuste — Lemma: iuste; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: manner; Function: modifies the imperative; Translation: justly; Notes: summarizes the ethical standard.
  18. iudica — Lemma: iudico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present imperative active; Function: positive command; Translation: judge; Notes: climactic exhortation after prohibitions.
  19. proximo — Lemma: proximus; Part of Speech: noun used substantively; Form: dative masculine singular second declension; Function: dative of the person concerned; Translation: neighbor; Notes: the one affected by judgment.
  20. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative masculine singular; Function: modifies proximo; Translation: your; Notes: reinforces communal responsibility.

 

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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