Leviticus 19:26

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

26 Non comedetis cum sanguine. Non augurabimini, nec observabitis somnia.

You shall not eat with blood. You shall not practice divination, nor shall you observe dreams.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Non not ADV
2 comedetis you shall eat 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
3 cum with PREP+ABL
4 sanguine blood ABL.SG.M 3RD DECL NOUN
5 Non not ADV
6 augurabimini you shall practice divination 2PL.FUT.DEP.IND
7 nec nor CONJ
8 observabitis you shall observe 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
9 somnia dreams ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL NOUN

Syntax

Prohibition 1: Non comedetis cum sanguine (future indicative with negation expressing a legal ban; prepositional complement)

Prohibition 2: Non augurabimini (negative future deponent forbidding divinatory practice)

Coordinated Prohibition: nec observabitis somnia (negative coordination adding a related forbidden activity)

Morphology

  1. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negation; Function: negates the verb; Translation: not; Notes: standard legal negator.
  2. comedetis — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future indicative active; Function: prohibition; Translation: you shall eat; Notes: future indicative used prescriptively.
  3. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: with; Notes: here denotes association with blood.
  4. sanguine — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular third declension; Function: object of cum; Translation: blood; Notes: refers to blood as life-substance prohibited for consumption.
  5. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negation; Function: negates the following verb; Translation: not; Notes: introduces a new prohibition.
  6. augurabimini — Lemma: auguror; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: second person plural future indicative deponent; Function: prohibition; Translation: you shall practice divination; Notes: deponent form with active meaning; refers to seeking omens.
  7. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative coordinator; Function: adds a further prohibition; Translation: nor; Notes: cumulative negation.
  8. observabitis — Lemma: observo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future indicative active; Function: prohibition; Translation: you shall observe; Notes: refers to ritual or superstitious scrutiny.
  9. somnia — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural second declension; Function: direct object of observabitis; Translation: dreams; Notes: dreams treated as omens are forbidden.

 

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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