Leviticus 19:32

Posted on April 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Lv 19:32 Coram cano capite consurge, et honora personam senis: et time Dominum Deum tuum. ego sum Dominus.

Before gray hair rise up, and honor the person of the elder; and fear the LORD your God. I am the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Coram before PREP+ABL
2 cano gray ABL.SG.N ADJ
3 capite head ABL.SG.N 3RD DECL NOUN
4 consurge rise up 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
5 et and CONJ
6 honora honor 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
7 personam person ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL NOUN
8 senis of the elder GEN.SG.M 3RD DECL NOUN
9 et and CONJ
10 time fear 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
11 Dominum LORD ACC.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
12 Deum God ACC.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN
13 tuum your ACC.SG.M POSS.ADJ
14 ego I NOM.SG PERS.PRON
15 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
16 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL NOUN

Syntax

Prepositional Frame: Coram cano capite (preposition with ablative expressing circumstance)

First Command: consurge (singular imperative addressing each individual)

Second Command: honora personam senis (imperative with accusative object and possessive genitive)

Third Command: time Dominum Deum tuum (imperative grounding social ethics in reverence for God)

Authority Formula: ego sum Dominus (divine self-identification)

Morphology

  1. Coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the ablative; Function: introduces a circumstantial phrase; Translation: before; Notes: denotes respectful presence.
  2. cano — Lemma: canus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: modifies capite; Translation: gray; Notes: symbolizes old age.
  3. capite — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular third declension; Function: object of coram; Translation: head; Notes: metonymy for the elderly person.
  4. consurge — Lemma: consurgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present imperative active; Function: command; Translation: rise up; Notes: physical act expressing honor.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links commands; Translation: and; Notes: additive coordination.
  6. honora — Lemma: honoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present imperative active; Function: command; Translation: honor; Notes: denotes esteem in action and attitude.
  7. personam — Lemma: persona; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular first declension; Function: direct object of honora; Translation: person; Notes: refers to social standing or dignity.
  8. senis — Lemma: senex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular third declension; Function: modifies personam; Translation: of the elder; Notes: emphasizes age and experience.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links to a climactic command; Translation: and; Notes: maintains parallel structure.
  10. time — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present imperative active; Function: command; Translation: fear; Notes: reverential fear as covenant loyalty.
  11. Dominum — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular second declension; Function: object of time; Translation: LORD; Notes: rendered in all caps for YHWH.
  12. Deum — Lemma: deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular second declension; Function: apposition to Dominum; Translation: God; Notes: clarifies divine identity.
  13. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies Deum; Translation: your; Notes: affirms covenant relationship.
  14. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of identification; Translation: I; Notes: emphatic self-reference.
  15. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: am; Notes: links subject and predicate.
  16. Dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular second declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: LORD; Notes: divine self-identification formula.

 

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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