Leviticus 18:30

American Standard Version (1901)

Therefore shall ye keep my charge, that ye practise not any of these abominable customs, which were practised before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am Jehovah your God.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֣ם אֶת־מִשְׁמַרְתִּ֗י לְבִלְתִּ֨י עֲשׂ֜וֹת מֵחֻקּ֤וֹת הַתּֽוֹעֵבֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נַעֲשׂ֣וּ לִפְנֵיכֶ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תִֽטַּמְּא֖וּ בָּהֶ֑ם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

Transliteration

And ûšəmartem ʾet-mišmartî ləbiltî ʿăśôt from mēḥuqqôt hattôʿēbōt ʾăšer naʿăśû before you lipnêkem and wəlōʾ tiṭṭammʾû by them bāhem ʾănî YHWH ʾĕlōhêkem

Grammar Details

• *ûšəmartem*: waw conjunction + Qal perfect, 2nd masculine plural - and you shall keep
• *ʾet*: direct object marker
• *mišmartî*: noun, feminine singular + 1st person singular suffix - my charge
• *ləbiltî*: preposition + adverb - so as not to
• *ʿăśôt*: Qal infinitive construct - do/practice
• *mēḥuqqôt*: preposition + noun, feminine plural construct - from the customs of
• *hattôʿēbōt*: definite article + noun, feminine plural - the abominations
• *ʾăšer*: relative particle - which
• *naʿăśû*: Niphal perfect, 3rd common plural - were done/practiced
• *lipnêkem*: preposition + noun, masculine plural + 2nd masculine plural suffix - before you
• *wəlōʾ*: waw conjunction + negative particle - and not
• *tiṭṭammʾû*: Hitpael imperfect, 2nd masculine plural - you shall defile yourselves
• *bāhem*: preposition + 3rd masculine plural suffix - by them
• *ʾănî*: 1st person singular pronoun - I
• *YHWH*: proper noun, divine name
• *ʾĕlōhêkem*: noun, masculine plural + 2nd masculine plural suffix - your God

Word Meanings

• *ûšəmartem*: and you shall keep/and you shall observe/and you shall guard
• *mišmartî*: my charge/my ordinance/my command
• *ləbiltî*: so as not to/in order not to
• *ʿăśôt*: do/practice/perform
• *mēḥuqqôt*: from the customs of/from the practices of/from the statutes of
• *tôʿēbōt*: abominations/detestable things/abhorrent practices
• *naʿăśû*: were done/were practiced/were performed
• *tiṭṭammʾû*: you shall defile yourselves/you shall become unclean/you shall be polluted

Referenced Verses

• Lev 20:23 : 23 And ye shall not walk in the customs of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they did all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.
• Lev 22:9 : 9 They shall therefore keep my charge, lest they bear sin for it, and die therein, if they profane it: I am Jehovah who sanctifieth them.
• Deut 11:1 : 1 Therefore thou shalt love Jehovah thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his ordinances, and his commandments, alway.
• Deut 18:9-9 : 9 When thou art come into the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found with thee any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, one that practiseth augury, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, 11 or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah: and because of these abominations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
• Lev 18:2-4 : 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am Jehovah your God. 3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes. 4 Mine ordinances shall ye do, and my statutes shall ye keep, to walk therein: I am Jehovah your God.
• Lev 18:26-27 : 26 Ye therefore shall keep my statutes and mine ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the home-born, nor the stranger that sojourneth among you; 27 (for all these abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you, and the land is defiled);