Book of Mormon Evidence: Multiple Priestly Blessings

In a previous evidence article, correspondences between Christ’s blessing upon the Nephites in 3 Nephi 19:25 and the priestly blessing given in Numbers 6:24–26 were explored.1 This article draws upon the research of Matthew Bowen to highlight three additional instances where the priestly blessing in Numbers 6 appears to have been invoked in the Nephite record.2

Alma’s Blessing upon the People of Gideon

At the conclusion of Alma’s address to the people of Gideon in Alma 7, he invoked upon them a priestly blessing. The following chart highlights parallels between Alma’s statements and the priestly blessing given in Numbers 6:3

In addition to the more obvious parallels involving the concepts of “bless,” “keep,” and “peace,” one interesting aspect of Alma’s blessing is the description of the righteous being “brought to sit down” in a heavenly context (Alma 7:25). In ancient Jewish texts, this type of celestial enthronement imagery often signals the immediate presence of God or of being in the presence of his face. This can readily be seen in traditions related to the prophet Enoch, who was transformed into the angel Metatron. Andrei Orlov writes, “Several passages found in the Hekhalot literature depict Metatron and other princes of the Face as attendants who serve the divine Presence in the closest proximity to the Throne, and have the right to enter the immediate presence of the Lord.”4

In the book of 3 Enoch, the Lord even granted unto Enoch-Metatron his own throne. The Lord stated, “I set him [Metatron] as a prince over all the princes, and made him a minister of the throne of glory. … I magnified his throne from the majesty of my throne. … I bestowed on him some of my majesty, some of my magnificence, some of the splendor of my glory, which is on the throne of glory, and I called him by my name, ‘The lesser YHWH, Prince of the Divine Presence, knower of secrets’” (3 Enoch 48c:3–9).5 This language, of course, reflects the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:23–27, with the Lord bestowing both his splendor and name upon the recipient.

Alma’s discussion of the righteous having their “garments spotless” in the heavens appears to be part of the same complex of ideas. Just as Enoch-Metatron—the consummate Prince of the Divine Presence—was enthroned in heaven, he was also given glorious heavenly garments in the presence of the Lord: “Metatron, Prince of the Divine Presence, said to me: Out of the love which he had for me, more than for all the denizens of the heights, the Holy One, blessed be he, fashioned for me a majestic robe, in which all kinds of luminaries were set, and he clothed me in it. He fashioned for me a glorious cloak in which brightness, brilliance, splendor, and luster of every kind were fixed, and he wrapped me in it” (3 Enoch 12:1–3).6

The brilliance of the robe in 3 Enoch mirrors the exceedingly “white” garments spoken of in 3 Nephi 19:25 and the “spotless” garments in Alma 7, each symbolizing purity and holiness. Thus, the dual enthronement and clothing imagery in Alma 7 subtly evokes an ancient aspect of the divine presence and the transferal of God’s glory that is likely not obvious to most readers and yet is congruent with the imagery in Numbers 6:23–27.

Alma’s Blessing upon Shiblon

In what may have been a Passover context, Alma gave a series of final blessings and instructions to his three sons in Alma 36–42.7 The language of the priestly blessing in Numbers 6 is reflected in Alma’s concluding blessing upon his son Shiblon:

In addition to the formal invocation of a “blessing” and the mention of “peace,” we again see the enthronement imagery, with Alma praying that Shiblon would be received in God’s kingdom and “sit down” there. Thus, the points made in the previous section apply here as well. Futhermore, as explained by Bowen,

Corresponding to the Priestly Blessing’s concepts of “keeping,” divine approval, divine favor, and divine presence, Alma blesses Shiblon to be “receiv[ed] at the last day into [the Lord’s] kingdom.” In so doing, Alma draws on the notion of the divine “presence” (i.e., the “kingdom” is the ultimate place of the divine presence) and more broadly on the related theme of at-one-ment with the Lord to which ancient temple architecture (veils, furniture, and other symbols of the divine presence) and temple ritual ultimately point (cf. “the arms of safety” in Alma 34:16). The language of divine reconciliation (atonement) and the temple are fitting for a father lovingly dismissing his son for perhaps the last time.8

Helaman’s Blessing upon Captain Moroni

The third example of priestly blessing language comes from Helaman’s epistle to Captain Moroni in Alma 58.

This example of a priestly blessing is particularly striking, due to the fact that several of its interactions with Numbers 6 suggest the author was aware of the wide semantic range of the underlying Hebrew terms. For instance, the ideas of the Lord making “his face” (pānâw) and “his countenance” (pānâw) to shine upon the righteous (Numbers 6:25) corresponds with notion of being “continually in his presence” (lĕpānâw or lĕpānāyw). Likewise, the phrase “be gracious unto thee” (wîḥunnekā) (Numbers 6:25) and “may he favor” (ḥnn) correlate well, as does “peace” (šālôm) with “success” (šālôm).9 Those looking for a more complete explanation of these correspondences should consult Bowen’s article.10

Conclusion

When the blessing in 3 Nephi 19:25 is included into the mix, there are a total of four different Nephite texts which appear to draw upon the language, imagery, and contextual background of Numbers 6, each in their own way. At the same time, there are consistencies among the Nephite blessings which don’t explicitly turn up in Numbers 6, suggesting the development of an independent tradition stemming from the same biblical source.11 As explained by Bowen, “These subtler lexical, phraseological, and grammatical links appear to show the Book of Mormon’s ancient authors adapting the Aaronic Priestly Blessing in simple yet sophisticated ways for their own immediate needs.”12

It is also notable that, aside from 3 Nephi 19:25, the three blessings covered in this article each use what is known the “jussive mood” (a verbal command or imperative that is more of a wish or request, involving a degree of volition on the part of the one being directed). This matches well with the underlying language in Numbers 6.13 It is also fascinating that each of these three blessings comes at the conclusion of a discourse. It thus seems unlikely that these similarities are the product of random chance.

On the other hand, these don’t seem like the type of consistencies that would likely result from Joseph Smith orally dictating a lengthy, complex text in 1829. The idea that he picked up on the significance of the priestly prayer in Numbers 6 and then wove this language into four separate Nephite blessings, which also have their own internal consistencies, doesn’t match his known education and literary capacity.14 Even more difficult to explain are the subtle semantical correspondences with the underlying Hebrew wording of Numbers 6, as well as the seemingly tangential ideas (such as enthronement and clothing imagery) that nicely fit the theological backdrop of that text.

When the complexity of these textual relationships is combined with the lexical and theological clues hinting at their antiquity, they amount to impressive evidence supporting the Book of Mormon’s ancient origins and divine translation.