Hebrew Traits in the Book of Mormon

Hebrew Traits In The Book Of Mormon

By Elder Cecil E. McGavin

Author of “Mormonism and Masonry” and “Cumorah’s Gold Bible.”

MEMBERS of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regard the Bible as the word of God. Though they have other sacred books, the Bible heads the list of inspired scriptures. These other sacred writings testify of the divine origin and sanctity of the Bible. It is certainly not our purpose to belittle or discredit the Holy Bible when we point out that certain features in the Book of Mormon which the critics have objected to are also to be found in the Bible. In this manner we hope to show that the Book of Mormon was indeed based upon an ancient Hebrew text.

In our last article we called attention to a few' Hebraic features of the Book of Mormon. Let us consider the subject further.

The characteristics of the Book which have been ridiculed most by the critics, are those sections which are strictly a literal translation of Hebrew idioms, all of which were in popular usage among the Jews six centuries before the birth of Christ; yet are not good literary construction in English. Almost every part of the Book which is said to exhibit errors of grammar, provincialisms and “Smithisms,” is but a literal translation of a Hebrew text.

ANOTHER TRAIT

Another Hebrew trait common in the Bible and the Book of Mormon is the periodic sentence. This type of construction is an emphatic form of complex or compound sentence where the main clause is placed last. In Exodus 20:7, we find a good example of this popular construction: “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife.” The same kind of construction occurs often in the Book of Mormon. We quote one example from Alma 7:27, “And now may the peace of God rest upon you, and upon your houses and lands, and upon your flocks, and herds, and all that you possess; your women and your children.”

Since the young and unschooled translator of the Nephite Record was not familiar with the customs of the ancient Hebrews, is it not strange that he should repeat so many of them in this modern book which claims to be a translation made from an ancient text, the construction of which was •certainly influenced by the literary standards of the Jews many years before the birth of Christ?

This book has been criticized because certain preachers and writers allow a break to occur in their thoughts, thus halting, hesitating and going far afield, before they return to their central theme and continue to a logical conclusion the proposition they started to explain.

INDICATES ALERTNESS

When this path of deviation is followed, it is an indication of a fertile imagination and an alert mind, the speaker’s brain being flooded with illustrations faster than he can express them in their logical order. It is also an indication of extemporaneous speaking or hasty writing, rather than a carefully planned sermon.

Typical of the criticism of this feature of the book, I quote from the Rev. M. T. Lamb: “The angel had never studied English grammar carefully. He often takes back what he has said, or changes the sense so that the inquiry forces itself upon the reader, ‘Which portion of the sentence is inspired of God?’’’ —M. T. Lamb, “The Mormons and Their Bible,” p. 48.

This peculiar construction occurs often in the Book of Mormon, yet it is purely a Hebrew trait which was perpetuated by Jewish writers after the time of Christ. No Nepnite historian, prophet or scribe ever employed this halting method of exposition more than did the Apostle Paul.

THOUGHT RESUMED

In the first chapter of Romans he pauses to explain the word “Gospel.” He then devotes two verses to a discussion of the Son of God before returning to his general theme. In the fifth chapter of Romans, verse twelve, he alludes to the fall of Adam, then inserts five long verses about condemnation, judgment and wilful sin. In verse fifteen his former thought is resumed, yet not until we reach verse eighteen do we find the thought first expressed in verse twelve completed.

In no place in the Book of Mormon is the chain of thought broken, the line of reasoning interrupted, the completed explanation delayed, more than in the writing of Paul, yet he is regarded throughout Christendom as one of the greatest evangelists of the early Church.

It is surprising that the features of the book that Christian ministers have objected to the most are the ones that are pure Hebrew traits. They were woefully ignorant of early Hebrew literary standards, or maliciously intent upon prejudicing the minds of readers when they raised their voices strongest against the sections that are literal translations from the Hebrew.

The first line in the book furnishes evidence that it was written by an Israelite, “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents,” it begins. Few people have shown the respect for parents that the Israelites have shown. The first verse also reveals an interest in genealogical records, as does the whole book, yet no people have ever guarded their genealogical treasures with more painstaking accuracy and sacred devotion than have the children of Israel.

The Nephites followed the Jewish custom of keeping their women in the background. The names of only six women are to be found in the Book of Mormon.

EXPRESS EMOTION

In both books the Hebraic use of the word “all” is used, though the words “some” or “most” would be more truthful. In Exodus 9:6 we read that, “all the cattle of Egypt died.” In Matthew 3: 5 we are told that, “then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea.” This same Hebrew trait permeates the Book of Mormon.

Some crities have said that the greatest blunder in the Book of Mormon is Nephi’s statement that “a more history part are written upon mine other plates.”—II Nephi 4:40. Instead of Joseph Smith’s limited education being blamed for this expression, we are obliged to say that it is simply a literal translation from the Nephite Record. It was common for Hebrew writers and prophets to use substantives for adjectives. Thus such expressions as a “more history part” instead of “more historical part,” as we would say it is, is as distinctly a Hebrew trait as the trite expression “and it came to pass.” Other examples in the Book of Mormon of this construction are these: “curse of the land,” “words of plainness,” “swords of justice.”

POPULAR POETRY

The presence in the Book of Mormon of perfect examples of Hebrew poetry is a striking coincidence. The most popular form of Hebrew poetry was the couplet of two lines in which the second line repeated, reinforced or completed the thought of the first. This synonymous parellelism is common to both books. In Numbers 23:8 we find a good example.

Two years ago a book came from the press and soon went through several editions. It was said in that volume that Joseph Smith and his family were Quakers and in their daily conversation used such words as “yea,” “nay,” “thee,” “thou,” and other words that reveal a Hebrew text back of the Book of Mormon. The majesty and beauty of the numerous examples of Hebrew poetry in the Book of Mormon cannot be dimmed or concealed by such erroneous explanations.

The Bible will be searched in vain for better examples of Hebrew poetry than is found in II Nephi 4:16-35, which is but a sample of the extensive poetic constructions in the Nephite scriptures.

USED SHORT WORDS

The literary style of the Book of Mormon, which at times rises to sublime heights of majesty and beauty, is not the style of Joseph Smith. Except as a translator he never made the slightest effort to imitate the subtle style of the Hebrew poets. His was the rough, halting, unpolished style of a self-taught man. His words were short ones; his sentences simple, with no attempt to balance or parallel them as was done so effectively in the Book of Mormon.

Critics have called the peculiar constructions in this book “the human side of the Book of Mormon,” whereas they are simply the Hebrew side of the Book of Mormon.

Every page of this great masterpiece bears evidence that Joseph Smith wrote better than he knew when he translated the characters upon the gold plates. After more than a century this great Book continues to be “A Marvellous Work and a Wonder.”