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evidenceperiphrastic ( ** )

Periphrastic did


The periphrastic did occurs almost 1700 times in the Book of Mormon.  It consists of the word ‘did’ followed a verb.  This method of speaking was used in centuries past but was almost nonexistent in Joseph Smith’s time.  The periphrastic did comes in three forms:  1) Adjacency — as in 1 Nephi 1:15, which reads, “…for his soul did rejoice…”   2) Intervening subject — as in Jacob 7:6, which reads, “…on this wise did he speak unto me…”   3) Intervening adverb — as in 1 Nephi 7:3, which reads, “…I Nephi, did again, with my brethren, go forth…”.  It is highly unlikely that Joseph Smith, if writing the Book of Mormon by himself, would have had the knowledge of or proficiency with this archaic phrasing.

From the Hebrew Bible:

  • Genesis 3:12 — “…the woman thou gavest me, she gave me of the fruit of the tree, and I did eat…”
  • Exodus 16:35 — “…and the children of Israel did eat manna for forty years…”

From the Book of Mormon:

  • 1 Nephi 1:15 — “…for his soul did rejoice…”
  • 1 Nephi 16:39 – 17:1 — “…the voice of the Lord did speak many words…and did chasten them…they did turn away their anger…and did repent of their sins…the Lord did bless us again…that we did not perish…we did again take our journey…and we did travel…and we did travel…our women did bear children…”
  • Mosiah 6:6-7 — “…king Mosiah did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe his judgements and his statues, and did keep his commandments in all things…And king Mosiah did cause his people that they should tille the earth.  And he also, himself, did till the earth…”
  • Mosiah 10:1-9 — “…did guard…did inherit…did cause…did cause…did prosper…did have…did place…”

All of the above is further evidence that the Book of Mormon is indeed sacred, translated scripture, and not the crafty deceptions of a cunning, sinister young man, as the critics would propose.  Joseph Smith would have had no idea of the existence of this Hebrew literary phrasing, and its existence in the Book of Mormon is convincing evidence of the authenticity of this translated book of scripture.


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