Synthetic parallelism
A major literary device in Hebrew poetry is parallelism. Often, the parallelism is synonymous—the same idea is restated in different words, side by side. Antithetical parallelism provides an antithesis, or contrast. Synthetic parallelism involves the completion or expansion of the idea of the first part of a phrase in the second part of the phrase. An examples is found in Psalm 42:1 — “As a doe longs for running streams, so longs my soul for you, O God.” The existence of this Hebrew grammatical phrasing in the Book of Mormon is further evidence that the Book of Mormon is translated ancient scripture, and not the product of a fertile, devious mind in the 1820’s.
From the Hebrew Bible:
- Psalm 19:7-9 — “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgements of the Lord are true, righteous altogether.”
- Proverbs 1:8 — “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.”
From the Book of Mormon:
- 2 Nephi 2:25 — “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”
- 2 Nephi 9:31-38 — “And wo unto the deaf that will not hear; for they shall perish. Wo unto the blind that will not see, for they shall perish also…”
- Mosiah 23:21— “…the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.”
- Helaman 12:7 — “O how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth. ”
- Alma 60:36 — “I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God…”
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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