Hebraism in the Book of Mormon — Emphatic repetitions
The repetition of a thought or of a specific grouping of words is a very common grammatical occurrence in the Hebrew and Semitic languages. There are numerous instances in the Book of Mormon where this technique is utilized to simply emphasize an important point. This Hebraic influence is seen repeatedly in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Examples include:
From the Bible:
- Exodus 4:4 — “…Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it…”
- 1 Samuel 15:3 — “…but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass…”
- 1 Samuel 15:9 — “…of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good…”
- Matthew 4:16 — “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up.”
- John 3:15-16 — “…that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life….that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life…”
From the Book of Mormon:
- 1 Nephi 9:3-4 — these plates for a ministry of my people, other plates for the reign of the kings, these plates for the ministry, other plates for reigns of the kings
- 1 Nephi 10:3 — “…be brought back out of captivity; and after they should be brought back out of captivity…”
- 1 Nephi 10:13-14 — “…that we should be scattered upon all the face of the earth. And after the house of Israel should be scattered…”
- 1 Nephi 10:19 — “…as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come…”
- 1 Nephi 11:1 — “…a high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot.”
- 1 Nephi 11:7 — “…and him shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall bear record…”
- 1 Nephi 11:12 — “Look! And I looked as if to look upon him…”
- 2 Nephi 6:17 — “…the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered…”
- 2 Nephi 6:18 — “…I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh, and they shall be drunken with their own blood…”
- 2 Nephi 9:20 — “For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.”
- 2 Nephi 24:25 — “…then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.”
- 2 Nephi 25:28-29 — “…for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not…I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not…”
- 2 Nephi 26:26-28 — “Hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues?…Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvations?…Hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness?”
- 2 Nephi 27:26 — “…I will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder…”
- Mosiah 10:12-13 — “…and that they were wronged…and they were also wronged…and again, that they were wronged…”
- Mosiah 10:14-16 — “…his brethren were wroth…they were also wroth…and again they were wroth…and again they were wroth…”
- Mosiah 12:26 — “…wo unto you for perverting the ways of the Lord! For if ye understand these things ye have not taught them; therefore, ye have perverted the ways of the Lord.”
- Alma 5:6 — “…sufficiently retained in remembrance…sufficiently retained in remembrance…sufficiently retained in remembrance…”
- Alma 7:3 — “…that I should find that…that I should find that…that I should find that…”
- Alma 7:6 — “…I trust that…I trust that…I trust that…I trust that…”
- Alma 7:19-20 — “… I perceive that ye are in the paths...I perceive that ye are in the path…I perceive that ye are making his paths…I perceive that it has been made known unto you…that he cannot walk in crooked paths…”
- Alma 11:44 — “…this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous;”
- Alma 12:14 — “…our words will condemn us…our works will condemn us…our thoughts will also condemn us…”
- Alma 13:7 — “…without beginning of days or end of years…”
- Alma 14:29 — “…and fled from the presence of Alma and Amulek…and thus they did flee from the presence of Alma and Amulek.”
- Alma 16:11 — “…bodies were heaped up upon the face of the earth…”
- Alma 26:6 — “…not be beaten down by the storm…neither harrowed up by the whirlwinds…when the storm cometh they shall be gathered…the storm cannot penetrate…neither driven with fierce winds…”
- Alma 26:16 — “…let us glory, yea, we will glory…we will rejoice, for our joy is full…”
- Alma 26:36 — “…blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people…blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us…”
- Alma 30:10 — “But if he murdered he was punished unto death; and if he robbed he was also punished; and if he stole he was also punished; and if he committed adultery he was also punished; yea, for all this wickedness they were punished.”
From the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price
- Moses 7:9 — “…the land of Sharon, and the land of Enoch, and the land of Omner, and the land of Heni, and the land of Shem, and the land of Haner, and the land of Hanannihah,…”
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 in upstate New York in the 1820’s, as the critics would propose.
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