Hebraism in the Book of Mormon — Emphatic pronouns and verbs
In Semitic languages, it is common for a pronoun or verb to be followed by a repetition of the pronoun or verb, often with the word ‘even’. This emphatic phrasing is common in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon, further bolstering the declaration that the Book of Mormon is a translated document taken from ancient writings. Examples include:
From the Hebrew Bible:
- Genesis 6:17 — “Behold, I, even I, do bring a flood…”
- Genesis 27:38 — “bless me, even me also, O my father…”
- 1 Kings 18:22 — “Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet…”
From the Book of Mormon:
- 2 Nephi 28:3 — “…I, I am the Lord’s… I, I am the Lord’s…”
- Mosiah 2:26 — “And I, even I, whom ye call your king…”
- Mosiah 5:3 — “And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God…”
- Mosiah 10:10 — “…and I, even I, in my old age, did go up to battle…”
- Alma 4:2 — “…the people were afflicted, yea, greatly afflicted…”
- Alma 5:3 — “…we, ourselves,…”
- Alma 24:16 — “…we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them…”
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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