FAIR Topical Guide

Guide Home > Scripture and Influential Writings > Book of Mormon > Textual Issues > Hebraisms

Additional Topics

The following are additional topic areas related to Hebraisms. If there is a bracket number after the topic, that number indicates how many actual articles there are related to that subject. If the link for the topic is not live, it simply means the topic is a 'planned area' for future growth.

FAIR Resources

These links are either to Web pages hosted on the FAIR Website, or to FAIR Papers. FAIR Papers are short articles about specific topics or questions, written by members of FAIR. These articles can be downloaded and read in PDF format and are intended to be distributed by e-mail or print for the general use of our patrons. (To read FAIR Papers you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader. It can be downloaded free from the Adobe Web site.) Click on a title below to visit a FAIR Web page or to read the latest version of a FAIR Paper.

Ben Spackman, Negative Questions in the Book of Mormon. One of the evidences of the divine translation of the Book of Mormon is the presence of ancient Hebrew literary forms and structures that Joseph Smith could not be expected to have recognized and used. Most Latter-day Saints are familiar with chaiastic structures found in the Book of Mormon, but many are not aware of many other literary and grammatical structures that evidence its ancient origin. Spackman examines the Book of Mormon's use of a Hebraism where a negative rhetorical question is used to indicate a positive meaning. Spackman illustrates this form from both the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament.

John A. Tvedtnes, "Hebrew Names in the Book of Mormon," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, 14 January 2002) Discussion of the Hebrew root of some names used in the Book of Mormon. This paper was presented in Jerusalem, August 2001, at the Thirteenth World Congress of Jewish Studies.

Encyclopedia of Mormonism

The resources listed below are articles available in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism. These links are to information not located on the FAIR Web site.

Brian D. Stubbs, "Book of Mormon Language," Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1992), 179-181

Ensign Articles

These articles cited below provide information on the topic of this page. The Ensign is one of the official publications of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you click on one of the article links below, you are whisked to the article found in the archives of the Church's Web site.

Donald W. Parry, "Hebrew Literary Patterns in the Book of Mormon," Ensign, October 1989, 58.

Other Resources

The resources listed below are related items available on the Web that should be of interest. These links are to information not located on the FAIR Web site.

Russel Anderson, Hebrew Writing Styles and Idioms. A short collection of Hebrew Idioms that appear in the Book of Mormon

RoseAnn Benson and Stephen D. Ricks, "Treaties and Covenants: Ancient Near Eastern Legal Terminology in the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2005), 48-61 Benson and Ricks demonstrate that the Book of Mormon follows authenticly ancient Old World customs regarding treaties and covenants as well as what these covenants mean to the people of God.

Jeff Lindsay, Numerous Hebraic Language Structures . This article discusses the Hebraic language structure in the Book of Mormon and how the "bad grammer" in the Book is an evidence of its truth.

Royal Skousen, "Joseph Smith's Translation of the Book of Mormon: Evidence for Tight Control of the Text," Journal of Book Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1998) Skousen argues that when Joseph translated the Book of Mormon, he followed almost precisely what was on the plates ("tight control").

Sidney B. Sperry, "The Book of Mormon as Translation English," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1995), 209-217 The Book of Mormon is a translation, containing details of the original language in which it is written. Very few of the writers would have had a working knowledge of Egyptian; the writing would more likely be a Hebraized Egyptian. The Book of Mormon contains many passages from Isaiah, more correctly translated than in the King James Version. Various examples of the Hebrew construct state are evident in Joseph Smith's translation, together with direct translations of Hebrew idioms.http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=jbms&id=91&previous=L3B1YmxpY2F0aW9ucy9ib29rb2Ztb3Jtb252aWV3LnBocA==

John A. Tvedtnes, "Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon: A Preliminary Study," BYU Studies (Provo, UT: BYU) Though the Book of Mormon expressly states that it is written in the “language of the Egyptians,” (1 Nephi 1:2), nevertheless, it quite clearly reflects a number of Hebrews idioms and contains numerous Hebrews words. This is no doubt due to the fact that the Nephites retained the Hebrews language, albeit in an altered form (See Mormon 9:35). Moreover, it is not impossible that the plates themselves contained Hebrews words, idioms, and syntax written in Egyptian cursive script (Moroni’s “reformed Egyptian”—see Mormon 9:32). In this present treatise, we will not be concerned so much with the methodology involved in the writing of the Book of Mormon as with the evidence for the use of Hebrews expressions, or of expressions akin thereto. Only the more important examples will be cited.

FAIR is not owned, controlled by or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All research and opinions provided on this site are the sole responsibility of FAIR, and should not be interpreted as official statements of LDS doctrine, belief or practice.

If you like what FAIR does and you agree with our mission, we invite you to support FAIR in any way you are able. You can make a donation, or visit our Membership page for additional support ideas. FAIR only succeeds through the efforts of our gracious volunteers.

Welcome | Topical Guide | FAIR Publications | Join & Support FAIR | Message Boards
FAIR LDS Bookstore | News | FAIR Links | Contact FAIR | Home

Last Updated August 30, 2009
Copyright © 2010 by The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research. All Rights Reserved.
No portion of this site may be reproduced on any other Web site or in any other print publication
without the express written consent of FAIR. You may freely link to this information, however, or you
may print out copies to give to others, provided this copyright notice is included in your printout.

You can send comments/suggestions using our contact page.