--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Sjodahl, J. M. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 16 number: 6 published: 1913-04 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Sjodahl, J. M., "The Word “Kolob”," *Improvement Era* 16, no. 6 (April 1913): 620–623.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1606unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1606unse start_page: 620 end_page: 623 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1913-04) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1606unse publication_year: 1913 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1913, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Word “Kolob” The Word "Kolob" BY J. M. SJODAHL, EDITOR OF THE "DESERET NEWS" According to the Book of Abraham, a that the motion observed is not aimtranslation of which was given to the less. The stars are not floating about world by the Prophet Joseph Smith, at random, but they are "governed" the system of worlds to which our globe by the same law which our planets and the nearest orbs belong is "gov- and their satellites obey. So far science erned" by a great central sun, first has come to accept as true the revelain the order of creationand located tions given in the Book of Abraham. near the throne of God. This great The following is a brief and clear world, the Book of Abraham informs statement of the scientific view. It is us, rotates around its axis in a period by Joseph L. Barfoot, quoted by George oi time equal to a thousand of our Reynolds, in his commentary on tin years, and this is "a day" according Book of Abraham, page 32: to the celestialmeasurement of time. "The Earth rotates on its axis, and In other words, the Book of Abraham moves in its orbit by the power imteaches that as' the moon revolves parted to its mass by the solar forces; the deflective force from the line of the around the Earth, being "governed" by sun's motion, produced by the sun's roit, and as the Earth and the other tation on its axis, and its progression planets with their satellites, move around the center of momentum of the system to which it belongs. And, since around the sun, so our sun and many neither the Earth, nor any other body other suns revolve around another cen- of matter, has power without motion, ter, and so on, until we come to the so. in the sun's great power we have evidence of its progressive motion. The great center around which the entire rotation of the sun of more than 6,900 cluster of stars which form our part feet per second would demand a velocof the universe revolves. ity of progression of over 26,000 feet per second. Herschel, by observation, The name of this great center is was led to conclude that 'the sun, "Kolob." somehow, moved toward Hercules with The wonderful astronomical truth the velocity of the Earth, of 100,000 feet per second, and to infer that the here revealed was barely suspected by sun actually describes a great orbit a. few of the most advanced scientists around some undiscriminated center.' at the time the Book of Abraham was Sir R. Philips analogically estimated published. Generally the stars were the size of this orbit, and announced that with equal centripetal and cencalled "fixed" and our sun was sup- trifugal force, it would require an orbit posed to be a "fixed" star. Now opin- of 162,865 millions of miles, performed ions have changed. It is known that in exactly 25,868 years,, the period of the precession of the equinoxes. And as the stars are in motion through space. the earth and the other planets of It is known, for instance, that the this system rotate by reason of the bright double star Capella is receding central solar motion, and turn on their axes by being deflected from a right from us at the rate of about twenty line in their respective orbits, Philips miles a second, or more than a million has shown that the sun and all other miles a day. Arcturus is thought to be planets rotate, as a result of the opapproaching us at the rate of five miles eration of the same law of motion, and the fact that all its satellites move a second. Vega and its companion in elliptical (egg-shaped, to be exact) star are approaching us at the rate of orbits shows that the solar center is thirty-five miles a second, and they advancing." seem to mark the point in space, or But it has been asserted that the very nearly so, toward which our solar word "Kolob" is unknown to the Egypsystem is traveling. And although the tian language. We confess our inability orbits of the larger heavenly luminaries to perceive how that assertion can be are too vast for human measurement, oroved, notwithstanding- the fact that or calculation, it is a logical conclusion it has the support of so great an au- . "JOSEPH SMITH, JR., AS A TRANSLATOR" 621 thority as Dr. A. H. S'ayce; of Ox- guages and a source of information ford university. It may not be found in concerning the meaning Semitic of any inscription, or text, so far ex- words. Now it happens that in this amined by the scientists, but that does branch of the Semitic languages the not prove that it was never used by word "Kolob" has been retained to this Egyptians. Some scrap of literature in clay with the very meaning clearly ataddition to the Book of Abraham may tached to it in the Book of Abraham. yet be discovered in which the word The verb is "qalab," which means to occurs. "turn." The noun "qalb" means As an illustration. Dr. Michael Rus- "heart," "soul," "center," "core," etc. sell, who wrote his book about Egypt, But the plural of "qalb' is "qulob" (or in the year 1831, notes that at that "qolob"), and this is th« very name time the numerals from 13 to 20 and given to the great Center of our part from 60 to 100, in the demotic form of the universe. We append a photoof notation, had not been determined graphic reproduction of part of a page by actual discovery. But who would of the dictionary by Messrs. S. Kassab say that those numerals, because not and G. Hamman, containing the word actually discovered at that time, were with its English equivalents. We have foieign to the Egyptians? Neither Dr. spelled the word in this paragraph with Sayce, nor anybody else, would stake a ''')" because we believe it is the his reputation on such a proposition. most common custom of so rendering Why do so in the case of the word the Arabic letter "qof," but that let- "Kolob?" There is no complete list of ter is also called"kaf," and it would words of any of the very ancient lan- have been equally correct to render it gu ages. with a "k." There is another ''kaf," But, let us suppose that the word though, in the Arabic alphabet, and it in question is not of Egyptian origin. is customary, we believe, to render one Indeed, it is very probable that it is with "q" and the other with "k." net. Is that any argument against the genuineness of the Book of Abraham? Abraham spoke a Semitic language The revelation contained in his Book oTX J& concerning the construction of the universe was given to him before he went j^iLa Heart; soul 7T _~1» u3 7- -rU-.\_i , to Egypt. (Pearl of Great Price, page rt mind, secret thought; centre, core; kernel; best 61.) Naturally, therefore, the names of nd purest pnrt, essence. the stars were revealed to him in his ;, own language. The question of inter- Inversely t~^>. est to us now is whether "Kolob" is a In re- Ac) ^pXj \$ _3.^V. Semitic word, properly used in the con- 'e w ron~ nection in which it occurs. One learned scholar, Dr. Mercer, asserts with a Our learned critics have realized the great deal of confidence that it is not importance of this controversy. They Egyptian; "neither is it Semitic," he. are aware of the fact that when it is adds, "in the sense in which Smith proved that the names which occur in used it." This author- Is that true? the Book of Abraham are true Semitic, ity rather positive. But with equal is or Egyptian words, correctly used, they assurance we make the counter asser- will be compelled by the force of logic tion that the word is Semitic and prop- to accept as true the claim of the Lat- erly used, and, furthermore, that the ter-day Saints as to the inspiration of Prophet Joseph is not responsible for the translator, and the genuineness and occurrence in the book of which authenticity of the books he repro- its but the translator. And this we duced. There is no escape from this he is conclusion. For the Prophet Joseph hope to prove. The Arabic is, next after the Hebrew, was not a scholar, in the generally lan- accepted meaning of that word, any the most important of the Semitic 622 1M I'ROVEMENT ERA more than was Peter or John. With- be closely related in origin and develout the light of inspiration Illuminating 1 opment. his mind ho would never have been Kolob, according to the Book of ahle to discover the truths revealed In A Inn ham, is a group of stars. The the writings he was instrumental in name is therefore plural, for the same giving to the world. reason that we use the plural form of But the word "Kolob" is plural, and the word "Pleiades." this fact deserves special attention. In We have in these paragraphs, conthe Book of Abraham we read: sidered only the word "Kolob." There are others which are very clearly "And T saw the stars, that they were Semitic. "Libnah" is Hebrew, and also very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and Arabic. The verb is "laban." which there were many great ones which were means "to be white." ft is found in near unto it; and the Lord said unto me, These are the governing ones; and "Lebanon," "Libnah," and many other the name of the great one is Kolob." words in the Semitic languages, and, what is of peculiar interest to us, it is That is to say, as we read it, Kolob said to occur in the Egvptian in the is not a single star, but an aggrega- form "labitu." (Gesenlus Hebreishes tion of stars, one of which is nearest und Arameisches Handwoerterbuch.) unto the throne of God, and all of "Elkanah" is Hebrew. "Korash" may which together form the "great one"— be the Egyptian "Kerasher," and Kolob; for "these are the governing ones." And that is the reason why the "Mahmackrah" may be a variation word is plural. It stands for a plural- of the Egptian "ma-ka-ra," meanity of stars in the great star center. ing, we understand, "truth, the life of The name then is analogous to the Ha." The Egyptians, in the early period, Hebrew "mayim," or "shamayim," had the habit of using superfluous letjr "Elohim," all of which are plural ters in their writings. They would forms, denoting respectiv»Jy a plurality represent the world "pyramid," "mer." of lake^, or oceans, of water," of with sighs which might for instance, "heavens," and of persons in the God- be read "mermer" instead of "mer." head. In the same way the word "babau," Here, then, we have another great "hole," is found with a "ba and an astronomic truth indicated, which was "a" too many. This may account for not known at the time this book was the duplication of "Ma" in "mahmacktranslated. Astronomers now tell us rah," but this suggestion is offered that the spectroscope has revealed the merely as an hypothesis. fact that many of the brightest stars There is one peculiarity about the are double, consisting of one sun re- work of God, both in nature and in volving around another, and that the revelation, and that is that the closer group of stars known as the Pleiades they are examined the more wonderful consists of a great many large stars. they appear in beauty, in perfection, in How far distant this beautiful constel- fullness. It is so in nature. The most lation is from us is not known. All that humble the most insignificant flower, scientists can tell us is that it takes animal, no less than the brilliant star the light two or three hundred years cluster, contains inexhaustible materia] to reach us from that part of the uni- for study and contemplation. It is so verse, or perhaps more, though it trav- with the Bible. Every text is a gem, els at the rate of 1S6,400 miles a second. every chapter a treasure. It is the But by means of photography it has same with the Book of Mormon, the been ascertained that there are over Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine 3,000 stars in that group, where the and Covenants. Every part of these naked eye can see only six or seven records contains some evidence of their They all have the same general move- divine inspiration. To the student who ment in the heavens, and by the fact examines them with a heart open to that they are all one type, the of truth they are full of informaiton.— "Sirian," it is thought that they must Deseret News. : — "JOSEPH SMITH, JR, AS A TRANSLATOR" 623