Concerning the Book of Mormon Clause “It Came to Pass”

EDITORS' TABLE 685

British mission 9 Northern States mission . 6

California mission 5 Northwestern States mission 6

Central States mission 10 Samoan mission 8

Eastern States mission 4 Scandinavian mission 6

Hawaiian mission 9 Swedish mission 1

losepa Colony 1 Southern States mission 46

Japanese mission 1 Tahitian mission 2

Netherlands mission 2 Western States mission 3

New Zealand mission 3

All 46 places in the Southern States mission, with the ex-

ception of the headquarters in Chattanooga, have been provided

for by the mission itself. The president of the Southern States

mission has made his mission self-sustaining, and is able to send

a portion of the tithings of the people there to the Presiding Bish-

op's office, besides. I think it is a worthy example for some of

the rest of our brethren.

To me these are very interesting facts, and I think they are

facts that everybody in the Church, should know. I would like

to say that the books in the Bishop's office are open to Latter-

day Saints. There isn't a Latter-day Saint anywhere who may not

obtain information with reference to these matters and others of

interest to himself, at any time when he desires to obtain them

for his own information and benefit, and for the work of the

ministry in which he may be engaged. It is open to him.

Now, the Lord bless you. I hope you will pardon me for

occupying so much of your time. God bless Zion. My heart

is with this work, and this people. I love God. I know that he is,

and I know that my Redeemer lives. May the Lord help us to

abide in the truth and be faithful and vigilant and valiant unto

the windng up of our labor in life, is my prayer in the name of

Jesus. Amen.

Concerning the Book of Mormon Clause— "It Came to Pass"

Editor Improvement Era: It is interesting and encour-

aging, though assuredly not surprising, to find that the articles

in course of current publication through your pages on

"Hebrew

Idioms and Analogies in the Book of Mormon" attract the at-

tention of scholarly readers among both members and non-mem-

bers of the Church. The author, Brother Thomas W. Brook-

bank, at present engaged as a missionary called to special service

in England, should find satisfaction in the valuable results of his

research, and in the assurance of the good he is accomplishing.

His analytical study of the language of the Book of Mormon

and his excellent contributions to the literature of the subject

to be of

are of more than present interest; they will continue

students in this important field of investigation.

assistance to

686 IMPROVEMENT ER »

In a letter recently received from a personal friend, who is a

gentleman of high attainments in literature and philology, ap-

proving reference is made to Brother Brookbank's writings and ;

this is followed by a commentary on the connective or continuant

clause, "It came to pass," which is of so frequent occurrence

in the Book of Mormon as to have claimed the attention of

readers of all classes. Although my able and gifted correspond-

ent was not writing for publication when he indited the letter re-

ferred to, I take the liberty of transmitting herewith an extract

from his communication, knowing that such will be of value to

your readers.

Salt Lake City, Respectfully,

April 20, 1914. James E. Talmage.

THE COMMENT

I have read with interest the articles on "Hebrew Idioms in

Book of Mormon," by Thomas W. Brookbank, in the Im-

the

—

provement Era. The last installment read by me ''Concerning

the Use of the Hebrew Conjunction for 'and' ", is very suggestive,

and in this same connection, there is an even more suggestive

"evidence" to be found. As is perennially familiar, the phrase

"it came to pass" has been quoted as an "earmark" of the Book

of Mormon, although not common in the English transla-

tions of the Old Testament. As this writer probably knows, how-

ever, the expression, where it occurs in the Hebrew or Greek

is a phrase merely.

scriptures, In the Hebrew, there are two

words used with this translation, one meaning "to come in," "to

befall," "to happen," etc., the other the verb '.'to be." Alto-

gether there are about thirty examples of this phrase in the Old

Testament, and something over one hundred in the New Testa-

ment, representing the verb "to come."

To derive a Hebrew idiom, however, from the use of this

phrase in the Book of Mormon, one need only consider that the

rule with narrative writings in the Old Testament is to begin

sentences or clauses with a connective particle. This may be

seen by running the eye down a page of Kings, Chronicles, etc.,

and noting the number of verses beginning with "and." The

verbs above mentioned are used in about the same way, as simple

continuants or links in the chain of thought.

It may be seen, therefore, that the text of the Book of Mor-

mon exhibits, in the use of a constant connective expression, a

close analogy to a regular idiom of the Hebrew language. It

would be difficult indeed to establish the contention that a modern

writer should burden his mind with the constant repetition of

such a stilted phrase, when the direct style of narrative would be

much more effective and much easier to write. It would be