Hebrew Idioms and Analogies in the Book of Mormon, V

:

Hebrew Idioms and Analogies in the

Book of Mormon

BY THOMAS W. BROOKBANK, ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE MILLEN-

NIAL star"

V

12 Omission after Numerals.

"In enumerations of familiar objects, the noun is sometimes

omitted when the meaning- is sufficiently plain from the connec-

tion;" (Greene's Hebrezv Grammar, par. 251: 2. c) as,

"Ten" (shekels) "of gold" (Gen. 24-22); "three hundred" (pieces)

"of silver" (Gen. 45:22); "six" (mesaures) "of barley" (Ruth 3; 15);

"Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty (soldiers) with his

fifty" (men) (II. Kings 1:9); "Of the Jews received forty (stripes)

save one" (II Cor. 11:24); "And there were more than forty (of his

enemies) which had made this conspiracy" (Acts 23:13).

The Book of Mormon is conformable in this respect, as,

"Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, (ser-

vants or soldiers), yea, even he can slay fifty, (of his enemies) then

why not us?" (I Nephi 3:31). "My little band of two thousand

and sixty" (young soldiers) Alma, 57:19, 20, 25); "Give heed unto

the words of these twelve (ministers or representatives) whom I have

chosen" (III. Nep., 12:1; 13:25; 15:11; 19:6; Mormn. 3:18, 19; Moro. 2:

1); "By the word of three" (witnesses) "God hath said, I will es-

tablish my word" (II Nep., 11 :3) ; "But the former three (brethren)

he took with him" (Al. 31:6); "Save it were the three (disciples) who

were to tarry" (IV. Nep., 1:14).

13. Numerals with a Possessive.

Numerals used in a possessive sense are doubtless more char-

acteristicallyHebraic than is the omission of nouns after them.

In the examples which follow, it will be observed that both an

omission and the idea of possession occur in the same expression

"And Elijah arrived and said to the captain of fifty. If I be a

man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume

thee and 'thy' fifty." (II. Kin^s 1 :10) "and also he sent unto him

;

another captain of fifty with 'his fifty' " (verse 11) in verse 14 of

;

this chapter the possessive "their" fifties is found.

BOOK OF MORMON EXAMPLES

In expressions identical with those just given which show an

: —

882 IMPROVEMENT ERA

omission after a numeral and the idea of possession at the same

time, the Book of Mormon supplies examples as follows

"For, behold, he (the Lord) is mightier than all the earth, then

why not mightier than Laban and 'his' fifty, yea, even than 'his' tens

of thousands" (I. Nephi 4:1). "My men were hewn down, yea, even

'my' ten thousand"(Mormon 6:10); "And Lamah had fallen with 'his'

ten thousand, and Gilgal had fallen with 'his' ten thousand; and Lim-

hah had fallen with 'his' ten thousand; and Joneam had fallen with

'his' ten thousand; and Camenihah, and Moronihah, * * * had

fallen with 'their' ten thousand each. * * * and there were ten

more who did fall bv the sword, with 'their' ten thousand each"

(Mormon 6:14, 15); "I did return with 'my' two thousand" (Alma

56:49, 50, 54; see also chap. 57:19, 25).

To conclude, "their fifty" is a reading in Mos. -11:19. The

Book of Mormon examples, showing the use

significance of these

of possessive numerals, does not so much appear on their face,

though corresponding perfectly with Hebrew practice, as it does

when viewed in the light of what Prof. Greene (Hebrew Grammar,

par. 250:2,(2 a), says respecting them, to wit: "The following

numerals occur with pronominal suffixes having a possessive

sense." Omitting the Hebrew which he gives, they are, "thy

fifty," "his fifty," "their fifties," "my thousand," "your thou-

sands" and "his ten thousands"

The learned author does not state in so many words that no

other numerals are ever so used in the Hebrew, nor that these

particular ones are never used with a noun in the possessive; but

his language, we think, sustains these inferences quite plainly.

Now, we find that the Book of Mormon does use in a possessive

s-nse the very numerals which Hebrew practice sanctions accord-

ing to Prof. Greene but it never transgresses these limits.

; It

further conforms to the Hebraic use of pronominal possessives,

in case, but never is at fault by the use of a noun in the posses-

sive. It isremarkable how the latter forms were avoided in the

narrative, which relates the destruction of those many thousands

of soldiers. Unless there was some justifying reason, not appar-

ent to us. but which would satisfy a Jew, how shall we account

for the form of Hebraic expression so faithfully adhered to,

when an English author would more naturally unite, for ex-

ample, "and Joneam's ten thousand" and Gilgal's "whole army of

ten thousand men were also killed and the generals with them"?

14. Omissions Not Connected With Numerals

The remarks under this number and the next one also relate

to Hebraic practices which give rise to faults in composition

glaring ones, too. when compared with English standards of

quality. Translators of the Hebrew into our language find it

:

HEBREW IDIOMS IN THE BOOK OF MORMON 883

necessary, in many instances, to supply some word or words not

found in the text, in order to make, for various reasons, the ren-

dering more acceptable to us than a literal translation could at

all do.

The italicised words in our Bibles are supplied, not being

a part of the Hebrew text and if we omit them in our reading,

;

the completeness of expression in English composition when con-

trasted with the Hebrew will become very manifest, as, "Then

the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that

therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidoni-

ans, quiet and secure, and no magistrate in the land, that might

put to shame in thing, and they far from the Zidonians, and had

no business with man"

to be supplied, — —

Judg. 18:7, see the text for the words

this passage is by no means an extreme one to

illustrate the point in view.

"Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to prove Israel

by them, * * fine lords of the Philistines." Judg. 3:1-3. Supply

"namely" before "fine lords."

—

"When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of

his father, Thou hast clothing." Isa. 3:6. —

Supply "saying" after

"father."

BOOK OF MORMON OMISSIONS

In the following illustrations the italicised words are supplied

by the writer of these remarks

"Wherefore a commandment I give unto you, * * namely, that

ye revile no more against them." Jac. 3 :9. —

"And behold this was the desire which I desired of him, namely;

That if it should be so."— Enos.

—"I knew that the Lord had delivered Laban into my

And again

1:13.

hands for cause, namely, That

this might obtain the records accord-

I

ing to his commandments." — Nep. See also

I. Nep. 4:36;

4:17. I. II.

Nep. 10:15; Alma 9:25; Mos. 4:8-9.

"For in the

last night the angel spake unto me, saying that this

[Christ] should be his name." II. Nep. 10:3.—

"The voice of the Lord came unto my father, saying, that we

should arise and go down into the ship." I. Nep. 18:5. —

For other omissions of this same word see I. Nephi 10:2, 5,

12, and frequently.

"And we cast lots to determine who of its," I. Nep. 3:11. —

"And we had obtained the records which the Lord had com-

—

manded us" to obtain. T. Nep. 5:21.

"And it came to pass that after I had prayed." I. Nep. 8:9. —

"T beheld many cities, yea, even so manv that I did not number

them."— I. Nep. 12:3.

"And their garments were white, even like unto the garments of

the lamb of God."— I. Nep. 12:11.

"We cannot write an account of them all." — I. Nep. 17:6.

" * * my wife with her tears and prayers, and also my children

zvith theirs, did not soften the hearts." I. —

Nep. 18:19.

884 IMPROVEMENT ERA

Omissions from the text of the Book of Mormon are fre-

quently observable. Those pointed out are nearly all found in the

first few chapters, and by no means include all that occur there.

Several examples in which the word "namely" may be supplied

are given in order to show that though opportunities were pre-

sented quite often for its use in a work which some allege was

written by an English speaking impostor, it might just as well

never have been coined, so far as its service in the Book of Mor-

mon is concerned.

Itappears also that it was a term not found in the vocabu-

lary of the Hebrew writers of the Bible. Its use, or that of

synonymous terms, would have occasioned a formality in their

compositions, which, if they did not study to avoid, seems to re-

sult from some peculiarity of the ancient Jewish mind, which led

them, as we have seen, to string out their proposition without us-

ing many of those appropriate particles of connection which so

largely characterize the English. In a few places the Book of

Mormon shows a touch of formality, as, for example, in Mos. 2:

23, 24, where the phrases "in the first place," and "secondly," are

employed but that work, taken altogether, is built on strict Jewish

;

models as an informal composition.

(to be continued.)

CARBON STAKE TABERNACLE

Located at Price, Carbon county, Utah, was built during 1911-14,

and is not yet dedicated. Built of gray and white cement brick; cost

$42,000. It has eleven rooms and a Relief Society hall, a library, a

boiler house, a baptismal font, cloak rooms, and an amusement hall in

the basement. The main auditorium has a seating capacity of twelve

hundred. Miles E. Miller, a graduate of the University of Utah and

of the Latter-day Saints University, is the architect.