“Hebraisms” found in the Book of Mormon!
“In the Jewish mind, when we read a text that has language that is curious, peculiar, we don’t like many scholars in the scholarly academic world, we don’t try to edit our test. We say that this structure, as clumsy or as peculiar as it is, or as repetitive as it is, it’s intentional. Every word is necessary, every word is foundational to more sacred understanding, a sacred growth. Had we said it in a simple way or a more literate way, you would have missed the point. There are Hebraic or linguistic Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon. Very often you have a series of ‘ands,’ extra ‘ands.’ In (the book of) Helaman, chapter 3, one sentence has, I think, 17 ands.” (See Helaman 3:14-17)
Rabbi Joe Charnes
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