If the Book of Mormon were really engraved on metal plates, why is it so wordy?
The Book of Mormon, just like the Old Testament, feels unnecessarily wordy. This is consistent though with writing in Hebrew.
1 Nephi 1:7-8 reads
And it came to pass that he returned to his own house at Jerusalem; and he cast himself upon his bed, being overcome with the Spirit and the things which he had seen.
And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God. (emphasis added)
This type of “wordiness” and unnecessary repetition is consistent with the Hebrew of the Bible such as in Genesis 26:8
And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.
If Joseph Smith dictated the Book of Mormon on the fly, how would he have remembered to include so many Hebraisms?
Show Your Shelf is not in any way sponsored or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For official information from the Church please see churchofjesuschrist.org or comeuntochrist.org
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