This question came from one of my daughters. She is well aware that some passages in the Book of Mormon (such as quotations from the Book of Isaiah) come from the same sources as the Bible. For example, the brass plates, which Lehi and his family carried with them from Jerusalem, contained many of the... Continue Reading →
What Is the Book of Lehi?
The first 116 pages which Joseph Smith translated came from a record known as the Book of Lehi. As he wrote in the preface to the first edition of the Book of Mormon: I would inform you that I translated, by the gift and power of God, and caused to be written, one hundred and sixteen... Continue Reading →
Who Wrote the Title Page of the Book of Mormon?
In the History of the Church, Joseph Smith made an important clarification about the Title Page of the Book of Mormon: I wish also to mention here, that the Title Page of the Book of Mormon is a literal translation, taken from the very last leaf, on the left hand side of the collection or... Continue Reading →
Why Does the Book of Mormon Quote from the Bible?
Prophets quote other prophets. That's part of how they teach. This serves two purposes: It emphasizes the unity of the word of God. It allows the Lord to build upon things we've already learned to reveal more truth to us. During His mortal ministry, the Savior frequently quoted from the scriptures available in His time,... Continue Reading →
How Does the Book of Mormon Complement the Bible?
Near the beginning of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Lehi tells his son Joseph about a seer who, in a future time, will have “power to bring forth [God’s] word.” This seer will also have power “to the convincing them of [His] word, which shall have already gone forth among them” (2 Nephi 3:11).... Continue Reading →
Why Is the Book of Mormon Written in King James English?
At the beginning of the Book of Mormon, Nephi tells us that he is writing in the language of his father, "which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians" (1 Nephi 1:2). From the outset, we see the gospel message being rendered in a form that is separate from... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean to Search the Scriptures?
After leaving the city of Jerusalem with his family, Lehi sent his sons back to obtain the words of the prophets and a genealogy of their ancestors which were recorded on a set of brass plates. When his sons returned with this sacred record, Lehi "gave thanks unto the God of Israel." Then, he "took... Continue Reading →
Jesus Had Expounded All the Scriptures in One – 3 Nephi 23:14
14 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had expounded all the scriptures in one, which they had written, he commanded them that they should teach the things which he had expounded unto them. (3 Nephi 23:14) What does it mean to "[expound] all the scriptures in one," as Mormon tells us Jesus... Continue Reading →
They Had Brought No Records with Them – Omni 1:17-19
17 And at the time that Mosiah discovered them, they had become exceedingly numerous. Nevertheless, they had had many wars and serious contentions, and had fallen by the sword from time to time; and their language had become corrupted; and they had brought no records with them; and they denied the being of their Creator;... Continue Reading →
My Word Also Shall Be Gathered in One – 2 Nephi 29:12-14
12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also... Continue Reading →