I'm going to use this blog to post some notes on Interpreter articles. I'm not taking the time to redline the entire articles, but if anyone thinks I'm taking the quotations out of context, you're free to read the original and see that I'm not.
This article has an odd title:
https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/was-joseph-smith-smarter-than-the-average-fourth-year-hebrew-student-finding-a-restoration-significant-hebraism-in-book-of-mormon-isaiah/
The gist of the article seems to be that because 2 Nephi 12:2 reads "When the mountain," while all known English translations of Isaiah 2:2 read either "that the mountain" or omit "that," this means that Joseph Smith was daring and performed an "impossible task."
Maybe.
But there's a problem with the analysis.
It revolves around this single word When from 2 Nephi 12:2 that doesn't appear in the KJV or other translations of the Bible.
However, this word does appear in The American Revolution, one of the pseudo-Biblical books that it seems likely Joseph read.
In other words, what the Interpreter presents as evidence of a "daring emendation" and "hidden Hebraism" appears only in the Book of Mormon and The American Revolution.
As such, the observation in this article seems more likely to be evidence that Joseph read The American Revolution, that this passage entered his mental language bank, and that, under inspiration, he drew upon that mental language bank when he dictated 2 Nephi 12:2.
_____
Here is the detail.
First, four quotations from the Interpreter article. Emphasis in bold is mine.
In fact, in the Isaiah sections of the Book of Mormon, besides omitting italicized words, “many times the italics in the [King James Version] are replaced with other words.”9 Such is the case in the verse in question. Joseph’s dictated text omits the that in this verse and substitutes a different relative conjunction when in the place of the King James that: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.” This reading goes out on a rather precarious limb where no English translation — or any other translation that I am aware of — has gone. The Book of Mormon reading with when is unique among all Isaiah witnesses.10 If nothing else, Joseph can be credited with a daring emendation....
There is, however, a possible Hebraism hiding behind the awkwardness of the Book of Mormon English text of this verse. Note that for a Hebraism to be acceptable, it is not enough that it make sense within the meaning of the pericope; it must also be congruous with Standard Biblical Hebrew grammar. To produce a Hebraism hidden in the English text by inserting when, an otherwise unattested reading of this Isaiah verse, would seem like an impossible task for Joseph Smith, given that he had much less schooling than the average reader today. Yet that is exactly what he produced....
In returning to that question, as posed in the title of this paper, “Was Joseph Smith Smarter Than the Average Fourth Year Hebrew Student?” I have to admit that the question was a red herring. The translation of the Book of Mormon was not a product of Joseph’s intellect or any other mortal skills. Whether he understood Hebrew grammar or not is totally irrelevant. Joseph Smith produced, by the gift and power of God, not by any native abilities he might have possessed, a unique reading of Isaiah that also contained a prediction of future Restoration events enclosed within a possible, obscure Hebraism, years before its fulfillment.
Note 10. If there is a version of Isaiah somewhere with the relative conjunction when in this verse, I could not find it. And if I could not find one, it is unlikely that Joseph Smith could have found one from which to derive the unusual reading in 2 Nephi 12:2.
_____
Second, the evidence from The American Revolution.
If Joseph made a "daring emendation" here, then so did Richard Snowden, author of the book The American Revolution: written in Scriptural, or, Ancient Historical Style.
You can find the book on archive.org or in BYU's outstanding WordCruncher program.
Here is the section that closes the book. I put the key passage in red bold.
4. And the Provinces in the land of Columbia, were called by a new name,* and they became one people, and the great Sanhedrim ruled over them.
* United States of North America.
5. And on the twentieth day of the ſecond month, in the one thouſand ſeven hundred and eighty-ſecond year of the Chriſtian Hegira, was peace proclaimed : and the men of Britain, departed from the land of Columbia.
6. And each man of the hoſt of the people of the Provinces, went to his own houſe ; and there was joy and gladneſs throughout the whole land.
7. May it be a prelude to that peace, mentioned in the book of the Prophet Iſaiah : “When the mountain of the Lord’s houſe ſhall be eſtabliſhed upon the tops of the mountains, and be exalted above the hills, and all nations ſhall flow unto it !
8. “And they ſhall beat their ſwords into plow-ſhares, and their ſpears into pruning-hooks ! Nation ſhall not lift up ſword againſt nation, neither ſhall they learn war any more !
9. “The wilderneſs and the ſolitary place ſhall be glad, and the deſert ſhall rejoice, and bloſſom as the roſe !”
10. The mind of the ſcribe, ſtrongly impreſſed with this idea, and animated with the proſpect of the dawning of that glorious morn, ſhall henceforth ſeek the ſhade of retirement, and repoſe himſelf under the canopy of peace, regardleſs of cenſure or praiſe ; well knowing, that when a few more ſuns have rolled their cares away, he will be perfectly inſenſible both to the one and the other.
(The American Revolution 60:4–10)
An interesting substantive aspect of this is that Snowden apparently considered the creation of the United States of America as the fulfillment of Isaiah 2:2, which is comparable to the way the passage is used in the Book of Mormon, especially in light of the explanation of the Constitution in the D&C.
Snowden writes of the creation of the United States of America, "may it be a prelude to that peace, mentioned in the book of the Prophet Isaiah." In Nephi's vision, the creation of the USA was a prelude to the restoration of the gospel.
This article has an odd title:
Was Joseph Smith Smarter Than the Average Fourth Year Hebrew Student? Finding a Restoration-Significant Hebraism in Book of Mormon Isaiah
https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/was-joseph-smith-smarter-than-the-average-fourth-year-hebrew-student-finding-a-restoration-significant-hebraism-in-book-of-mormon-isaiah/
The gist of the article seems to be that because 2 Nephi 12:2 reads "When the mountain," while all known English translations of Isaiah 2:2 read either "that the mountain" or omit "that," this means that Joseph Smith was daring and performed an "impossible task."
Maybe.
But there's a problem with the analysis.
It revolves around this single word When from 2 Nephi 12:2 that doesn't appear in the KJV or other translations of the Bible.
However, this word does appear in The American Revolution, one of the pseudo-Biblical books that it seems likely Joseph read.
In other words, what the Interpreter presents as evidence of a "daring emendation" and "hidden Hebraism" appears only in the Book of Mormon and The American Revolution.
As such, the observation in this article seems more likely to be evidence that Joseph read The American Revolution, that this passage entered his mental language bank, and that, under inspiration, he drew upon that mental language bank when he dictated 2 Nephi 12:2.
_____
Here is the detail.
First, four quotations from the Interpreter article. Emphasis in bold is mine.
In fact, in the Isaiah sections of the Book of Mormon, besides omitting italicized words, “many times the italics in the [King James Version] are replaced with other words.”9 Such is the case in the verse in question. Joseph’s dictated text omits the that in this verse and substitutes a different relative conjunction when in the place of the King James that: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.” This reading goes out on a rather precarious limb where no English translation — or any other translation that I am aware of — has gone. The Book of Mormon reading with when is unique among all Isaiah witnesses.10 If nothing else, Joseph can be credited with a daring emendation....
There is, however, a possible Hebraism hiding behind the awkwardness of the Book of Mormon English text of this verse. Note that for a Hebraism to be acceptable, it is not enough that it make sense within the meaning of the pericope; it must also be congruous with Standard Biblical Hebrew grammar. To produce a Hebraism hidden in the English text by inserting when, an otherwise unattested reading of this Isaiah verse, would seem like an impossible task for Joseph Smith, given that he had much less schooling than the average reader today. Yet that is exactly what he produced....
In returning to that question, as posed in the title of this paper, “Was Joseph Smith Smarter Than the Average Fourth Year Hebrew Student?” I have to admit that the question was a red herring. The translation of the Book of Mormon was not a product of Joseph’s intellect or any other mortal skills. Whether he understood Hebrew grammar or not is totally irrelevant. Joseph Smith produced, by the gift and power of God, not by any native abilities he might have possessed, a unique reading of Isaiah that also contained a prediction of future Restoration events enclosed within a possible, obscure Hebraism, years before its fulfillment.
Note 10. If there is a version of Isaiah somewhere with the relative conjunction when in this verse, I could not find it. And if I could not find one, it is unlikely that Joseph Smith could have found one from which to derive the unusual reading in 2 Nephi 12:2.
_____
Second, the evidence from The American Revolution.
If Joseph made a "daring emendation" here, then so did Richard Snowden, author of the book The American Revolution: written in Scriptural, or, Ancient Historical Style.
You can find the book on archive.org or in BYU's outstanding WordCruncher program.
Here is the section that closes the book. I put the key passage in red bold.
4. And the Provinces in the land of Columbia, were called by a new name,* and they became one people, and the great Sanhedrim ruled over them.
* United States of North America.
5. And on the twentieth day of the ſecond month, in the one thouſand ſeven hundred and eighty-ſecond year of the Chriſtian Hegira, was peace proclaimed : and the men of Britain, departed from the land of Columbia.
6. And each man of the hoſt of the people of the Provinces, went to his own houſe ; and there was joy and gladneſs throughout the whole land.
7. May it be a prelude to that peace, mentioned in the book of the Prophet Iſaiah : “When the mountain of the Lord’s houſe ſhall be eſtabliſhed upon the tops of the mountains, and be exalted above the hills, and all nations ſhall flow unto it !
8. “And they ſhall beat their ſwords into plow-ſhares, and their ſpears into pruning-hooks ! Nation ſhall not lift up ſword againſt nation, neither ſhall they learn war any more !
9. “The wilderneſs and the ſolitary place ſhall be glad, and the deſert ſhall rejoice, and bloſſom as the roſe !”
10. The mind of the ſcribe, ſtrongly impreſſed with this idea, and animated with the proſpect of the dawning of that glorious morn, ſhall henceforth ſeek the ſhade of retirement, and repoſe himſelf under the canopy of peace, regardleſs of cenſure or praiſe ; well knowing, that when a few more ſuns have rolled their cares away, he will be perfectly inſenſible both to the one and the other.
(The American Revolution 60:4–10)
An interesting substantive aspect of this is that Snowden apparently considered the creation of the United States of America as the fulfillment of Isaiah 2:2, which is comparable to the way the passage is used in the Book of Mormon, especially in light of the explanation of the Constitution in the D&C.
Snowden writes of the creation of the United States of America, "may it be a prelude to that peace, mentioned in the book of the Prophet Isaiah." In Nephi's vision, the creation of the USA was a prelude to the restoration of the gospel.
____
BTW, you'll notice that this passage from The American Revolution includes other examples of blending that we find in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. In verse 4, "called by a new name" is from Isaiah 62:2, but "new name" is blended with the D&C.
Incidences of "new name"
Old Testament (1)
New Testament (2)
Book of Mormon (0)
Doctrine and Covenants (1)
Pearl of Great Price (0)
"rule(d) over them" is also blended:
Old Testament (21)
New Testament (3)
Book of Mormon (9)
Doctrine and Covenants (0)
Pearl of Great Price (0)
In verse 5, the phrase "departed from the land" is unique to the Book of Mormon (Alma 22:1).
Verse 6 includes several blended phrases. Each man "went to his own house" and there was "joy and gladness" throughout the "whole land."
Incidences of "whole land"
Old Testament (15)
New Testament (1)
Book of Mormon (2)
Doctrine and Covenants (0)
Pearl of Great Price (2)
Incidences of "joy and gladness"
Old Testament (8)
New Testament (1)
Book of Mormon (2)
Doctrine and Covenants (2)
Pearl of Great Price (0)
Incidences of phrases using "to go" and "his own house."
Judges 8:29
29 ¶ And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.
John 7:53
53 And every man went unto his own house.
Helaman 10:2,12
2 And it came to pass that Nephi went his way towards his own house, pondering upon the things which the Lord had shown unto him.
12 And behold, now it came to pass that when the Lord had spoken these words unto Nephi, he did stop and did not go unto his own house, but did return unto the multitudes who were scattered about upon the face of the land, and began to declare unto them the word of the Lord which had been spoken unto him, concerning their destruction if they did not repent.