A note on Hebrew in the Book of Mormon

One of our readers asked why we look for Hebrew roots in the Book of Mormon. After all it was written in Reformed Egyptian. In case others wonder and because we are basing many of our blog posts these days on Hebrew roots, I wanted to make a note about that. 

We don't know exactly what Reformed Egyptian is. But most scholars agree that it is a variant of the Hebrew language expressed with Egyptian script. This article explains more.

Critics of the church make fun of Reformed Egyptian and claim that no such thing exists. But it's important to understand that this is just a label the Nephites used and a perfectly fine label for what is described in the linked article above. It is also important to understand the difference between spoken languages and a writing system. Some examples to illustrate this point:

• If I write "hallelujah", I can say that is a Hebrew word. But a Jew would not write it like that. I have expressed a Hebrew word with Latin script. In Hebrew, it would be הללויה, and impossible for me to read.
• English is a language but not a writing system. The writing system is actually Latin. You can use it to express English words, but you can also use it to express German, Italian, Spanish, even Vietnamese words, because they also use the Latin writing system.
• Yiddish is a dialect of German written with the Hebrew alphabet. 
• Japanese is written in a modified form of Chinese characters. Kanji literally means "Chinese characters."
• The Korean writing system "Hangul" was invented by Sejong the Great in 1443 to promote literacy. It suddenly replaced the Chinese writing system practically overnight, even though the spoken language didn't change at all.

As Mormon 9:32 states, it is the characters (writing system) that they call Reformed Egyptian. That makes sense since the language spoken by Lehi and Nephi in Jerusalem 600 BC was obviously Hebrew. So why did they not use the Hebrew writing system too? I think the answer is found in Mormon 9:33

And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew

Both Hebrew and Egyptian writing contain consonants only. But unlike Hebrew, Hieratic script (the ancient Egyptian writing system in use 600 BC) could also combine more than one consonant into one character. Therefore, it represented a more compact writing system. In addition, "reformed" may indicate other means to further contract the writing system. Considering Jacob 4:1 and other verses expressing the same sentiment, it is no wonder that this would be an objective for the Nephites.

...and I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates...

Another reason for using a form of Egyptian script might be the fact that the record they obtained from Laban and brought along to "preserve...the language" (1 Nephi 3:19) was also written in Egyptian. This is stated in Mosiah 1:4

For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; for he having been taught in the language of the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings, and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time.

Another reason why it is clear to me that primarily the characters were based on Egyptian and the language was based on Hebrew, is the numerous Hebrew meanings and wordplays we find in the Book of Mormon. When names are transliterated, their Hebrew origin usually shines through, even though they may be of Egyptian origin in some cases since the Israelites in 600 BC were also influenced by other cultures and languages. When you translate Hebrew-like words written in Egyptian script into English, the script totally changes and the Egyptian part is lost. 

Based on all that, we (the main bloggers, Lord Wilmore and me) think it can be meaningful to understand the underlying Hebrew origin of certain words or phrases in the Book of Mormon. It is a rich language full of connections and symbolism that can enhance our understanding of various principles. Since we only have the translated English word, this will inevitably be somewhat speculative. In addition, we know that

the Hebrew hath been altered by us also (Mormon 9:33)

How much, we don't know. Personally, I think that the Nephite spoken language must have developed quite a bit over time. 1000 years is a long time. See for instance how much English has changed over 1000 years. However, I cannot imagine the written language on the plates having changed too much. Mormon compiled the writings from the time of Nephi all the way down to his own time. Abbreviating from many different sources with completely different languages would be a really difficult task. Rather, the Nephite scribes were taught in the language of their fathers (see e.g. Mosiah 1:2).

Based on all the Hebraism we find in the Book of Mormon, including many elements from the Hebrew language identified and written about on this blog, I think the "learning of the Jews" (1 Nephi 1:2) has been preserved among the Nephite scribes. I don't know much Hebrew myself, but my impression is that those who do, and who know the Book of Mormon, tend to see Jewish/Hebrew fingerprints all over the book.

I think Reformed Egyptian is evidence of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Otherwise we would need to expect a young farmer with little education to understand the concept of different languages and writing systems, specifically know the characteristics of the Hebrew and Egyptian writing systems, ensure internal consistency between e.g. 1 Nephi 1, Mosiah 1 and Mormon 9, learn and use  transliterations of numerous Hebrew and some Egyptian names in the Book of Mormon, etc. That just does not seem plausible at all. In fact, when modern critics mock Reformed Egyptian and claim it is an invention by Joseph Smith, they reveal their lack of understanding of something that the young farmer in the early 1800s apparently understood better than them.