"Wo/woe" and "alas" in the Book of Mormon

I came across an interesting quote in the book 70 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know by Matthew Schlimm (p. 79) regarding the Hebrew word "hoy" (often translated "woe/alas"):

My primary point is that when those to whom the prophets preached the initial exclamation, 'hoy!", they would have immediately associated this mentally and emotionally with mourning for the dead. The association of hoy with lamentation would have been especially striking to the listeners, for it would have brought into vivid relief the pronouncement of Israel's death." - James Williams

I've been studying about the "way of death" a lot lately, so this detail caught my attention. Hoy (and the closely related word oy) is meant to signal spiritual peril.

There are two details about the biblical use of the words "woe" and "alas" that I wanted to compare to the Book of Mormon usage:

1. "Woe" is used in association with lamentation, specifically related to death.
2. 68 of 77 uses of "woe" and "alas" are spoken by prophets

How does this compare to the Book of Mormon?

First of all, "alas" is not found in the Book of Mormon, so that takes care of that.  As it relates to "woe/wo," we find that the vast majority of uses of the word are found in the form of a warning voice from a prophet.  Here is a sampling:

Nephi: 

15 O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell! 16 Wo unto them that turn aside the just for a thing of naught and revile against that which is good, and say that it is of no worth! For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity they shall perish. ... 24 Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion! 25 Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well! 26 Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost! 27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more! 28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall. 29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough! (2 Nephi 28)

Jacob: 

27 But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state! (2 Nephi 9; see also vv. 30-38)

Isaiah: 

20 Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (2 Nephi 15)

Mormon: 

5 Wo unto him that spurneth at the doings of the Lord; yea, wo unto him that shall deny the Christ and his works! 6 Yea, wo unto him that shall deny the revelations of the Lord, and that shall say the Lord no longer worketh by revelation, or by prophecy, or by gifts, or by tongues, or by healings, or by the power of the Holy Ghost! 7 Yea, and wo unto him that shall say at that day, to get gain, that there can be no miracle wrought by Jesus Christ; for he that doeth this shall become like unto the son of perdition, for whom there was no mercy, according to the word of Christ! (3 Nephi 29)

Samuel the Lamanite: 

11 But if ye will repent and return unto the Lord your God I will turn away mine anger, saith the Lord; yea, thus saith the Lord, blessed are they who will repent and turn unto me, but wo unto him that repenteth not. ... 24 Yea, wo unto this people, because of this time which has arrived, that ye do cast out the prophets, and do mock them, and cast stones at them, and do slay them, and do all manner of iniquity unto them, even as they did of old time. (Helaman 13)

Moroni: 

24 And now I speak unto all the ends of the earth—that if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief. 25 And wo be unto the children of men if this be the case; for there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one. For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God. 26 And wo unto them who shall do these things away and die, for they die in their sins, and they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God; and I speak it according to the words of Christ; and I lie not. (Moroni 10)

I can't say that I'm surprised by any of this, but it was a good reminder that when we read the word "wo" in the Book of Mormon, we should associate that with a prophetic warning about how to avoid the way of death.