"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.

Samuel the Lamanite channels Nephi (and Isaiah)

I've found numerous examples of Samuel the Lamanite making reference to themes and phrases from Nephi (and Isaiah).  I started a list.  I'm sure there are many, many more to find. Notice the similarities between how Samuel describes false teachers and how Nephi described them:

This final example has a very clear parallel in the writings of 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/Isaiah 5)

Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased

We are familiar with the words of Jesus in Matthew 23:12

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

I have noticed this theme as I have been reading 1st and 2nd Nephi, especially the chapters quoting and commenting on Isaiah. Language like this is common is Isaiah

And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled. (Isaiah 5:15 / 2 Nephi 15:15)

Passages with this kind of language often pinpoint specific people or groups that exalt themselves and eventually are abased and vice versa. They are labeled by different terms, like "the great and abominable church", "the great and spacious building", "the mother of harlots", etc., but they all connote the same. It is a wicked group of people who refuse to enter into covenants with the Lord and fight against/oppress/mock those who do.

We see the pattern of exalting oneself and being brought down, time and again. Here are some examples:

Lehi saw the great and spacious building in a dream.

26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.

27 And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit. (1 Nephi 8:26-27)

Nephi saw in vision that the great and spacious building fell

And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great. (1 Nephi 11:36).

We see the same pattern for the great and abominable church.

And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and the fine-twined linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the desires of this great and abominable Church. (1 Nephi 13:8)

And that great pit, which hath been digged for them by that great and abominable church, which was founded by the devil and his children, that he might lead away the souls of men down to hell—yea, that great pit which hath been digged for the destruction of men shall be filled by those who digged it, unto their utter destruction, (1 Nephi 14:3)

Compare this last quote with 1 Nephi 22:14, when Nephi is commenting on Isaiah

And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it.

We find the same pattern in Isaiah, only with labels like the "great and abominable church" or "great and spacious building" typically replaced with "Assyria/Babylon" or similar. For instance, in Isaiah 14 / 2 Nephi 24, we read about the king of Babylon (symbolic for Satan and/or his kingdom?)

11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave; the noise of thy viols is not heard; the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! Art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thy heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north;

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.

15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Similarly, in Isaiah 13:19 / 2 Nephi 23:19

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

Another example in Isaiah 10:12-18 / 2 Nephi 20:12-18

12 Wherefore it shall come to pass that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

13 For he saith: By the strength of my hand and by my wisdom I have done these things; for I am prudent; and I have moved the borders of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man;

14 And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people; and as one gathereth eggs that are left have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

15 Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself as if it were no wood!

16 Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, send among his fat ones, leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.

17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame, and shall burn and shall devour his thorns and his briers in one day;

18 And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and they shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth.

Again, the language in the part marked with grey, resembles the language in 1 Nephi 22 where Nephi describes the fate of the abominable church.

Isaiah uses Assyria and Babylon, two glorious kingdoms from a worldly perspective, that conquered and oppressed Israel and Juda/Jerusalem. Metaphorically, this represents the spiritual Israel (those who enter into covenants) and their oppressors (those who "fight against Zion"). An important and repeated element of Isaiah's writings is that the physical conquering of Israel/Juda by Assyria/Babylon will be reversed in a spiritual sense in "that day" (the latter days).  

Compare Isaiah 47:1, describing how Babylon is brought down

Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.

...with the description in Isaiah 52:2 / 2 Nephi 8:25 of Zion/Jerusalem that Babylon oppressed:

25 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down [implied: on the throne], O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

Because Assyria/Babylon/the abominable church exalted themselves, they shall be abased. Thus, a prerequisite to being exalted is to not exalt oneself, that is, not unite with the great and abominable church.

And blessed are the Gentiles, they of whom the prophet has written; for behold, if it so be that they shall repent and fight not against Zion, and do not unite themselves to that great and abominable church, they shall be saved (2 Nephi 6:12)

"An ensign to/for the nations"

"An ensign to/for the nations"

This phrase shows up twice in the Book of Mormon, both times in quoted Isaiah passages.

26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and behold, they shall come with speed swiftly; none shall be weary nor stumble among them. (2 Nephi 15)

12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. (2 Nephi 21)

"Ensign" could also be translated "banner," "standard," or "sign," and comes from the Hebrew root "nes." These are both clear references to the work of gathering of Israel. The verse in 2 Nephi 21 comes directly after we are told "the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people." 

Elder Holland speaks of a time when early church leaders felt that this prophecy was being literally fulfilled:

As has often been told from this pulpit, Brother Brigham led a handful of leaders to the summit of that hill and proclaimed it Ensign Peak, a name filled with religious meaning for these modern Israelites. Twenty-five hundred years earlier the prophet Isaiah had declared that in the last days “the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains,” and there “he shall set up an ensign for the nations.”
Seeing their moment in history as partial fulfillment of that prophecy, the Brethren wished to fly a banner of some kind to make the idea of “an ensign for the nations” literal. Elder Heber C. Kimball produced a yellow bandana. Brother Brigham tied it to a walking stick carried by Elder Willard Richards and then planted the makeshift flag, declaring the valley of the Great Salt Lake and the mountains surrounding it as that prophesied place from which the word of the Lord would go forth in the latter days. (source)

As I try to understand the symbols used in Isaiah, I look at other instances in the bible where these same words are used. I noticed this verse in Exodus 17:

15 Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. (NIV)

Interestingly, all three of these chapters contain military language. Since a "banner" can refer to a flag raised to rally troops, this detail caught my attention.  Notice the symbolism in Exodus 17, when Moses is commanded to raise his staff and hold it aloft while the army of the Israelites battles the Amalekites, who had attacked them.  When he is weary, he sits upon a stone and others support his arms until the battle is won. In commemoration of the victory, Moses builds the altar and names it "The Lord is my Banner." We have a staff, a stone, and an altar, all associated with a prophet.

As for the military imagery, we get a lot of that in Isaiah, and for me it indicates that the intended effect of the work of gathering is to invite all men to come unto Christ and be become a new creature through priesthood ordinances.  This creates a certain amount of carnage as a by-product.

More about staffs and the power of the word in the near future.