EVIDENCE: Commandments of the Lord—“Construct State”

Ed J. Pinegar, Richard J. Allen

In biblical Hebrew, we often see two or more nouns strung together in a chain, referred to by linguists as the “construct state.” When a Hebraic double noun is translated into English, the word of is often inserted between the nouns to indicate the relationship. For example, the Hebrew version of “stone tables” is rendered “tables of stone” (Exodus 24:12) in English, and “the Lord’s word” becomes “the word of the Lord” (Genesis 15:4). The Book of Mormon frequently uses the construct state, in instances such as “plates of brass” (1 Nephi 3:24), “rod of iron” (1 Nephi 8:19), “sword of Laban” (2 Nephi 5:14), and “commandments of the Lord” (2 Nephi 5:19). According to T. W. Brookbank, the term Lord’s is found only twice in the entire Book of Mormon, while Lord is used in possessive constructions over 300 times in phrases like “commandments of the Lord” or “name of the Lord.” (See Echoes, 175–176; T. W. Brookbank, “Hebrew Idioms and Analogies in the Book of Mormon,” Improvement Era, September 1914, 1062.)

Commentaries and Insights on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 1

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