“Exceedingly Expert in Many Words”

Alan C. Miner

In Helaman 2:4 it says that Gadianton was "exceedingly expert in many words." Thomas Brookbank ("Hebrew Idioms and Analogies") has pointed out that the Hebrew expression "a man of words" equals "eloquent man" (see Exodus 4:10, Hebrew text). Compare Mosiah 27:8, which speaks of Alma the Younger: "And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people." [Sidney B. Sperry, "Book of Mormon As Translation English," in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, 4/1 (Spring 1995), p. 216]

Step by Step Through the Book of Mormon: A Cultural Commentary

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