“Put Forth His Hand”

Alan C. Miner

Wade Brown writes:

As I pondered the Book of Mormon, I began thinking . . . I wondered if the prophets had phrases which could identify them in their written speech. . . . In order to compare the word combinations of different authors it is necessary to isolate and identify which parts of the Book of Mormon were written by specific authors. If the Book of Mormon is divided by author or speaker wherein an author contributes at least 250 words, it is divided into about 124 sections. For example, Mormon wrote 47 separate sections, Alma is quoted in 10, Jesus is quoted in 7, Nephi wrote 6, Moroni wrote 4, Isaiah is quoted in 4 and Lehi is quoted in 3. . . .Viewed this way, there are about 28 major contributors to the Book of Mormon. . . .

Dividing the Book of Mormon in this manner can help us understand the differences between authors. How does it help as to the use of word combinations? Consider how an ancient prophet might describe the action of a person lifting or raising up his hand or arm away from his body. Nephi expressed it this way: "lifted up his hand" (1 Nephi 19:10).

But Isaiah, quoted by Nephi and others from the Old Testament, often used a different expression. Isaiah said, "his hand is stretched out." Isaiah wrote "his hand is stretched out" six times (2 Nephi 15:25; 19:12, 17, 21; 20:4, 27). But no one else used Isaiah's combination of words. In the Book of Mormon "his hand is stretched out" is a phrase unique to Isaiah.

King Benjamin never said "lifted up his hand" or "his hand is stretched out." He used the word combination "extended his arm" (Mosiah 1:14). . . .

Mormon never wrote "lifted up his hand," "his hand is stretched out," or "extended his arm." Mormon's expression was "stretched forth his hand" and he wrote it eight times in six separate sections (Mosiah 16:1, Alma 10:25; 13:21; 15:5; 19:12; 20:20; 32:7; Helaman 13:4; 3 Nephi 11:9; 12:1). The only other writer to use the phrase "stretched forth his hand" was Mormon's son Moroni who used it just once (see Ether 3:6). Moroni's speech patterns are very close to his father's, as would be expected from their relationship as father and son, fellow military leaders, authors and prophets.

Alma never wrote lifted up his hand," "his hand is stretched out," or "extended his arm." Instead he used "put forth his hand" (Alma 22:22; 30:51, 52; 42:3, 5) No one else used the same phrase.

As mentioned, Moroni followed the pattern of his father, saying "stretched forth his hand" (Ether 3:6). He used the phrase while narrating the Jaredite history.

Each of these authors had his own unique word combination for describing the same action of raising a hand or arm.

[C. Wade Brown, The First Page of the Golden Plates, pp. 23-27]

Alma 30:51 Put forth his hand ([Illustration]): Sections of the Book of Mormon Divided according to Major Author. [C. Wade Brown, The First Page of the Golden Plates, p. 33]

The Chief Judge Put Forth His Hand and Wrote Unto Korihor

Though Alma tried to convince Korihor of the error of his ways, Korihor insisted three times on having a sign or he would not believe. Three times he denied the existence of God. On the third denial he received his sign. He was struck dumb, according to the words of Alma, that he might have no more utterance. At this point the chief judge put forth his hand and wrote unto Korihor, saying: "Art thou convinced of the power of God? In whom did ye desire that Alma should show forth his sign? Would ye that he should afflict others, to show unto thee a sign? Behold, he has showed unto you a sign; and now will ye dispute more?" (Alma 30:51). One might ask, Why did the chief judge write the message to Korihor when the record says that Korihor only lost his power of speech?

According to Peggy Feagins, while the record says Korihor lost his power of speech, one does not necessarily have to assume that he lost his hearing as well. It is true these two afflictions often go hand in hand, but was this the case? Some believe that Korihor lost his hearing because of what happened to him afterwards. He was reduced to begging for his living, and as he went among the Zoramites, "he was run upon, and trodden down, even until he was dead" (Alma 30:59). But does this indicate that he was run over because he couldn't hear something coming behind him? Possibly, but it is also possible that the chief judge knew exactly what he was doing when he put forth his hand and wrote.

In putting forth his hand and writing unto Korihor, the chief judge was probably preparing a legal document--a signed confession. In his preface, the chief judge mentioned three times the sign that had been given. He twice asked Korihor if he now believed. When the chief judge handed Korihor the written document, Korihor probably completed it with his own hand, confessing that he knew all along there was a God, that he admitted teaching the people the words of Satan because they were pleasing to the carnal mind, and that he acknowledged that it was the power of God that had taken away his speech.

With a signed document, Alma and the chief judge now had tangible evidence--a valuable tool to use in reclaiming those who had strayed after Korihor's false doctrine. "The knowledge of what had happened to Korihor was immediately published throughout all the land." In fact, the chief judge sent out a proclamation to all the people, calling on the followers of Korihor to repent "lest the same judgments come upon them" (Alma 30:57). Although the story did not end happily for Korihor, it did end happily for the people who had been influenced by him as they were all converted. (Alma 30:58)

It is interesting that when approached on this issue, a paralegal secretary said that Korihor's written document bears a similarity to what is today called a deposition. Webster's definition of a deposition is either "a testifying, especially before a court; or a "declaration, specifically a testimony taken down in writing under oath." Today this deposition might be videotaped and transcribed by a secretary and prepared for a signature. [Peggy Feagins, "He Put Forth His Hand and Wrote," in The Witness, #103 March 2002, p. 7]

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

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