“Synagogues”

Brant Gardner

Translation: We have an interesting word in this verse: synagogue. We have seen the use of synagogue earlier in the Book of Mormon and suggested that it refers to a religious gathering place rather than anything as specific as a Jewish synagogue. In this verse, we may have confirmation that this word is being used generically. The Zoramites are said to have built synagogues, yet we are also told that they do not follow the law of Moses. This suggests that their places of worship had to be designed for a different function, and a different religion. They could not have been Jewish synagogues, not only because of time and distance from the Old World, but because they did not follow the religion that we attach to the concept of a synagogue.

Clearly, this term is being used more generically. Since the Greek origin of the term is a place for meeting together, we may suppose that whatever term was on the plates also conveyed the meaning of a religious meeting place, and it is in that context and meaning that we have synagogues among the Zoramites.

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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