Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

Volume 14 Number 2 Article 4

7-31-2005

“Upon All the Ships of the Sea, and Upon All the Ships of Tarshish”: Revisiting 2 Nephi 12:16 and Isaiah 2:16

Dana M. Pike Brigham Young University, [email protected]

David R. Seely Brigham Young University, [email protected]

Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms

BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Pike, Dana M. and Seely, David R. (2005) "“Upon All the Ships of the Sea, and Upon All the Ships of Tarshish”: Revisiting 2 Nephi 12:16 and Isaiah 2:16," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies: Vol. 14 : No. 2 , Article 4. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol14/iss2/4

This Feature Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Title “Upon all the Ships of the Sea, and Upon All the Ships of Tarshish”: Revisiting 2 Nephi 12:16 and Isaiah 2:16

Author(s) Dana M. Pike and David Rolph Seely

Reference Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14/2 (2005): 12–25, 67–71.

ISSN 1065-9366 (print), 2168-3158 (online)

Abstract Some Latter-day Saint commentators deem a phrase that appears in 2 Nephi 12:16 but not in the paral- lel passage in Isaiah 2:16—“and upon all ships of the sea”—as evidence that the Book of Mormon preserves a version of this verse from the brass plates that is more complete than the Hebrew or King James read- ings. One scholar’s conclusions in this regard are reviewed and then critiqued for ignoring the com­ plexities of the ancient Hebrew and Greek versions of the Bible. The authors examine Isaiah 2:16 in its broader literary context, noting that the 2 Nephi read- ing alters a pattern of synonymous couplets; analyze the Greek and Hebrew texts of the verse; and relate their findings to the Book of Mormon reading. They discuss the inherent limitations of textual criticism in this kind of study and conclude that LDS and non-LDS scholars are open to different interpretive possibilities owing to the role that faith plays in one’s approach to and interpretation of textual evidence. “Upon All the Ships of the Sea,

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Revisiting 2 Nephi 12:16 and Isaiah 2:16 • • •

Readers of the Book of Mormon soon realize Some students of Latter-day Saint scripture place a that a large number of passages from the book of great deal of significance on the wording of Isaiah Isaiah are quoted therein.1 In fact, 21 chapters, as 2:16 because it occurs in 2 Nephi 12:16 with an addi- well as many shorter passages from the book of tional line: Isaiah, appear in the Nephite record.2 These Isa- and upon all the ships of the sea, iah passages have long challenged and intrigued and upon all the ships of Tarshish, students of the Book of Mormon.3 In this study and upon all pleasant pictures. we focus on one verse from Isaiah 2 in order to While a few Latter-day Saint commentators on thoroughly explore the differences between this the book of Isaiah and 2 Nephi 12 make no men- verse as it occurs in the Bible and in the Book of tion of this variation,4 most consider the extra line Mormon. found in 2 Nephi 12:16 to be significant, claiming, Isaiah 2:10–22 proclaims that the “day of the for example, that this is “incidental evidence that the Lord” will bring devastating effects upon a variety of Book of Mormon had the complete original text [of people and things, including Isaiah 2:16] from the plates of brass”5 and that “the upon all the ships of Tarshish, Book of Mormon contains the most complete reten- and upon all pleasant pictures. (Isaiah 2:16 KJV) tion of the original structure of this verse.”6

Left: Ancient shipyard, by Joseph Brickey. Bottom left: Portions of the Great Isaiah Scroll and (right) Leningrad Codex. _._------._._._- - .------_. - - -_._------_.. _------...... t= i!.1' -q~~:~L .•.~:' t;!.- I' -~;'~. '~r:...;;.~· "'.t· :;:Wt,.· ··r=.1:' :r. " ~t· i-_.~. ... _ ~ ~ ~_ -,. . J~' .f.' • ::r.:-)· ~ .)~ ·1Y .... ;;'-=' ',1i.~~ ~ . .!.~ .: 1'. ' ~.I~":~~ 2.,.;j.. ~'f ' ------. ------By Dana M. Pike and David Rolph Seely

journal of Book of Mormon Studies 13 Sidney B. Sperry presented the first and fullest Sperry’s analysis is included in the Church expression of this perspective, basing his observa- Educational System student manual for the Old tion on the King James Version of the Hebrew Bible Testament8 and is quoted or at least cited by many (the Christian Old Testament) and on the Septua- Latter-day Saint commentators on the book of Isa- gint, the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew iah.9 It also appears to be the basis for the following scriptures, originating in the third to second centu- statement in 2 Nephi 12:16 footnote 16a in the cur- ries bc. Sperry claimed that rent English edition of the Book of Mormon, which in 2 Nephi 12:16 (compare Isaiah 2:16) the Book de facto bestows a seemingly official status on it: of Mormon has a reading of remarkable interest. “The Greek (Septuagint) has ‘ships of the sea.’ The It prefixes a phrase of eight words not found in Hebrew has ‘ships of Tarshish.’ The Book of Mor- the Hebrew or King James versions. Since the mon has both, showing that the brass plates had lost ancient Septuagint (Greek) Version concurs with neither phrase.”10 the added phrase in the Book of Mormon, let Since Joseph Smith did not know Hebrew or us exhibit the reading of the Book of Mormon Greek prior to 1830 (the year the Book of Mormon (B.M.), the King James Version (K.J.), and the was published), he obviously did not check ancient Septuagint (LXX) as follows: versions of Isaiah as he produced the Book of Mor- mon.11 Latter-day Saints therefore accept that the B.M. And upon all the ships of the sea, text of 2 Nephi 12:16 must have come from the K.J. — — — — — — — plates Joseph Smith received from Moroni. Thus LXX And upon every ship of the sea, Isaiah 2:16 // 2 Nephi 12:16, a short verse of no real B.M. and upon all the ships of Tarshish K.J. And upon all the ships of Tarshish LXX — — — — — — — B.M. and upon all pleasant pictures. K.J. and upon all pleasant pictures. LXX and upon every display of fine ships. The Book of Mormon suggests that the origi- nal text of this verse contained three phrases, all of which commence with the same opening words, “and upon all.” By a common accident, the original Hebrew (and hence the King James) text lost the first phrase, which was, however, preserved by the Septuagint. The latter lost the second phrase and seems to have corrupted the third phrase. The Book of Mormon preserved all three phrases.7 Sperry thus proposed that the Masoretic Text (MT)—the traditional Hebrew Bible, which is the basis for the Old Testament in the King James Version (KJV) and most other English transla- tions—and the Greek Septuagint (LXX) both con- tain portions of an “original” version of Isaiah 2:16, but that both are incomplete, each having lost a dif- ferent phrase in transmission. His observation that “the Book of Mormon preserved all three phrases” indicates his understanding that 2 Nephi 12:16 rep- Joseph translating the plates, a motion picture still from resents a more complete form of this verse than the Remembering Nauvoo. © IRI one preserved in Isaiah 2:16.

14 Volume 14, number 2, 2005 doctrinal significance, has been assigned a great The Literary Context of Isaiah 2:16 deal of weight by many Latter-day Saints since it seems to provide tangible support for the divine Some initial comments on the literary context calling of Joseph Smith and the revealed nature of of Isaiah 2:16 are necessary to appreciate the form his translation of the Book of Mormon. However, and content of this verse. Isaiah 2 begins with the the issues and challenges involved in dealing with well-known, lyric prophecy that the temple of the the ancient Hebrew and Greek versions of the Bible Lord will be built in the tops of the mountains and as they impact our understanding of Isaiah 2:16 in “all nations shall flow unto it” and that eventually 2 Nephi 12:16 are much more complex than Sperry’s nations will not “learn war any more” (vv. 1–4). explanation suggests.12 Verses 5–9 contain the Lord’s invitation to the In this study we aim to demonstrate that the “house of Jacob” to “walk in the light of the Lord” relationship between Isaiah 2:16 and 2 Nephi 12:16 rather than in the ways of the world.13 These worldly is not nearly as simple or clear-cut as some pub- ways are represented by symbols of false religion, lications by Latter-day Saints have suggested. We wealth, power, and pride. also explain why Latter-day Saints who accept the Isaiah 2:10–22. Isaiah 2:10–21 powerfully relates divine nature of the Book of Mormon will always the resultant fear of, and the effects upon, those provide an explanation different from that of other involved in the ways of the world when the “day people for the relationship between Isaiah 2:16 of the Lord” arrives. Latter-day Saints understand and 2 Nephi 12:16. To accomplish this, we will that ultimately this “day” is Jehovah’s/Jesus’s second review the relationship between Isaiah 2:16 and its coming, when the Lord’s power will be unleashed broader context in Isaiah chapter 2, analyze the against the wicked.14 Verses 10–12 and 17–21 bracket Hebrew and Greek texts of Isaiah 2:16, and relate this block of text, emphasizing that Jehovah’s glory these data to the text of 2 Nephi 12:16 in the Book will humble and destroy the arrogant ones of the of Mormon. earth, who will be casting aside their worthless idols

Chart 1: Isaiah 2:13–16 and 2 Nephi 12:13–16 • Words in 2 Nephi 12:13–16 that do not occur in the NRSV or KJV are rendered in bold. • Words in the NRSV or KJV that occur in a different phrase in the Book of Mormon are underlined.15 • Dashed lines (-----) indicate a lack of text in the Bible where text occurs in the Book of Mormon.

NRSV Isaiah 2 KJV Isaiah 2 2 Nephi 12

13 ----- 13 ----- 13 Yea, and the day of the Lord shall come against all the cedars of Lebanon, And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, upon all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up; that are high and lifted up, for they are high and lifted up; and against all the oaks of Bashan; and upon all the oaks of Bashan, and upon all the oaks of Bashan;

14 against all the high mountains, 14 And upon all the high mountains, 14 And upon all the high mountains, and against all the lofty hills; and upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon all the hills, ------and upon all the nations which are lifted up, ------and upon every people;

15 against every high tower, 15 And upon every high tower, 15 And upon every high tower, and against every fortified wall; and upon every fenced wall, and upon every fenced wall;

16 ----- 16 ----- 16 And upon all the ships of the sea, against all the ships of Tarshish, And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and against all the beautiful craft. and upon all pleasant pictures. and upon all pleasant pictures.

journal of Book of Mormon Studies 15 and seeking to hide in “the clefts of the rocks” and fenced wall,” both examples of fortifications.19 This “in the dust” (note the similarity between these two pattern implies that the pair of items cited in verse passages). Verse 22 reiterates the content of verse 5 16 will be synonymous as well (this point is dis- from a different perspective and provides one last cussed below). encouragement to not follow the ways of mortals, The pattern of synonymous couplets in Isaiah who are devoid of any real power to save.16 2:13–16 is somewhat altered in 2 Nephi 12:13–16. Isaiah 2:13–16. Amid this larger block of text The latter contains an introductory line that reiter- (vv. 10–22), verses 13–16 recount representative ates the idea, expressed at the beginning of verse 12, items symbolizing the human pride that the Lord that “the Lord” is the agent of the action against the will destroy “in that day” (v. 17) when he comes in items mentioned in verses 13–16. Verse 14 contains glory to cleanse and redeem the earth. For purposes an extra synonymous couplet that has the effect of of comparison, chart 1 presents Isaiah 2:13–16 as shifting the perspective from naturally occurring found in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV; symbols of pride to nations and their creations (the employed here as a representative modern English fortifications and ships cited in verses 15–16). And, translation), the King James Version (KJV), and as noted above, verse 16 contains three lines of text, 2 Nephi 12:13–16 (1981 English edition of the Book the first two of which are a parallel pair. The signifi- of Mormon).17 While the NRSV and KJV exhibit cance of this latter discrepancy is discussed below. some differences in English word choice, they are generally the same since both are based on the Isaiah 2:16 in the Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT) Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT). Isaiah 2:13–16 displays an obvious symmetry of Having reviewed the basic literary context form and content. Each of these four verses speci- of verse 16, we now address issues involving the fies a pair of items symbolizing the earthly power Hebrew text of Isaiah 2:16 and its translation. The and pride that will be destroyed by the Lord. Each two English translations of Isaiah 2:16 cited above pair is a synonymous parallelism (although verse (KJV and NRSV) derive from the standard Maso- 13 does contain some descriptive amplification).18 retic Text of the Hebrew Bible, the oldest surviving For example, verse 14 pairs “high mountains” with manuscripts of which date to the end of the first “hills that are lifted up,” repeating a similar topo- millennium ad.20 graphic feature in somewhat different words. Like- Since the documents known as the Dead wise, verse 15 pairs “every high tower” with “every Sea Scrolls preserve copies of most books of the Hebrew Bible from the last two centuries bc, and since some of these biblical texts differ from what later became the normative Hebrew text (the Masoretic Text), they provide an impor- tant resource for check- ing the status of biblical texts at the turn of the era. Remnants of 21 cop- ies of the book of Isaiah have been discovered

Ruins of Qumran. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in caves near this site. © Maxwell Institute

16 Volume 14, number 2, 2005 Dead Sea Scrolls text 1QIsaa (Great Isaiah Scroll), with wording at Isaiah 2:16 boxed.

in caves around Qumran, but most are quite fragmentary. Isaiah 2:16 is fully preserved on only one of these, 1QIsaa, known as the “Great Isaiah Scroll.”21 As preserved thereon, Isa- iah 2:16 is essentially the same as in the later Masoretic Text.22 Addition- ally, a few letters from Isaiah 2:16 are preserved at the bottom edge of 4QIsab fragment 2, and they also match the Masoretic Text.23 These earlier textual witnesses thus provide no alternative information regarding the form or content of Isaiah 2:16. The textual tradition from which the traditional Hebrew Masoretic Text developed is the only Hebrew version available for analysis. Although all English translations of Isaiah 2:16 based on the Hebrew text of Isaiah use the Masoretic Text, the NRSV in the Masoretic Text and its English translations: renders the second line of verse 16 (designated 16b) “against all the ships of Tarshish, and all . . .” Given much differently from the corresponding translation this pattern, one expects the last element of verse in the KJV (see chart 2). 16b to be similar to the “ships [ʾŏnîyôt] of Tarshish”

Chart 2: Isaiah 2:16 in Hebrew and English MT24 NRSV KJV wĕʿal kol-ʾŏnîyôt taršîš [a] against all the ships of Tarshish [a] And upon all the ships of Tarshish [a] wĕʿal kol-śĕkîyôt haḥemdâ [b] and against all the beautiful craft [b] and upon all pleasant pictures [b] [i.e., watercraft, boats]

mentioned in 16a in order to complete the parallel The difference between verse 16b in most recent form. Harold Cohen thus confidently asserted: “That English translations, represented here by the NRSV, śĕkîyôt [translated ‘pictures’ in the KJV] must refer and the KJV is the result of two important deci- to some kind of ship is indicated by the parallelism sions: how much interpretive influence the poetic śĕkîyôt // ʾŏnîyôt.”26 The KJV’s “pleasant pictures,” form should have on the translation and how to best however, brings to mind a collection of paintings, render the rare Hebrew word śĕkîyôt.25 not something analogous with “ships of Tarshish.”27 The repetitive, formulaic nature of the synony- In addition to this pattern-based expectation mous parallelisms in verses 13–15 (“against all/every of synonymous phrases in Isaiah 2:16a+b, the key . . . and all/every . . .”) clearly continues into verse 16 difference between the King James translation of

journal of Book of Mormon Studies 17 Isaiah 2:16 and most modern ones is the translation of the Hebrew word śĕkîyôt. This feminine plural noun occurs only once in the Masoretic Text, here in Isaiah 2:16b. The singular form śĕkîyâ, from which śĕkîyôt derives, does not occur at all in the Masoretic Text, nor is any form of śĕkîyâ attested in known Israelite inscriptions from before 600 bc (about the time the Lehites left Jerusa- lem with the brass plates). In cases such as this, scholars seek help in determining the meaning of rarely Dating to ad 1008, the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) Codex is attested Hebrew words by examining cognates in the oldest complete copy of the Hebrew Bible. Text at Isaiah 2:16 other languages in the Semitic language family, of is boxed. Photo by Bruce and Kenneth Zuckerman, West Semitic Research, with the collaboration of the Ancient Biblical Manuscript which Hebrew is a part. Center. Courtesy of the Russian National Library (Saltykov-Shchedrin). Prior to the mid-20th century, English transla- tions of the Bible often rendered the Hebrew noun which occurs in Isaiah 2:16a in the phrase “ships śĕkîyôt as “pictures,” as in the Geneva Bible (1st ed., of Tarshish” and elsewhere in the Masoretic Text. 1560) and the King James Version (1st ed., 1611).28 The Ugaritic word ṯkt appears to be cognate with There is a Semitic root ŚKH, which has the general Hebrew śĕkîyôt, which occurs only in Isaiah 2:16b.32 meaning of “to look out for, to hope for,” and a rare This correlation is strengthened by the fact that a Hebrew noun maśkît, presumably connected with related Egyptian word, sktw, means “ship.”33 this linguistic root, which is often translated “figure, The Hebrew noun śĕkîyôt in Isaiah 2:16b is in a image.”29 Lacking other comparative data, earlier genitival relationship with the following feminine translators supposed that the rare Hebrew noun singular noun ḥemdâ (usually translated adjectively śĕkîyôt in Isaiah 2:16b was related to these words; in English), which means “desirable things, pleasant thus the translation “pictures”—something to look things.”34 Accepting Hebrew śĕkîyôt as cognate with at—occurs in the KJV. Ugaritic ṯkt, as most Bible translators now do, the However, the discovery of alphabetic cuneiform phrase in Isaiah 2:16b literally reads, “and against/ texts in a Semitic language preserved on clay tab- upon all ships of pleasantness/desirableness/beauty.” lets from ancient Ugarit near the coast of Syria that The translation of the rare Hebrew word śĕkîyôt date to the 14th and 13th centuries bc has provided in modern English versions of Isaiah 2:16b as “ships,” a valuable cognate resource.30 These texts, the first or the like, instead of “pictures” is thus based on two of which were discovered in 1929, indicate that the main considerations: the expected synonymous par- Ugaritic word ṯkt designates a type of ship. One allelism in Isaiah 2:16 itself—that is, the presumption particular text lists ṯkt–ships under the heading that the object mentioned in verse 16b will be simi- of ʾanyt miḫd, “ships of Maʾḫadu.”31 The Ugaritic lar to the “ships” mentioned in 16a; and the insight word ʾanyt, “ships,” is cognate with Hebrew ʾŏnîyôt, that the Ugaritic word ṯkt, which designates a type

18 Volume 14, number 2, 2005 As a group, textual critics have attempted to construct the original Greek text, in part to deter- mine the Hebrew text that lies behind the Sep- tuagint translation. But this has proven to be very difficult for a number of reasons. First, differences in translation style (literal, free-style, etc.) and in the vocabulary used to translate the same Hebrew words indicate that there were different transla- tors for different biblical books. And the process of translating the biblical books spanned a century or more. Second, numerous revised translations into Greek were made in later centuries. Throughout the transmission history of these texts, various scribes occasionally altered the Greek translations they had available to better suit a particular audience. In some cases the scribes also had Hebrew texts before them and attempted to reflect those texts more accurately by retranslating a particular Greek pas- sage they were copying. Thus through the centuries various Greek translations came into being.35 In order to address these complexities, mod- ern editions of the Septuagint are often eclectic texts—that is, they are texts created by editors who Example of an ancient Canaanite tablet from Ugarit. Photo by Bruce attempt to provide the best reading from the various and Kenneth Zuckerman, West Semitic Research. Courtesy Schøyen Greek text traditions for each passage. Significant Collection. textual variants are then collected and cited in a set of notes, called an apparatus, at the bottom of the page, along with suggestions concerning the most of ship, is cognate with the Hebrew śĕkîyôt in Isaiah likely Hebrew text behind the Greek translation. 2:16b. The Greek Septuagint rendition of this verse is Until the mid-20th century, most scholars an additional consideration in such translations (see assumed that the Septuagint was translated from below). Thus this data does not support Sperry’s pro- the forerunner of the Hebrew Masoretic Text. Varia- posal, quoted above, in which he understood the line tions between the Masoretic Text and the Greek “and upon all pleasant pictures” in Isaiah 2:16b as translations were often assumed to have resulted distinctly different from two lines mentioning ships from errors, such as misunderstandings of the in 2 Nephi 12:16a+b (“ships of the sea,” and “ships of Hebrew, theological discrepancies, or inaccurate Tarshish”). copying or translations. However, with the discov- ery and publication of the Dead Sea Scrolls from Isaiah 2:16 in Its Ancient Greek Translation: 1947 onward, it became evident that a significant number of the differences between the Greek and The Septuagint (LXX) the Hebrew biblical texts are best explained as dif- The Septuagint is an ancient Jewish translation ferences in the ancient Hebrew texts employed by of the Hebrew biblical books into Greek, produced the Greek translators. An instructive example of during the third and second centuries bc. Even this phenomenon is the book of Jeremiah, which is though the best manuscripts come from several cen- 15 percent longer in the Hebrew of the Masoretic turies later, this old Greek translation provides early Text than in the Greek Septuagint.36 evidence for the text of the Hebrew Bible. Eventu- Some Hebrew fragments of the book of Jere­ ally, Jews and Christians alike used the Septuagint miah discovered at Qumran closely match the as scripture, though many Jews came to reject it Masoretic Text, while others are similar to the when Christians adopted it. Septuagint translation of Jeremiah, demonstrating

journal of Book of Mormon Studies 19 that many of the differences in the ancient Greek Two major differences are observable. In the first are best attributed to differing Hebrew texts of Jere­ line of the Septuagint (16a) the Greek reads “sea” miah.37 This situation illustrates how any discus- (thalassēs) instead of “Tarshish.” The second line has sion of variants between biblical texts in Hebrew “every display of fine ships” (pasan thean ploiōn kal- and Greek is tentative. Since none of the original lous), similar to the translation of the Hebrew found Hebrew or Greek biblical texts have survived, we in the NRSV, instead of “all pleasant pictures” as cannot always be sure whether differences between found in the KJV. the Greek Septuagint and the Hebrew Masoretic Rather than postulating the original existence of Text resulted from the translation process itself or two different lines—like “ships of the sea” and “ships from the use of a different Hebrew base text by the of Tarshish” as in 2 Nephi 12:16—Bible scholars have translators of the Septuagint. Thus we cannot certify attempted to explain the difference between the first whether the Septuagint preserves an accurate trans- line of the Greek version (16a: “and upon every ship lation of the Hebrew text employed by the transla- of the sea”) and the first line of the Masoretic Text tors, nor know what other forms of this verse may (16a: “and upon all the ships of Tarshish”) in two have existed in antiquity. different ways. On the one hand, it is possible that a With these challenges in mind, we now turn to translator or a scribe simply made an error between the Greek text of Isaiah 2:16. The most authoritative the similar Greek words for “sea,” thalassē, and modern edition of the Septuagint is the Göttingen “Tarshish,” Tharsēs. Isaac Seeligmann, a prominent series, which collates the many different Greek scholar of the Septuagint of Isaiah, indicated “it is manuscripts of the Septuagint in order to ascertain probable that thalassēs should be regarded as noth- the best possible reading for each verse of the Bible. ing more than a thoughtless error on the part of the In this edition Isaiah 2:16 reads as found in chart 3: copyists, instead of an actually intended Tharsēs.”40

Chart 3: Isaiah 2:16 in the LXX LXX38 English Translation of LXX39 Kai epi pan ploion thalassēs [a] and upon every ship of the sea [a] kai epi pasan thean ploiōn kallous [b] and upon every display of fine ships [b]

According to the variants cited in the Göttingen On the other hand, some scholars have identi- apparatus, there is no known evidence for the exis- fied a plausible reason for the difference between tence of three lines in the Greek text tradition of the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Septuagint this verse, as are found in 2 Nephi 12:16. translation that is not based on error. As James Chart 4 compares Isaiah 2:16 in the Septuagint Barr observed, “It is clear that there was a school of with the English translations in the NRSV and KJV, thought [in antiquity] which consistently interpreted both of which are based on the Hebrew Masoretic [Hebrew] taršîš as ‘sea.’ Jerome maintained that Text: taršîš was the ‘proper’ word for ‘sea’ in Hebrew.”41

Chart 4: Isaiah 2:16 in Greek, Hebrew, and English LXX MT/NRSV MT/KJV Kai epi pan ploion thalassēs [a] wĕʿal kol-ʾŏnîyôt taršîš [a] wĕʿal kol-ʾŏnîyôt taršîš [a] kai epi pasan thean ploiōn kallous [b] wĕʿal kol-śĕkîyôt haḥemdâ [b] wĕʿal kol-śĕkîyôt haḥemdâ [b]

And upon every ship of the sea [a] against all the ships of Tarshish [a] And upon all the ships of Tarshish [a] and upon every display of fine ships [b] and against all the beautiful craft [b] and upon all pleasant pictures [b]

20 Volume 14, number 2, 2005 Daniel 10:6, in which Hebrew taršîš/Tarshish is ren- the original text behind the translation in 2 Nephi dered “sea” in the Septuagint, supports this explana- 12:16. It also tends to undermine Sperry’s theory tion.42 First- and second-century-ad translators of about the form of Isaiah 2:16 in the Septuagint. Isaiah and other prophetic books demonstrate this same propensity for rendering the Hebrew word Comparing Isaiah 2:16 with 2 Nephi 12:16 for Tarshish as “sea.”43 This conflicts with Sperry’s explanation of 2 Nephi 12:16, in which he assumed Having surveyed the difficulties in dealing with the Septuagint preserved a text that read “sea” but Isaiah 2:16 in Hebrew and Greek, we now turn to not “Tarshish.” the challenge of analyzing the relationship between The Hebrew text of Isaiah 2:16b apparently Isaiah 2:16 and 2 Nephi 12:16. We preface this analy­ challenged ancient Greek translators, just as it did sis with three qualifying observations that impact later English translators. In the Septuagint this line the following discussion: is rendered “and upon every display of fine ships” 1. There are inherent, insurmountable limita- (kai epi pasan thean ploiōn kallous). However, later tions to dealing with textual questions regarding ancient Greek translations of this passage differ passages in the Book of Mormon given that we must from the Septuagint. For example, Aquila rendered work with the English translation only, rather than Isaiah 2:16b as “upon all views of pleasantness/desir- the original language of the passages. able views” (epi pasas opseis tēs epithumias). Sym- 2. Presuming there was an original text of machus and the kaige-Theodotion text similarly Isaiah 2:16 (by about 700 bc), there is no way to render the phrase as “upon all desirable views” (kai determine whether this was accurately transmitted epi pasas theas epithumētas).44 These alternative onto the brass plates, which left Jerusalem about 600 Greek translations of the Hebrew text of this phrase bc,46 nor whether Nephi accurately transferred this suggest that the translators were unsure of what the passage from the brass plates onto his small plates unique Hebrew term śĕkîyôt in verse 16b meant. some 30 years later (see 2 Nephi 5:28–33; remember The Greek translators all understood verse 16b to the cautions in such passages as 1 Nephi 19:6 and refer to a view of desirable or pleasant things. The Mormon 8:17). Thus while many Latter-day Saints Septuagint renders “display of fine ships”: either accept 2 Nephi 12:16 as the “original” form of Isaiah translating śĕkîyôt as “ships” since in Hebrew it is a 2:16, we cannot know this for sure at the present plural noun or translating it as “display” and add- time. We do not encounter the oldest preserved text ing the word ships to create a line parallel to the one of Isaiah 2:16 in Hebrew (1QIsaa, from among the before. Aquila, Symmachus, and the kaige-Theodo- Dead Sea Scrolls) until about 450 years after Nephi, tion texts apparently translated śĕkîyôt as “views.”45 and the form of the verse at that time is similar to This resulted in differing Greek translations, simi- its form in the later Masoretic Text tradition. lar to the situation in English: “and against all the 3. No one knows much about Joseph Smith’s beautiful craft” (NRSV) and “and upon all pleasant translation procedure for the Book of Mormon vis- pictures” (KJV). à-vis the KJV in passages in which the English is Thus many scholars deduce that the Septuagint similar.47 Commenting on the Isaiah passages in version of Isaiah 2:16 comes from a Hebrew text the Book of Mormon, Royal Skousen has stated that very much like the Masoretic Text. Early Greek “witnesses who observed Joseph Smith dictating the translators may have erred in rendering “sea” for Book of Mormon claimed that Joseph Smith used Hebrew taršîš/Tarshish in verse 16a, or they may no book at all.”48 This would seem to rule out his have followed a translation practice, preserved later use of the Bible for the Isaiah passages in the Book by Jerome, that Tarshish meant “sea.” And at least of Mormon. However, Daniel Ludlow, for example, some Greek translators were unsure of what Hebrew has contended that śĕkîyôt meant in verse 16b. The simplest explana- there appears to only be one answer to explain tion for this data is that the translators of the Greek the word-for-word similarities between the Septuagint worked from a Hebrew text similar to verses of Isaiah in the Bible and the same verses that from which the Hebrew Masoretic Text derives. in the Book of Mormon. When Joseph Smith This review of the Greek textual tradition of Isaiah translated the Isaiah references from the small 2:16 highlights the complex nature of reconstructing plates of Nephi, he evidently opened his King

journal of Book of Mormon Studies 21 James Version of the Bible and compared the more plausible that it occurred only once, with the impression he had received in translating with Hebrew. It appears that the Greek Septuagint was the words of the King James scholars. If his translated from a Hebrew text that had the same translation was essentially the same as that of two poetic lines for verse 16 that the Hebrew Maso- the Kings James Version, he apparently quoted retic Text does. the verse from the Bible. . . . However, if Joseph Interpretive Possibilities. Those who do not Smith’s translation did not agree precisely with accept the Book of Mormon as ancient scripture that of the Kings James scholars, he would brought forth by divine power provide a few basic dictate his own translation to the scribe [while explanations for the differences between the text of generally utilizing the language of the KJV]. Isaiah 2:16 in the Hebrew Masoretic Text, the Greek This procedure in translation would account Septuagint, and 2 Nephi 12:16. Two recent publi- for both the 234 verses of Isaiah that were cations employ such explanations, so we refer to changed or modified by the Prophet Joseph and them here as illustrations. We do not provide a full, the 199 verses that were translated word-for- interactive analysis of either author’s claims in this word the same.49 context. David P. Wright attempted in a lengthy study With these challenging limitations in mind, we to provide a detailed response to the question of can now discuss 2 Nephi 12:16 in relation to Isaiah “whether the several chapters or passages of Isaiah 2:16. In the following chart, we note again the dif- cited and paraphrased in the book [Book of Mor- ferences in form and content: mon] derive from an ancient text or whether they

Chart 5: Isaiah 2:16 and 2 Nephi 12:16 ------And upon all the ships of the sea [a] against all the ships of Tarshish [a] And upon all the ships of Tarshish [a] and upon all the ships of Tarshish [b] and against all the beautiful craft [b] and upon all pleasant pictures [b] and upon all pleasant pictures [c]

(Isaiah 2:16 NRSV) (Isaiah 2:16 KJV) (2 Nephi 12:16)

In contrast to the KJV rendition of Isaiah 2:16, have been copied with some revision from the King 2 Nephi 12:16a+b preserves a synonymous couplet James Version of the Bible.”51 His interpretation of (“ships of the sea” // “ships of Tarshish”), followed the “internal textual evidence” led him to assert by a third, concluding line of text (16c). that the Isaiah material in the Book of Mormon If they are original, the three poetic lines pre- “is a revision of the KJV and not a translation of served in 2 Nephi 12:16 could have become the two an ancient document.”52 lines preserved in the standard Hebrew Masoretic In another recent study, Ronald V. Huggins Text through a well-attested process in which undertook to demonstrate the “possible sources” scribes accidentally omitted words, phrases, or even for the “changes” Joseph Smith made in two biblical whole passages because their eyes skipped to simi- verses when he rendered them in the Book of Mor- lar wording elsewhere in the text.50 In this case, a mon (Isaiah 2:16 > 2 Nephi 12:16 and Matthew 5:22 scribe could have omitted one of the three phrases, > 3 Nephi 12:22), since Joseph Smith did not know all of which began with the same “and against/ Hebrew or Greek before the publication of the Book upon every . . .” (wĕʿal kol . . .). This process is the of Mormon and thus could not have found support “common accident” to which Sperry made reference for such revisions through his own acquaintance in his proposal. He suggested it happened twice, with Hebrew or Greek texts.53 Huggins’s orienta- once with the Hebrew text and once with a differ- tion is clear: “One point that seems obvious is that ent line in the Greek translation. However, if this we should look for the source of these two variants “accident” actually happened, we consider it much in an influence on Joseph Smith at the time of his

22 Volume 14, number 2, 2005 first use of them . . . in the Book of Mormon.”54 Book of Mormon but expect that the text of 2 Nephi Huggins concluded that certain English-language 12:16 represents an original form of Isaiah 2:16, as resources or people familiar with such resources opposed to what is preserved in the Bible. Work- were sufficiently accessible to Joseph Smith so as to ing from this perspective, we cite three possible demonstrate that he could have obtained these alter- explanations for this discrepancy. One is Sidney B. native readings in the Book of Mormon from those Sperry’s well-known proposal. resources.55 Sperry’s approach looks neat and convincing From these two examples, it is evident that because it is presented only with English transla- those who study the Book of Mormon but deny it tions, including the KJV translation of the Hebrew. is ancient scripture analyze its text against the only However, the above review of the available Hebrew comparative sources available to them: the surviv- and Greek texts of Isaiah 2:16 demonstrates that ing ancient versions of the Bible, in particular the Sperry’s proposal glosses over several complexities. Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Septuagint, He posited that 2 Nephi 12:16a (“ships of the sea”) and potential modern influences on Joseph Smith. is preserved in the Greek Septuagint but is missing Of course, none of these authors’ assertions can be from the Hebrew and KJV. However, “ships of the established as fact. Indeed, Huggins in his conclud- sea” in the Septuagint can be explained as an error ing remarks carefully used qualifiers such as likely or as an intentional, interpretive translation from and perhaps more than a dozen times in the course Hebrew (“ships of Tarshish”) to Greek, not neces- of two pages. He does not claim that his theory is sarily as a witness for an original textual reading. fact, just that it “might” be.56 Also, Sperry assumed that the second line in For those who do accept the Book of Mormon the KJV (“all pleasant pictures”) represents an as ancient scripture translated “by the gift and acceptable rendition of the unique Hebrew phrase power of God,”57 there are likewise a few interpre- śĕkîyôt haḥemdâ. But accepting Sperry’s approach tive possibilities available to help explain the dif- requires one to discount the Ugaritic cognate ṯkt, ference between Isaiah 2:16 and 2 Nephi 12:16. It “ships” (plus the related Egyptian form). Finally, is conceivable, for example, that an ancient scribal Sperry stated that the second of the two lines in accident in copying Isaiah 2:16 affected the form the Greek Septuagint (“upon every display of fine of 2 Nephi 12:16 before Joseph Smith translated ships”) is a misrepresentation of an original third this verse, or that a modern scribal error in dicta- line of the verse, preserved in 2 Nephi 12:16c as “all tion or transcription occurred as Joseph Smith and pleasant pictures.” However, Isaiah 2:16b in the Sep- Oliver Cowdery produced the English translation tuagint translates quite similarly to Isaiah 2:16b in manuscripts of this verse.58 However, most Latter- the Hebrew Masoretic Text, if one renders Hebrew day Saints not only accept the divine origins of the śĕkîyôt as “ships,” as opposed to “pictures” (KJV).

Chart 6: 2 Nephi 12:16 Compared to the Hebrew and Greek of Isaiah 2:16 MT LXX wĕʿal kol-ʾŏnîyôt taršîš [a] Kai epi pan ploion thalassēs [a] wĕʿal kol-śĕkîyôt haḥemdâ [b] kai epi pasan thean ploiōn kallous [b]

2 Nephi 12:16 NRSV English LXX And upon all the ships of the sea [a] against all the ships of Tarshish [a] and upon every ship of the sea [a] and upon all the ships of Tarshish [b] and against all the beautiful craft [b] and upon every display of fine ships [b] and upon all pleasant pictures [c] KJV And upon all the ships of Tarshish [a] and upon all pleasant pictures [b]

journal of Book of Mormon Studies 23 Thus the apparent simplicity of Sperry’s solution tors accepted as a possible translation of the Hebrew relies upon an oversimplification of the Hebrew and in Isaiah 2:16b (śĕkîyôt haḥemdâ), came to represent Greek textual situation. a third line of text (2 Nephi 12:16c) different from An alternative explanation to the relationship two lines that refer to ships. Therefore, this explana- between Isaiah 2:16 and 2 Nephi 12:16 includes tion has challenges in its own right, although in dif- accepting that Hebrew śĕkîyôt should be translated ferent ways than Sperry’s proposal.60 “ships,” and that Isaiah 2:16 in the Hebrew Maso- A third possible approach to the relationship retic Text (“all the ships of Tarshish” // “all the between Isaiah 2:16 and 2 Nephi 12:16, implied in beautiful craft”) and in the Greek Septuagint (“every some recent Latter-day Saint publications, is that ship of the sea” // “every display of fine ships”) con- 2 Nephi 12:16 originally consisted of three synony- sists of a synonymous couplet deriving from the mous lines referring to ships. This approach requires same textual tradition. Theoretically, this couplet accepting that an initial line mentioning “ships of would have to somehow correlate with the first two the sea” (2 Nephi 12:16a) was lost from the ancient lines of 2 Nephi 12:16a+b (“all the ships of the sea textual tradition before the standardization of the . . . all the ships of Tarshish”), which is problematic. Masoretic Text, and that Hebrew śĕkîyôt originally 2 Nephi 12:16c (“all pleasant pictures”) would then meant “ships” but was somehow misrendered in function as a third, summary line preserved only in 2 Nephi 12:16c, presumably under the influence of the translation of 2 Nephi 12:16c, having been lost KJV Isaiah 2:16b. The verse would thus have theo- in antiquity from the text of Isaiah before the Sep- retically read: “upon all the ships of the sea, and tuagint was produced and before the Masoretic Text upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all beauti- became the standard Hebrew text. ful craft/vessels.” Unfortunately, the authors of these In light of Isaiah 2:13 // 2 Nephi 12:13, where recent Latter-day Saint publications have not pro- an additional phrase stands at the beginning of vided any explanation of their rendition of Isaiah 2 Nephi 12:13 and helps introduce the series of 2:16 // 2 Nephi 12:16, how they arrived at it, or what parallel couplets in verses 13–16 (see chart 1 above), its implications are.61 2 Nephi 12:16c (“all pleasant pictures”) may have We are thus not presently aware of any solu- served as a summary phrase at the end of this series tion that satisfactorily accounts for all the ques- of parallel couplets (verses 13–16): the Lord “in that tions regarding 2 Nephi 12:16 in its relation to the day” will be against everything that is desirable or preserved text of Isaiah 2:16. Given the limitations precious from a worldly perspective.59 As noted, of the available textual data, Latter-day Saints must however, neither the additional phrase at the begin- continue to deal with proposals of how to best ning of 2 Nephi 12:13 nor this extra phrase at the explain the formal relationship between Isaiah 2:16 end of 12:16 is preserved in the Hebrew Masoretic and 2 Nephi 12:16. Text of Isaiah 2:13 or 2:16. According to this second approach, the KJV Concluding Thoughts language “pleasant pictures” in Isaiah 2:16b that appears in 2 Nephi 12:16c would have been As demonstrated in the preceding discussion, employed by Joseph Smith to render 2 Nephi 12:16c any explanation of the form and content of 2 Nephi because it adequately expressed the meaning of 12:16 depends on a number of factors, including the language on the plates in front of him. It could (1) whether one accepts or rejects the Book of Mor- therefore be argued that 2 Nephi 12:16 preserves an mon as divinely revealed scripture, (2) the likeli- earlier form of Isaiah 2:16, although not one (contra hood that 2 Nephi 12:16 preserves an “original” Sperry) that is partially preserved in the Hebrew form of this verse, (3) whether one accepts or rejects Masoretic Text and partially preserved in the Greek the modern translation of the Hebrew text of Isaiah Septuagint. This alternative explanation makes bet- 2:16 as two synonymous lines referring to ships, and ter sense of the available Hebrew and Greek texts (4) how one deals with the Greek Septuagint text of but does not fully account for the phrase “ships of Isaiah 2:16a (“sea” from Hebrew taršîš/Tarshish?). the sea” in 2 Nephi 12:16a (as distinct from “ships of As expressed above, we accept that the earli- Tarshish”). Nor does it fully explain how the phrase est Greek rendition of Isaiah 2:16 is similar to the “all pleasant pictures,” which some older commenta- Hebrew preserved in the Masoretic Text (two lines

24 Volume 14, number 2, 2005 contact with Methodist books,” especially Adam Clarke’s com- mentary on the Bible.62 This may be true. But even if Joseph Smith did have such contact, this does not prove he rendered 2 Nephi 12:16 under the influence of Clarke or anyone else other than the Holy Spirit. Our conclusion differs from Huggins’s in this case because we start from a different perspective, not because we dismiss outright the possibility of Joseph Smith’s encountering someone or some- thing other than the gold plates during the translation process. Indeed, it would seem very odd if at least some people had not approached Joseph Smith with all Assyrian bas-relief from the palace of Sargon II at Khorsabad, in sorts of religiously oriented ques- northern Iraq (late 8th century bce, contemporary with the prophet tions, suggestions, and challenges. However, we Isaiah). It depicts Phoenician vessels transporting cedar timbers. Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY (ART64987). seriously doubt the plausibility of Huggins’s pro- posal and question the effect such incidents had on Joseph Smith and his translation, especially given referring to ships). We also accept the rendering of the rather inconsequential nature of the doctrinal the Hebrew word śĕkîyôt in Isaiah 2:16b as “ships,” content of Isaiah 2:16. (Our use of the word transla- thus making it synonymous with the content of tion in the preceding sentence indicates our faith- 16a. But our view of 2 Nephi 12:16 is largely dic- based approach to this question.) tated by our acceptance of the Book of Mormon In conclusion, we have observed that some as ancient scripture. And this is a most significant Latter-day Saints blithely cite 2 Nephi 12:16 as a consideration. tangible vindication of Joseph Smith’s prophetic Any conclusion about the relationship between call without sufficient consideration of the complexi­ Isaiah 2:16 and 2 Nephi 12:16 is for most people ties involved in dealing with the ancient Hebrew a matter of faith—as is acceptance of the Book of and Greek versions of this verse. Furthermore, we Mormon in general—not just a matter of textual are concerned that Sperry’s explanation has been analysis. People who accept the authenticity of the too readily and uncritically accepted by Latter-day Book of Mormon typically favor an explanation for Saints and that 2 Nephi 12:16 footnote 16a in the the form of 2 Nephi 12:16 that other people reject, current edition of the Book of Mormon continues although Latter-day Saint explanations regard- to encourage the oversimplification of this issue. ing this matter cannot now be substantiated by All students of the Book of Mormon should under- the available comparative biblical textual evidence stand the challenges of translating Isaiah 2:16 (and alone. ancient texts in general), the complex relationship People who do not accept the authenticity of between the Hebrew and Greek texts of Isaiah 2:16 the Book of Mormon will likely accept the primacy and 2 Nephi 12:16, and the role that one’s faith plays of the synonymous couplet found in the Masoretic in one’s approach to and interpretation of textual Text and Septuagint over the three-line form of evidence. We hope that this article serves as a cau- 2 Nephi 12:16 and will suggest that Joseph Smith tionary note concerning such issues and as food for erred or accepted outside influences when he “com- thought on similar matters in other Book of Mor- posed” this verse. Huggins, for example, asserted mon passages.63 ! that “Joseph could not have avoided coming into

journal of Book of Mormon Studies 25 1826 Trial: The Legal Setting,” of Christ Library-Archives, 8 February 1832 by Cullen 2. For a convenient review of this BYU Studies 30 (Spring 1990): Independence, Missouri; see Foster, Wayne County deputy data, see Victor L. Ludlow, 91–108. David Whitmer, An Address clerk. See Minor T. Patton, “Isaiah in the Book of Mor- 28. Smith, “History of Lucy Smith to All Believers in Christ, By A “How it was that my great- mon,” in Book of Mormon Ref- Mother of the Prophet,” Witness to the Divine Authen- grandmother’s gold paid for erence Companion, ed. Den- 147–48, MS; see Smith, History ticity of The Book of Mormon the printing of the first edi- nis L. Largey (Salt Lake City: rough manuscript, book 8, 6–7, (Richmond, MO, 1887), 30–31. tion of the Book of Mormon,” Deseret Book, 2003), 344–45. MS. Several details related to the typescript, Church Archives, 3. Recently published study aids 29. John H. Gilbert, “Memo­ trip to Canada are unclear, 1–6; Wayne Cutler Gunnell, for those who want to broaden randum, made by John H. such as the exact date and who “Martin Harris—Witness and and deepen their understand- Gilbert Esq, Sept 8th, 1892,” actually made the journey. Benefactor to the Book of Mor- ing of the content and function King’s Daughters’ Free Library, David Whitmer indicated mon” (master’s thesis, Brigham of the Isaiah quotations in Palmyra, New York. decades later that Oliver Young University, 1955), the Book of Mormon include 30. Harriet A. Weed, Autobiogra- Cowdery and Hiram Page went 37–39; Tuckett and Wilson, the entries on Isaiah in Den- phy of Thurlow Weed (Boston: by themselves. Hiram Page did Martin Harris Story, 49–50; nis L. Largey, ed., Book of Houghton, Mifflin and Com- not mention Martin’s debt as a and Wayne County New York Mormon Reference Compan- pany, 1884), 1:359; see Paul factor in the attempt to sell the Deeds, book 11, 128–89. A ion (Salt Lake City: Deseret Benton, “Rochester Journal- copyright in Canada. copy of this agreement was Book, 2003), 340–400; and ism,” in Centennial History of 37. Wayne Sentinel, 19 March obtained from Carl Lakey, son Donald W. Parry and John W. Rochester, New York: Volume 2, 1831. of Thomas Lakey, by Willard Welch, eds., Isaiah in the Home Builders, ed. Edward R. 38. Wayne County New York Bean. Bean sent the agree- Book of Mormon (Provo, UT: Foreman (Rochester, NY: Board Deeds, 29 November 1825, ment to William Pilkington Jr. FARMS, 1998). of Trustees of the Rochester book 5, 530–32. No records of sometime after 24 July 1935. 4. See for example, George Reyn- Public Library, 1932), 108. any divorce proceedings have 47. Palmyra Courier, 31 May 1872. olds and Janne M. Sjodahl, 31. Tucker, Origin, Rise, and Prog- been found. According to her 48. Wayne Sentinel, 27 May 1831. Commentary on the Book ress of Mormonism, 4. grave marker in Palmyra, Lucy 49. Palmyra Courier, 24 May 1872. of Mormon (Salt Lake City: 32. Wayne County Mortgages Harris died at age 44 (some- 50. Edward Stevenson, “The Three Deseret Book, 1955 [reprinted Book, 3:325–26. Stephen S. time between 1 May 1836 Witnesses to the Book of Mor- 1961]), 325–26; Daniel H. Harding, later territorial gov- and 30 April 1837). Martin mon,” The Latter-day Saints’ Ludlow, A Companion to Your ernor of Utah, recalled that it married Caroline Young on Millennial Star, 21 June 1886, Study of the Book of Mor- was “truly phenomenal” that 1 November 1836 (presumably 390. mon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Martin “should abandon the after Lucy’s death). Caroline, Book, 1976), 141–42; Keith A. cultivation of one of the best the daughter of John and “Upon All the Ships of the Meservy, “God Is with Us,” in farms in the neighborhood, and Theodocia Young, was born on Sea, and Upon All the Ships of 1 Kings to Malachi, ed. Kent change all his habits of life from 17 May 1816 at Hector, Schuy- Tarshish”: Revisiting 2 Nephi P. Jackson (Studies in Scrip- industry to indolence” (S. S. ler County, New York. 12:16 and Isaiah 2:16 ture, vol. 4; Salt Lake City: Harding to Thomas Gregg, 39. Dean C. Jessee, “Joseph Dana M. Pike and Deseret Book, 1993), 92; and February 1882, as cited in Knight’s Recollection of Early David Rolph Seely Donald W. Parry, Jay A. Parry, Gregg, Prophet of Palmyra, 37). Mormon History,” BYU Stud- and Tina M. Peterson, Under- 33. Joseph Smith to Oliver ies 17/1 (1976): 36–37. 1. We began discussing the topic standing Isaiah (Salt Lake City: Cowdery, 22 October 1829, 40. Tucker, Origin, Rise, and Prog- of this article many years ago. Deseret Book, 1998), 32. Joseph Smith Papers, Church ress of Mormonism, 60–61. Our determination to fin- 5. Ellis T. Rasmussen, A Latter- Archives. 41. William Alexander Linn, The ish and publish this article day Saint Commentary on the 34. Agreement between Joseph Story of the Mormons (New was motivated, in part, by Old Testament (Salt Lake City: Smith Jr. and Martin Harris, York: Macmillan, 1902), 48. two relatively recent publica- Deseret Book, 1993), 505. 16 January 1830, Simon Gratz 42. N. W. Howell and others to tions that employ Isaiah 2:16 6. Victor L. Ludlow, Isaiah: Collection, Historical Society Rev. Ancil Beach, January // 2 Nephi 12:16 as part of Prophet, Seer, and Poet (Salt of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. 1832, Walter Hubbell Col- their authors’ efforts to raise Lake City: Deseret Book, Some have supposed that this lection, Princeton University questions about the means 1982), 91. Compare 91n3: “The 1830 agreement was between Library, Princeton, NJ; copy in by which the Prophet Joseph Book of Mormon proves to be Harris and Joseph Smith Sr. Church Archives. Smith brought forth the Book a valuable resource in restor- rather than Joseph Jr.; how- 43. Thomas Lakey owned a black- of Mormon. These are David P. ing a more correct version ever, Richard Lloyd Anderson smith shop and a wagon shop Wright, “Isaiah in the Book of the original material.” See and Scott H. Faulring have and often bought and sold real of Mormon: Or Joseph Smith similarly, W. Cleon Skousen, conclusively demonstrated that estate. A cursory survey of in Isaiah,” in American Apoc- Isaiah Speaks to Modern Times the agreement was indeed with the Index to Grantees, Wayne rypha: Essays on the Book of (Salt Lake City: Ensign, 1984), Joseph Smith Jr. (see volume 1 County, New York, 1823–1869, Mormon, ed. Dan Vogel and 159, who states that 2 Nephi of Anderson and Faulring’s indicates that Lakey was Brent Lee Metcalfe (Salt Lake 12:16 “contains a remarkable forthcoming publication The involved in some 68 land City: Signature Books, 2002), demonstration of the integrity Documentary History of Oliver purchases and 45 sales, with 157–234; and Ronald V. Hug- of the brass plates.” See note 9 Cowdery: Witness of the Second additional sales being handled gins, “‘Without a Cause’ and below for additional represen- Elder). by his heirs after his death. ‘Ships of Tarshish’: A Possible tative citations. 35. Manuscripts of Charles Butler, 44. Wayne County New York Contemporary Source for 7. Sidney B. Sperry, Our Book of Library of Congress, as cited Deeds, 7 April 1831, book 10, Two Unexplained Readings Mormon (Salt Lake City: Ste- in Anderson, Investigating the 515–16. from Joseph Smith,” Dialogue ven & Wallace, 1947), 172–73. Book of Mormon Witnesses, 45. Wayne County New York 36/1 (2003): 157–79. Compare Compare The Voice of Israel’s 101. Deeds, 28 January 1832, book David P. Wright, “Joseph Prophets (Salt Lake City: 36. Hiram Page to “Wm” (appar- 11, 128–29. Smith’s Interpretation of Isa- Deseret Book, 1952), 90–91 ently William E. McLellin), 46. Certification of Thomas Rog- iah in the Book of Mormon,” (later reprinted with “1965” on 2 February 1848, Community ers, 28 January 1832, recorded Dialogue 31/4 (1998): 181–206. the title page); The Problems

journal of Book of Mormon Studies 67 of the Book of Mormon (Salt in Kirtland by Joseph Smith ing Smith Jr., Doctrines of Sal- parallelism, an opposition is Lake City: Bookcraft, 1964), and other Church leaders are vation (Salt Lake City: Deseret expressed between the content 92–93 (republished by Book- found in History of the Church, Book, 1954), 1:173: “Elijah was of the two lines (see, e.g., Prov- craft as Answers to Book of e.g., 2:385, 390, 396–97, 428. to bring back to the earth his erbs 15:5). Mormon Questions [1967], D. Kelly Ogden, “The Kirtland priesthood and restore to men 19. Note how the first two sets of 92–93); and Book of Mormon Hebrew School,” in Milton V. the power to seal on earth and parallel pairs—cedars//oaks Compendium (Salt Lake City: Backman, ed., Regional Stud- in heaven, so that mankind and mountains//hills—are Bookcraft, 1968), 508. Sperry’s ies in Latter-day Saint Church might have means of escape part of the natural world first published note on the History, Ohio (Provo, UT: BYU from the destruction which (vv. 13–14), while the second difference between Isaiah 2:16 Department of Church History awaited the wicked in that two pairs—tower//wall and and 2 Nephi 12:16, with no and Doctrine, 1990), 63–87, great and dreadful day of the ships//pictures—are human- discussion, seems to have been provides a convenient sum- Lord. This great and dreadful made (vv. 15–16) but sourced in “The ‘Isaiah Problem’ in mary and discussion of this day can be no other time than from materials that come the Book of Mormon, Part II,” activity. the coming of Jesus Christ to from the first two pairs. The Ensign, October, 1939, 594. 12. See also the assessment of John establish his kingdom in power order of the natural elements While Sperry’s suggestion A. Tvedtnes, “Isaiah Variants on the earth, and to cleanse it is inverted when they are rep- seems to neatly explain the in the Book of Mormon,” in from all iniquity.” Compare resented in forms of human discrepancy between Isaiah Isaiah and the Prophets, ed. Bruce R. McConkie, The Mor- manufacture. 2:16 and 2 Nephi 12:16, it is Monte S. Nyman (Provo, UT: tal Messiah (Salt Lake City: 20. For a discussion of these highly improbable from a BYU Religious Studies Center, Deseret Book, 1981), 4:367–68. issues, see Emanuel Tov, Tex- text-critical perspective that 1984), 170, who, in speaking 15. There is not sufficient space tual Criticism of the Hebrew the accidents of transmission of Isaiah 2:16 // 2 Nephi 12:16, here to deal with the several Bible, 2nd rev. ed. (Minneapo- he proposed for the verse in observed that “the matter is a differences between the KJV lis: Fortress, 2001), 21–79. See the MT and LXX would have very complex one.” This pub- and the Book of Mormon in also, for example, “Masoretic worked out so nicely. lication by Tvedtnes is based this block of text. For a discus- Text,” in Anchor Bible Diction- 8. Old Testament: 1 Kings– on an earlier FARMS paper, sion of these differences see ary, ed. David Noel Freedman Malachi (CES student manual “Isaiah Textual Variants in the the various Latter-day Saint (New York: Doubleday, 1992), for Brigham Young Universi- Book of Mormon.” commentaries on Isaiah (cited 4:597–99; and “Masoretic ty’s Religion 302 class), 2nd ed. 13. The verses in Isaiah 2:1–5 are above, notes 2–9). See also, Text,” in the Bible Dictionary (Salt Lake City: The Church generally thought to constitute Tvedtnes, “Isaiah Variants in in the Latter-day Saint edition of Jesus Christ of Latter-day the first portion of Isaiah 2, the Book of Mormon,” 169–70; of the King James Bible, 729. Saints, 1982), 140. Similarly following the traditional para- and Royal Skousen, “Textual 21. For a transliteration and pho- in the third edition of this graph break after verse 5 in the Variants in the Isaiah Quota- tographs, see The Great Isaiah manual (2003), 140. MT. However, the prophecy of tions in the Book of Mormon,” Scroll (1QIsaa): A New Edition, 9. See, for example, Monte S. the future temple and the mil- in Isaiah in the Book of Mor- ed. Donald W. Parry and Nyman, Great Are the Words lennial imagery ends in verse mon, 369–90. Elisha Qimron (Boston: Brill, of Isaiah (Salt Lake City: Book- 4. Verse 5 serves as a transi- 16. See the poetic format of these 1999), 5. In designations such craft, 1980), 33; and I, Nephi, tion and begins a multiverse verses suggested by Donald W. as 1QIsaa or 4Q56, Q indicates Wrote this Record (Orem, UT: invitation to the Lord’s people Parry, The Book of Mormon the document was discovered Granite, 2003), 550–51; Hoyt to (re)turn from their worldly Text Reformatted According to in one of the caves around W. Brewster Jr., Isaiah Plain ways to the Lord’s ways. Parallelistic Patterns (Provo, Qumran, and the number and Simple: The Message of 14. The name Jehovah is derived UT: FARMS, 1992), 77–78. preceding the Q indicates in Isaiah in the Book of Mormon from the unvocalized Hebrew 17. 2 Nephi 12 is not preserved which cave the document was (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, form yhwh, usually written on what survives of the found (numbered in order of 1995), 20; K. Douglas Bassett, YHWH in English. This name original manuscript. The their discovery, 1–11). Each comp., Latter-day Commen- is vocalized as “Yahweh” by current printed text is based document or fragment thus tary on the Book of Mormon scholars. Latter-day Saints on the printer’s manuscript. has a unique designation. (American Fork, UT: Cov- are essentially unique in the See Royal Skousen, ed., The 22. The difference between Isaiah enant, 1999), 131. Christian world in claiming Original Manuscript of the 2:16 in the MT and in 1QIsaa 10. See also the similar statement that most biblical references to Book of Mormon (Provo, UT: is merely orthographic: both in footnote 16a for Isaiah 2:16 Jehovah designate Jesus (God FARMS, 2001), 185–86; and instances of kl, “all, every,” in in the Latter-day Saint edition the Son), not God the Father: The Printer’s Manuscript of the the MT are written plene (full of the KJV. Sperry’s name is “Jehovah is the premortal Jesus Book of Mormon (Provo, UT: spelling) as kwl in 1QIsaa. not cited in these footnotes to Christ and came to earth as FARMS, 2001), 188. The JST 23. Discoveries in the Judaean scripture, but we assume the a son of Mary” (Guide to the of Isaiah 2:16 is essentially the Desert XV, Qumran Cave 4, footnotes were generated based Scriptures, s.v. “Jehovah,” at same as the text of 2 Nephi Volume X, The Prophets, ed. on Sperry’s publications. http://scriptures.lds.org/gsj/ 12:16. See Scott H. Faulring, Eugene Ulrich et al. (Oxford: 11. Joseph Smith’s study of jehovah, accessed 10 March Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Clarendon, 1997), 23 and plate Hebrew began in Kirtland, 2006). Matthews, eds., Joseph Smith’s III. 4QIsab is also designated Ohio, in late 1835 (perhaps at Scriptures and statements New Translation of the Bible: 4Q56. least partially motivated by by latter-day Church leaders Original Manuscripts (Provo, 24. The Hebrew text transliterated the acquisition in July 1835 of indicate that the expression UT: BYU Religious Studies here is from Biblia Hebraica Egyptian mummies and the “the day of the Lord” usually Center, 2004), 787. Stuttgartensia (Stuttgart, Ger.: papyri with which the Book of (ultimately) designates Jesus’s 18. In its simplest form, “parallel- Deutsche Bibelstiftung, 1977). Abraham is connected). Pro- second coming. In addition ism” designates a relationship This edition is based on the fessor Joshua Seixas was hired to the citations in the Topical between two poetic lines. oldest complete copy of the to teach biblical Hebrew in Guide in the Latter-day Saint When they are “synonymous,” Hebrew Bible, the Leningrad Kirtland, Ohio, from 6 Janu- edition of the King James the lines say essentially the (now St. Petersburg) Codex B ary to 29 March 1836. Refer- Bible, s.v. “Day of the Lord,” same thing using differ- 19A, which dates to ad 1008. ences to the study of Hebrew see, for example, Joseph Field- ent words. With antithetic Compare the handsomely

68 volume 14, number 2, 2005 produced The Leningrad Lexicon of the Old Testament, ary of the Ugaritic Language tingen, Ger.: Vandenhoeck & Codex: A Facsimile Edition, ed. rev. W. Baumgartner and J. in the Alphabetic Tradition, pt. Ruprecht, 1967). David Noel Freedman (Grand J. Stramm (New York: Brill, 2, trans. Wilfred G. E. Watson 39. The English translation of Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1998). 1995), 641. The word maśkît (Boston: Brill, 2003), 904. LXX Isaiah 2:16 in charts 3, 4, The text of Isaiah 2:16 in this occurs six times in the Hebrew 33. See, for example, Raymond O. and 6 is from Sir Lancelot C. L. codex matches that preserved Bible, for example, Numbers Faulkner, A Concise Dictionary Brenton, The Septuagint LXX: in the Aleppo Codex, pub- 33:52 (NRSV, “figured stones;” of Middle Egyptian (Oxford: Greek and English (London: lished in Moshe H. Goshen- KJV, “pictures”); Proverbs Griffith Institute, 1981), 252. Samuel Bagster & Sons, Ltd., Gottstein, ed., The Book of Isa- 25:11 (NRSV, “setting;” KJV, Cohen, Biblical Hapax Lego- 1851). iah (Hebrew University Bible; “picture”). Of course, alterna- mena, 71n137, and others cite 40. Isaac L. Seeligmann, The Jerusalem, Magnes, 1995). tive derivations and transla- the connection of Ugaritic ṯkt Septuagint Version of Isaiah: 25. For other recent renditions of tions of maśkît have been pro- with Egyptian sktw, or śk.ty, A Discussion of Its Problems Isaiah 2:16b, see, for example, posed. These are conveniently as it is sometimes written. See, (Leiden: Brill, 1948), 30. the New Jewish Publication summarized, with further for example, Cyrus H. Gordon, 41. James Barr, “Review of M. H. Society version (“And all references, in Cohen, Bibli- Ugaritic Textbook (Rome: Pon- Goshen-Gottstein, The Book the gallant barks”); the New cal Hapax Legomena, 71n133, tifcium Institutum Biblicum, of Isaiah: Sample Edition International Version (“and 72–73n143. 1965), 502 #2680. with Introduction,” Journal every stately vessel”); the New 30. Ancient Ugarit, now Tell Ras 34. Koehler and Baumgartner, The of Semitic Studies 12 (1967): American Standard version Shamra, Syria, flourished Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon 117. See also E. Y. Kutscher, (“And against all the beautiful during the mid-second mil- of the Old Testament, 325, s.v. “Marginal Notes to the Bibli- craft”); and the Contemporary lennium bc. The site is located ḥemdâ. Compare Theological cal Lexicon,” Leshonenu 30 English Version (“and every near the northern end of the Dictionary of the Old Testa- (1966): 18–24. In his landmark beautiful boat”). Contrast the eastern Mediterranean sea- ment, ed. G. Johannes Bot- Latin translation of the Bible, New Jerusalem Bible transla- board. The texts are in a West terweck and Helmer Ringgren, known as the Vulgate (late tion, which renders Isaiah Semitic language with affini- trans. David E. Green (Grand fourth century ad), Jerome 2:16b as “and for everything ties to Hebrew. See “Ugarit,” in Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1980), translated the two lines in the held precious.” Anchor Bible Dictionary, 6:695. 4:452–61, s.v. ḤMD. Hebrew text of Isaiah 2:16 that 26. Harold R. (Chaim) Cohen, 31. For the text, see Manfried 35. For a discussion of these issues he was using in a way that is Biblical Hapax Legomena in Dietrich, Oswald Loretz, see, for example, Tov, Textual reminiscent of the later Greek the Light of Akkadian and and Joaquín Sanmartín, Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, editions and the KJV transla- Ugaritic (Missoula, MT: Schol- The Cuneiform Alphabetic 134–48; and “Septuagint,” tion of the MT: et super omnes ars, 1978), 42. The Hebrew Texts from Ugarit, Ras Ibn in Anchor Bible Dictionary, naves Tharsis / et super omne words in the quotation were Hani and Other Places (KTU 5:1093–1104. See also “Septua- quod visu pulchrum est = and originally printed in Hebrew [Keilalphabetische Texte aus gint,” in the Bible Dictionary upon all the ships of Tarsh- script, not in transliteration as Ugarit], 2nd ed.; Münster, Ger.: in the Latter-day Saint edition ish / and upon all that is fair presented here. See similarly, Ugarit-Verlag, 1995), 4.81. This of the King James Bible, 771. to behold (Douay-Rheims). John D. W. Watts, Isaiah 1–33 text, the parallelism between 36. In addition to the length of So Jerome most likely had a (Word Bible Commentary, vol. Ugaritic ʾanyt and ṯkt, and its the text, there are other differ- Hebrew text similar to the MT, 24; Waco, TX: Word, 1985), 33. correlation with Isaiah 2:16 are ences in the book of Jeremiah but his observation, cited by 27. The location of Tarshish is noted in Loren R. Fisher, ed., as found in the MT and in the Barr, that Tharsis is synony- still a matter of debate. Most Ras Shamra Parallels, vol. 2 LXX. These include a differ- mous with “sea” in Hebrew scholars favor the central or (Rome: Pontificium Institutum ent arrangement of chapters, is taken as support for the western Mediterranean area, Biblicum, 1975), 8 (I 5). See such that the oracles against premise that the earlier Greek although somewhere along or also Cohen, Biblical Hapax the nations, which occur in translators thought likewise south of the Rea Sea is also a Legomena, 41–42. chapters 46–51 in the MT and and rendered Hebrew “ships possibility. The phrase “ships Most Ugaritic texts, includ- most English translations, are of Tarshish” as “ships of the of Tarshish,” which occurs sev- ing this one, which was first chapters 25–31 in the LXX. sea.” Tvedtnes, “Isaiah Vari- eral times in the Hebrew Bible, published in 1940, were not 37. An exhaustive study of the ants in the Book of Mormon,” apparently became a figure of available to Sidney B. Sperry differences between the two 170, claimed that the Vulgate speech based on the great size when he first published his texts is found in J. Gerald reads “sea” here, like the LXX, of these ships and the precious interpretation of Isaiah 2:16 Janzen, Studies in the Text of but we are unable to find sea cargo they used to carry. See // 2 Nephi 12:16 in 1939 (note Jeremiah (Cambridge: Harvard as a variant in either of the “Tarshish (Place),” in Anchor 7 above). Of course, this data University, 1973). Janzen con- two standard critical editions Bible Dictionary, 6:331–33. was available when he repub- cluded that the Hebrew text of of the Vulgate. They both read 28. See also, for example, the Jew- lished it in subsequent years. Jeremiah is significantly longer Tharsis, “Tarshish.” Tvedtnes ish Publication Society trans- 32. This correlation requires than the Greek text because of was apparently relying for his lation found in I. W. Slotki, understanding the initial letter expansions and conflations. assertion on the apparatus to ed., Isaiah (London: Soncino, sín in the MT as a variant or He concluded that in the case Isaiah 2:16 in the preliminary 1949), 14: “delightful imagery.” mistake for a šin (= *šĕkîyôt). of Jeremiah, the shorter text in edition of Moshe H. Goshen- 29. The noun maśkît is rendered as Since both letters were repre- the LXX was anciently trans- Gottstein, ed., The Book of “show-piece, figure,” in Fran- sented by the same grapheme, lated from a more pristine edi- Isaiah (Jerusalem, 1995; pre- cis Brown, S. R. Driver, and or letter, in antiquity, this tion of the Hebrew text than liminary ed., 1975), in which Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew detail does not detract from the one preserved in the MT. it is incorrectly noted that the and English Lexicon of the Old what is accepted as compelling This perspective is generally Vulgate reads “sea” here. Testament (Oxford: Clarendon, evidence for a cognate connec- accepted by scholars. 42. The Hebrew word taršîš in 1907 [reprint 1974]), 967; and tion. This matter is discussed 38. Septuaginta: Vetus Testamen- Daniel is actually a hom- as “image, sculpture, imagi- by Cohen, Biblical Hapax tum Graecum Auctoritate onym of the place-name nation, delusion,” in Ludwig Legomena, 71n135. See also Academiae Litterarum Got- Tarshish and is the name of Koehler and Walter Baumgart- Gregorio Del Olmo Lete and tingensis editum, vol. 14, a precious stone, “but this ner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Joaquín Sanmartín, A Diction- Isaias, ed. Joseph Ziegler (Göt- made no difference, since

journal of Book of Mormon Studies 69 the interpretation of taršîš as quotations from the LXX in Mormon,” 377–78, concluded (cited above), the possibility sea was itself connected with various ancient writers who that, at the very least, the bib- that human error occurred the view of the colour of this had access to these revisions. lical quotations in the Book in the work of Joseph Smith stone” (Barr, “Review,” 118). The surviving fragments are of Mormon would have been and Oliver Cowdery cannot 43. Tvedtnes has cited Targum recorded in the Cambridge dictated by Joseph Smith, not be completely discounted. The Pseudo-Jonathan, an Ara- and Göttingen editions as part directly copied from the KJV occurrence of human error maic rendition of the Hebrew of the Hexaplaric evidence. by his scribe. in the English editions of the prophetic books, as further For a useful discussion see 50. Sometimes generally called Book of Mormon, resulting evidence for the originality of Tov, Textual Criticism of the haplography or parablepsis, from dictation to scribes and the LXX translation “ships of Hebrew Bible, 143–48; and the technical terms desig- other circumstances, has been the sea” (“Isaiah Variants in Karen H. Jobes and Moises nating the loss of words or demonstrated by Royal Skou- the Book of Mormon,” 170). Silva, Invitation to the Septua- phrases between phrases with sen in his work on the original The Aramaic reads wʿl kl nkty gint (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker similar beginnings or similar and printer’s manuscripts. It spyny ymʾ wʿl kl dšrn bbyrnyt Academic, 2001), 45–68. endings are homoioarcton is significant and challenging šprʾ, “and upon all those who 45. Some scholars believe that the and homoioteleuton, respec- that the original manuscript go down in ships of the sea, LXX is translating a Hebrew tively. For a discussion of this for this portion of 2 Nephi and upon all those who dwell text that had the Hebrew word phenomenon and biblical is not extant, only the copy in palaces of beauty” (Alex- sěpînôt, meaning “ships,” examples, see Tov, Textual known as the printer’s manu- ander Sperber, ed., The Bible rather than śĕkîyôt (see note in Criticism, 236–40. This scribal script. in Aramaic, 2nd impression Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia). accident is also attested in the Although we are not aware [New York: Brill, 1992], 3:6). For a review of these possibili- printed editions of the Book of of anyone having formally However, Tvedtnes’s claim ties see Barr, “Review,” 116–17. Mormon. Alma 32:30 presents made this assertion, it is possi- is problematic since nearly 46. See similarly Tvedtnes, “Isaiah a classic example of this acci- ble that the “extra” line of text everywhere else in the Targum Variants in the Book of Mor- dent in the Book of Mormon. in 2 Nephi 12:16 is the result the Hebrew taršîš is rendered mon,” 166–67. This verse is significantly of dittography (repeating a in Aramaic as “sea.” Indeed, 47. For general comments on what shorter in the 1920 edition phrase due to similar wording) Wright, “Isaiah in the Book is known and not known about compared to the 1981 edition, on the part of Joseph Smith of Mormon: Or Joseph Smith the original translation of the because a central portion of and Oliver Cowdery, especially in Isaiah,” 188–89, notes that Book of Mormon, see Milton the verse was “lost” due to the if Joseph Smith did utilize “in [the Targum of] Isaiah the V. Backman, “Book of Mor- typesetter’s eye jumping from the KJV (as Ludlow asserted) rendering of ‘Tarshish’ as ‘sea’ mon, Translation of,” in Book one similar phrase to another, when translating extended occurs everywhere the former of Mormon Reference Com- eliminating the words in passages of Isaiah from the term occurs [in Hebrew]” and panion, ed. Dennis L. Largey between. plates. Dittography is the addi- that this pattern is evident in (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 51. Wright, “Isaiah in the Book of tion of extra letters, words, or other of the prophetic books 2003), 158–59; and John W. Mormon: Or Joseph Smith in phrases to a text because of the as well (e.g., Ezekiel 27:12, 25; Welch and Tim Rathbone, Isaiah,” 157. Wright studied similarity of words and word Jonah 1:3; 4:2). For a discus- “Book of Mormon Translation the text of Isaiah in the MT sounds (contrast haplography sion of the Targums and their by Joseph Smith,” in Ency- and the KJV in comparison and parablepsis, mentioned inherent issues, see, for exam- clopedia of Mormonism, ed. with the Isaiah material in the above). Whether one finds this ple, Tov, Textual Criticism Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Book of Mormon, giving spe- suggestion plausible or not, it of the Hebrew Bible, 148–51; Macmillan, 1992), 1:210–13. cial attention to those passages at least needs to be considered and “Targum, Targumim,” 48. Royal Skousen, “Textual Vari- in which the KJV translators as a possibility. in Anchor Bible Dictionary, ants in the Isaiah Quotations used italicized words to indi- 59. Other instances of three poetic 6:320–21. in the Book of Mormon,” in cate that their English rendi- lines in conjunction with As an aside, this data dem- Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, tion was not based on corre- poetic couplets do occur, for onstrates that Tarshish and sea ed. Donald W. Parry and John sponding words in Hebrew. example Isaiah 1:8 and 2 Nephi are perfect candidates for a W. Welch (Provo, UT: FARMS, 52. Wright similarly claimed that 30:16–17, but none of these synonymous pair in a Hebrew 1998), 377. See similarly and the Isaiah passages in the Book passages are quite like 2 Nephi parallelism—though they do more fully John W. Welch, of Mormon are “connected to 12:16 in relation to the preced- not appear as such anywhere Illuminating the Sermon at the KJV” and “distant” from ing verses, 13–15. else in scripture besides the Temple and Sermon on the the Hebrew text. See Wright, 60. Alternatively, to argue that 2 Nephi 12:16. Mount (Provo, UT: FARMS, “Isaiah in the Book of Mormon: the MT/LXX synonymous 44. Aquila, Symmachus, and 1999), 180–88. Or Joseph Smith in Isaiah,” 157, couplet is preserved in 2 Nephi Theodotion all produced 49. Daniel Ludlow, A Companion 182 (compare 158, 208–11). 12:16b+c still requires one to Greek translations of the to Your Study of the Book 53. Huggins, “‘Without a Cause’ explain the origins of Nephi Bible that are called “revi- of Mormon (Salt Lake City: and ‘Ships of Tarshish,’” 158. 12:16a. See the third explana- sions” (or recensions) in that Deseret Book, 1976), 141–42. 54. Huggins, “‘Without a Cause’ tion, given in the next para- they attempted to present the See similarly B. H. Roberts, and ‘Ships of Tarshish,’” 168. graph, for a proposal that is Bible more correctly than the “Bible Quotations in the Book 55. Huggins, “‘Without a Cause’ similar. original Old Greek transla- of Mormon and Reasonable- and ‘Ships of Tarshish,’” 177– 61. We are concerned with the tion. These three “revisions” ness of Nephi’s Prophecies,” 79. See similarly Wright, “Isa- translation of Isaiah 2:16 that were columns three, four, and Improvement Era, January, iah in the Book of Mormon: Parry, Parry, and Peterson pro- six, respectively, in Origen’s 1904, 191; and Sperry, Our Or Joseph Smith in Isaiah,” vide in Understanding Isaiah, Hexapla (ca. ad 245). Since Book of Mormon, 172 (in 189–90. 32, wherein the phrase “and the Hexapla has only survived prefacing his comments on 2 56. Huggins, “‘Without a Cause’ upon all [luxury ships]” is pro- in fragments, the revisions Nephi 12:16 and 20; see also and ‘Ships of Tarshish,’” 177–79. vided as a third line of text in are known only from various the rest of his publications 57. History of the Church, 1:315. the verse. This results in three sources such as early papyrus cited in note 7 above). Skousen, 58. Given that Nephi and Mormon synonymous lines about ships fragments, vellum fragments “Textual Variants in the Isaiah cautioned that human error in Isaiah 2:16, which does not from the Middle Ages, and Quotations in the Book of might be found in their record at all match the present text

70 volume 14, number 2, 2005 of 2 Nephi 12:16 (no “pleasant God in History? Nephi’s Answer 9. For a discussion of the pre- mon, having approximately pictures”), nor does it follow Roy A. Prete modern practice of integrating 35 percent of his Old Testa- the preserved Hebrew or Greek revealed text with history, see ment writings either quoted texts of Isaiah 2:16. Such a 1. B. H. Roberts, Outlines of James E. Faulconer, “Scripture directly or paraphrased by representation implies that Ecclesiastical History: A Text as Incarnation,” in Historicity Nephite prophets.” “Isaiah, these authors think their ren- Book, 5th ed. (Salt Lake City: and the Latter-day Scriptures, life and ministry,” in Book of dition represents the original The Church of Jesus Christ of ed. Paul Y. Hoskisson (Provo, Mormon Reference Compan- form of Isaiah 2:16, but they Latter-day Saints, 1979), 221– UT: BYU Religious Studies ion, ed. Dennis L. Largey et al. provide no discussion of this 22, 284–86, 289–91; Mark E. Center, 2001), 17–61. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, point, a serious omission. This Peterson, The Great Prologue 10. For an introduction to the 2003), 340. Nephi quotes 18 same configuration of Isaiah (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, subject of God in history that chapters of Isaiah completely: 2:16 is repeated, again without 1975); E. Douglas Clarke, The focuses on relevant principles Isaiah 48–51 (1 Nephi 20–21; explanation, in Donald W. Grand Design: America from from a Latter-day Saint per- 2 Nephi 7–8); Isaiah 2–14 (2 Parry, Harmonizing Isaiah Columbus to Zion (Salt Lake spective, see Alexander B. Nephi 7–24); and the greater (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2001), City: Deseret Book, 1992). Morrison, “God in History,” part of Isaiah 29 (2 Nephi 27); 45. See somewhat similarly On the special mission of in Window of Faith, 1–12. plus additional portions, either David J. Ridges, Isaiah in the America, see Ezra Taft Ben- 11. For a fuller discussion, see quoted (such as 2 Nephi 6: 5–7; Bible Made Easier (Springville, son, Conference Report, April Robert L. Millet, “The Influ- 30:9, 11–15) or paraphrased UT: Bonneville, 2002), 140, 1948, 82–87; Ezra Taft Benson, ence of the Brass Plates on (e.g., 1 Nephi 22:6). So power- who explains 2 Nephi 12:16c “A Witness and a Warning,” the Teachings of Nephi,” in fully impressed was Nephi (“upon all pleasant pictures”) Ensign, November 1979, 31–33. The Book of Mormon: Second with the prophecies of Isaiah as meaning “pleasure ships 2. For a recent collection of Nephi, The Doctrinal Struc- that of the 55 chapters in 1 and upon which the wealthy trav- articles on aspects of the sub- ture: Papers from the Third 2 Nephi, approximately one- eled,” without further com- ject, see Out of Obscurity: The Annual Book of Mormon Sym- third are drawn from Isaiah. ment. This, again, suggests LDS Church in the Twentieth posium, ed. Monte S. Nyman 16. Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, three poetic lines about ships Century: The 29th Annual and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, 3:87. in 2 Nephi 12:16, for which Sidney B. Sperry Symposium UT: BYU Religious Studies 17. See Alan K. Parrish, “Lehi and there is no available textual (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, Center, 1989), 207–25. the Covenant of the Promised support. Ridges provides the 2000). 12. For discussions of gospel Land: A Modern Appraisal,” same explanation for the sec- 3. God’s role in history is a vast dispensations, including that in Second Nephi, The Doctrinal ond line of Isaiah 2:16, altering topic, well beyond the scope of the Nephites, see Joseph Structure, 39–41. the “pleasant pictures” in the of this brief essay. For a fuller Fielding Smith, Doctrines of 18. Nephi must have been person- KJV text (p. 4). This results in discussion, see Window of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. ally gratified to receive the a synonymous couplet in Isa- Faith: Latter-day Saint Per- McConkie (Salt Lake City: Lord’s promise that his writ- iah 2:16 (which we accept), but spectives on World History, ed. Bookcraft, 1977–78), 1:160–64; ings on the small plates would there is no comment on how Roy A. Prete et al. (Provo, UT: Bruce R. McConkie, Mor- be preserved “as long as the this form of Isaiah 2:16 relates BYU Religious Studies Center, mon Doctrine, 2nd ed. (Salt earth shall stand,” a point he to 2 Nephi 12:16 or what has 2005). Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966), apparently had not appreci- become of the phrase “pleasant 4. See Ernst Breisach, Historiog- 200–202; Milton R. Hunter, ated when he was commanded pictures.” raphy: Ancient, Medieval, and The Gospel through the Ages to prepare them (see 2 Nephi 62. The quotation is from Hug- Modern, 2nd ed. (Chicago: (Salt Lake City: Stevens & 25:21–23; 1 Nephi 19:3). gins, “‘Without a Cause’ and University of Chicago Press, Wallis, 1945), chaps. 11–13; 19. See Grant Underwood, ‘Ships of Tarshish,’” 171. His 1994); also Mark T. Gilderhus, and “Dispensations,” in the “Insights from the Early Years: discussion of Clarke’s com- History and Historians: A Bible Dictionary in the Latter- 2 Nephi 28–30,” in Second mentary is on pages 172–74. Historiographical Introduction, day Saint edition of the King Nephi, The Doctrinal Struc- The research of Robert Paul 5th ed. (Upper Saddle River, James Version of the Bible, ture, 323–36. (“Joseph Smith and the Man- NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003). 657–58. The Prophet Joseph 20. While the precise titles of such chester [New York] Library,” 5. For a nuanced treatment of the Smith stated, “It is in the order books have not been given BYU Studies 22/3 [1982]: historiography of providential of heavenly things that God in revelation, there is some 333–56) suggests there was no history and the issues it faces, should always send a new dis- indication from a 1978 First copy of Clarke’s commentary see Brian Q. Cannon, “Provi- pensation into the world when Presidency letter that Moham- in the Manchester, New York, dential History: The Need for men have apostatized from the med, among others, was lending library in the late Continuing Revelation,” in truth and lost the priesthood.” inspired to bring forth truths 1820s. But Huggins’s claim Window of Faith, 143–60. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph of God, suggesting that the relates to Joseph Smith’s stay 6. Ronald A. Wells, History Smith, comp. Joseph Fielding Qur’an and other sacred texts in Harmony, Pennsylvania, Through the Eyes of Faith: Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret could be among these. For this and he cites a claim that the Western Civilization and the Book, 1976), 375. interpretation and a discussion Rev. Nathaniel Lewis, one of Kingdom of God (San Fran- 13. See Noel B. Reynolds, “Lehi as of world religions with refer- Emma Smith’s uncles, had a cisco: HarperSanFrancisco, Moses,” JBMS 9/2 (2000): 27–35. ences to their sacred texts, see copy of Clarke’s commentary 1989), 3–4. See in particular note 1, which Roger R. Keller, “Why Study and supposedly mentioned it 7. C. John Sommerville, references literature pertaining World Religions?” in Window to Joseph Smith (p. 173). “Christain Historiograpghy? to Nephi as a Moses figure. of Faith, 213–30. 63. We thank our wives and other A Pragmatic Approach,” Fides 14. See Millet, “Influence of the reviewers for their suggestions et Historia 35 (Winter/Spring Brass Plates,” 210–11, which Archaeology and the Book of for improving this study. We 2003), 3. presents evidence to suggest Mormon extend an extra note of thanks 8. For a discussion of methodol- that these were prophets of the John E. Clark to John A. Tvedtnes for his ogy in the Latter-day Saint con- tribe of Joseph. careful reading and comments. text, see Roy A. Prete, “Merging 15. According to Terry B. Ball, This article was originally a forum As always, all deficiencies are the Secular and the Spiritual,” Isaiah “is the most quoted address delivered at Brigham our responsibility alone. in Window of Faith, 125–42. prophet in the Book of Mor- Young University, 24 May 2004.

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