Mormon Handbook

A REFERENCE TO THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

Home / Canon / Book of Mormon /

Book of Mormon — Plagiarized

Examining the likely sources Joseph Smith borrowed from to compose his Book of Mormon.


Contents

Plagiarizing View of the Hebrews

Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews is a book about the Jewish origins of Native Americans. Published seven years prior, it is considered source material for the Book of Mormon.

It is often represented by Mormon speakers and writers, that the Book of Mormon was first to represent the American Indians as descendants of the Hebrews: holding that the Book of Mormon is unique in this. The claim is sometimes still ignorantly made.

B. H. Roberts

— B. H. Roberts

Mormon Seventy and Church Historian
Studies of the Book of Mormon, p. 323

For years such materials as were then found and discussed, theories as to the origin of the American Indians, including "the ten lost tribes" theory of Hebrew infusion into the American race, together with frequent mention of cultural traits favorable to this supposed Hebrew infusion—all this was matter of common speculation in the literature of America, before the publication of either Priest's American Antiquities or the Book of Mormon.

B. H. Roberts

— B. H. Roberts

Mormon Seventy and Church Historian
Studies of the Book of Mormon, p. 152


A Selection of Books about the Jewish Origins of American Indians:

1775 The History of the American Indians , by James Adair.
1799 An Essay on the Propagation of the Gospel, by Charles Crawford. Second edition 1801.
1816 A Star in the West; or, A Humble Attempt to Discover the Long Lost Ten Tribes of Israel, by Elias Boudinot.
1823 View of the Hebrews, by Ethan Smith. Second edition 1825.
1824 The Wonders of Nature and Providence, Displayed, by Josiah Priest.
1828 A View of the American Indians, by Israel Worsley.
1830 Book of Mormon, by Joseph Smith

It is altogether probable that these two books—Priest's Wonders of Nature and Providence, 1824; and Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews 1st edition 1823, and the 2nd edition 1825—were either possessed by Joseph Smith or certainly known by him, for they were surely available to him.

B. H. Roberts

— B. H. Roberts

Mormon Seventy and Church Historian
Studies of the Book of Mormon, p. 153

If such may have been the fact, that a part of the Ten Tribes came over to America, in the way we have supposed, leaving the cold regions of Assareth behind them in quest of a milder climate, it would be natural to look for tokens of the presence of Jews of some sort, along countries adjacent to the Atlantic. In order to this, we shall here make an extract from an able work: written exclusively on the subject of the Ten Tribes having come from Asia by the way of Bherings Strait, by the Rev. Ethan Smith, Pultney, Vt., who relates as follows:... -Smith's view of the Hebrews. p. 220.

Joseph Smith

— Joseph Smith

Mormonism founder
Times and Seasons, Vol. 3, pp. 813-814


The Parallels

A summary of B. H. Robert’s comparison of View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon.

View of the Hebrews Book of Mormon
Published 1823, First Edition
1825, Second Edition
1830, First Edition
Location Vermont
Poultney, Rutland County
Vermont
Sharon, Windsor County

Note: Windsor County is next to Rutland County.
Destruction of Jerusalem
The scattering of Israel
The restoration of the Ten Tribes
Hebrews leave the Old World for the New World
Religion a motivating factor
Migrations a long journey
Encounters ‘seas’ of ‘many waters’
The Americas an uninhabited land
Settlers journey northward
Encounter a valley of a great river
A unity of race (Hebrew) settle the land and are the ancestral origin of American Indians
Hebrew the origin of Indian language
Egyptian hieroglyphics
Lost Indian records

A set of ‘yellow leaves’ buried in Indian hill. Roberts noted the leaves may be gold.


An ancient Indian record on gold plates buried in a hill.
Breastplate, Urim & Thummim
Prophets, spiritually gifted men transmit generational records
The Gospel preached in the Americas
Quotes whole chapters of Isaiah
Messiah visits the Americas

Quetzalcoatl, the white bearded Mexican ‘Messiah’
Good and bad are a necessary opposition
Generosity encouraged and pride denounced
Polygamy denounced
Idolatry and human sacrifice
Sacred towers and high places
Hebrews divide into two classes, civilized and barbarous
Civilized thrive in art, written language, metallurgy, navigation
Government changes from monarchy to republic
Civil and ecclesiastical power is united in the same person
Long wars break out between the civilized and barbarous
Extensive military fortifications, observations, watch towers
The barbarous exterminate the civilized
Discusses the United States
Ethan / Ether Roberts noted, “Ethan is prominently connected with the recording of the matter in the one case, and Ether in the other.”

Did Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews furnish structural material for Joseph Smith's Book of Mormon? It has been pointed out in these pages that there are many things in the former book that might well have suggested many major things in the other. Not a few things merely, one or two, or a half dozen, but many; and it is this fact of many things of similarity and the cumulative force of them that makes them so serious a menace to Joseph Smith's story of the Book of Mormon's origin.

B. H. Roberts

— B. H. Roberts

Mormon Seventy and Church Historian
Studies of the Book of Mormon, p. 240


Plagiarizing the King James Version

Book of Isaiah

The Book of Mormon quotes extensively from the Book of Isaiah, including entire chapters, and often copying the King James Version nearly verbatim. In addition to this table below, the book also includes over 50 verses from Isaiah that are quoted or paraphrased.


Isaiah Book of Mormon   Isaiah Book of Mormon   Isaiah Book of Mormon
Isaiah 2 2 Nephi 12   Isaiah 9 2 Nephi 19   Isaiah 48 1 Nephi 20
Isaiah 3 2 Nephi 13   Isaiah 10 2 Nephi 20   Isaiah 49 1 Nephi 21
Isaiah 4 2 Nephi 14   Isaiah 11 2 Nephi 21   Isaiah 50 2 Nephi 7
Isaiah 5 2 Nephi 15   Isaiah 12 2 Nephi 22   Isaiah 51 2 Nephi 8
Isaiah 6 2 Nephi 16   Isaiah 13 2 Nephi 23   Isaiah 52 3 Nephi 20
Isaiah 7 2 Nephi 17   Isaiah 14 2 Nephi 24   Isaiah 53 Mosiah 14
Isaiah 8 2 Nephi 18   Isaiah 29 2 Nephi 27   Isaiah 54 3 Nephi 22

In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, The rings, and nose jewels, The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.

In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments, and cauls, and round tires like the moon, The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the ear-rings, The rings, and nose jewels; The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins; The glasses, and the fine linen, and hoods, and the veils.

Holy Bible

— Isaiah 3:18-23

1611 King James translation of Isaiah, Masoretic Hebrew

Book of Mormon

— 2 Nephi 13:18-23

1830 Joseph Smith translation of Isaiah, Reformed Egyptian



Italicized Words
To help clarify the meaning of the text, the King James Version inserts additional words not found in the original text. It distinguishes those added words by italicizing them.

Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

Nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, and afterwards did more grievously afflict by the way of the Red Sea beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations.

Holy Bible

— Isaiah 9:1

King James Version

Book of Mormon

— 2 Nephi 19:1


Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

Nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, and afterwards did more grievously afflict by the way of the Red Sea beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations.

Holy Bible

— Isaiah 9:1

King James Version

Book of Mormon

— 2 Nephi 19:1



Translation Errors

Our understanding today of the Hebrew language is much more advanced than it was in the early 1600's when King James authorized an English translation of the Bible. Somehow, the divine process guiding Joseph’s Book of Mormon translation didn’t prevent him from making the same errors.

 

And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.

 

And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.

Holy Bible

— Isaiah 2:16

King James Version

  Book of Mormon

— 2 Nephi 12:16



And the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit.

Holy Bible

— Prophet Jacob


Jacob 6:8


King James English

An oddity of the Book of Mormon, published in 1830, is that it uses antiquated Elizabethan era English, resembling the style of the 1611 King James Version.


English Language Eras

The author labored to give his words and phrases the quaint, old-fashioned sound and structure of our King James’s translation of the Scriptures; and the result is a mongrel—half modern glibness, and half ancient simplicity and gravity. The latter is awkward and constrained; the former natural, but grotesque by the contrast. Whenever he found his speech growing too modern—which was about every sentence or two—he ladled in a few such Scriptural phrases as "exceeding sore," "and it came to pass," etc., and made things satisfactory again. "And it came to pass" was his pet. If he had left that out, his Bible would have been only a pamphlet.

Mark Twain

— Mark Twain

Author
Roughing It, Ch. XVI

Word Usage
Insomuch 2,586%
Naught 1,800%
Durst 1,267%
Beholdest 1,100%
Inasmuch 1,033%
Believest 1,000%
Repenteth 850%
Beheld 711%
Didst 633%
Notwithstanding 558%
Nevertheless 536%
Meaneth 533%
Hitherto 417%
Oft 400%
Wherefore 355%
Wax 350%
Whoredoms 300%
Nay 259%
Whoso 233%
Smitten 224%
Ye 208%
Thus 199%
Doth 191%
Bringeth 175%
Hearken 167%
Iniquity 152%
Wroth 150%
Advocateth Mingleth
Allotteth Murdereth
Atoneth Numbereth
Awaiteth Overpowereth
Beginneth Pretendeth
Beheldest Scorcheth
Beholdest Shouldst
Cheateth Showeth
Claimeth Spouteth
Comprehendeth Spurneth
Confoundeth Supposeth
Counseleth Sweepeth
Covenanteth Swelleth
Decreeth Tortureth
Deniest Trampleth
Enacteth Transformeth
Exclaimeth Turneth
Fulfilleth Whispereth
Granteth Wondereth
Manifesteth Wouldst
Mattereth Yoketh
Contents
Book of Mormon — Authorship Get Ebook
Get Print
Wordiness
Linktree YouTube Facebook Twitter Instagram TikTok Contact