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It has lot of hidden information about who is jacob ? But all i know his name was in the book of mormon. This is very deep doctrine. Hopefully in the future if i continue reading over and over about the history of bible it may help.
Thanks brother.
Loren, thank you for your comments. I am definitely arguing along those lines. The verb גָּנַב is a key term in Genesis 31 and its use there is connected to the earlier puns on Jacob in Genesis 25 and 27. Strictly speaking, Hebrew idiom ganab-leb (or ganav-lev), literally “steal the heart,” means “to deceive.” We actually see this idiom show up in the Book of Mormon in that sense: see, e.g., Mosiah 27:9; Alma 39:4 (cf. these to 2 Samuel 15:6).
Matt, thanks again for another great contribution. I have a question for you. You partially cited Alma 20:13 in which Lamoni’s father claimed that Nephi had “robbed our fathers.” I am wondering if there might be some Hebrew wordplay in this verse. Here are all the words that Lamoni’s father spoke (at least what was recorded):
“Lamoni, thou art going to deliver these Nephites, who are sons of a liar. Behold, he robbed our fathers; and now his children are also come amongst us that they may, by their cunning and their lyings, deceive us, that they again may rob us of our property.”
In the ten commandments we read “Thou shalt not steal (ganav גָּנַב).” Gesenius defines ganav as “to steal, to take away by theft, secretly.” He also defines ganav as “to deceive.” Lamoni’s father clearly links the idea of the Nephites stealing from them with the acts of deception through lying.
It seems possible that Lamoni’s father may have used the word ganav to mean “rob” and “deceive” in this passage. Your thoughts?
I so look forward to your book! The beauty and complexity of Holy Writ has no end. The Jewish people have always appreciated the Torah but I doubt the typical Jew today recognizes the true treasure the ancient Hebrew writers left them and that is also true of the typical Mormon. Ironic that an “…ignorant ploughboy” should bring such complexity, meaning and beauty to our understanding.
Thank you, Steve! You shan’t have to wait too much longer on the book. I would venture that most observant Jews do recognize many of the treasures embedded in the Hebrew Bible–better than anyone. Nephi remarks that “there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them…” (2 Nephi 25:5). I do hope, though, that Latter-day Saints will gain a greater appreciation for the treasures embedded in all of our scriptures. I hope that we will better recognize that those treasures are often deeply connected to those in the Hebrew Bible.
Almost overwhelming, the richness of the Jacob-related wordplays that now can add greatly to our appreciation of the Book of Mormon as a deep, intricate, and truly ancient sacred text. Thank you for another inspired and inspiring contribution.
Thank you, Jeff! I greatly appreciate that. 🙂