Do the Book of Mormon Isaiah passages have all of the errors present in the King James Version of the Bible?

Anonymous, 2/3/2008

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El Santo Gringo from La Jolla, California:




A recent visitor to my site pointed out that the issues surrounding 2 Nephi 12:16 are more complicated than I first supposed. That visitor suggested that Joseph Smith, an uneducated farm boy who, according to his later wife Emma, "could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter," a boy whose days were filled with farm work and the fight for survival, not scholarship, was somehow well versed in the contents of the Septuagint. This visitor went so far as to call this ludicrous conclusion "obvious." :)

Nevertheless, it is true that 2 Nephi 12:16 is more complicated than I supposed, as Mormon scholars have themselves pointed out.

If the same visitor would like to try to explain away the other 58 examples of Book-of-mormon Isaiah passages that differ from the King James Version, for which ancient texts support the Book of Mormon translation as correct, I'm all ears.

There's a far better way to learn about Mormons! If you have questions, consider inviting Mormons that live in your area to visit with you in your home!

AllAboutMormons.com Webmaster from La Jolla, California:


As a bit of background for others who may not be familiar with the Book of Mormon, the Book of Mormon prophets quote extensively from the writings of Isaiah. This should come as no surprise, as the New Testament also quotes the prophecies of Isaiah.

Translators often use previous translations, if available, as guides when creating new translations. The King James Version of the New Testament, for example, was based largely on a previous translation called the Tyndale Bible. In fact, the King James New Testament is 80%-90% identical to the Tyndale Bible. Because the phrasing of the Book of Mormon Isaiah passages is so similar to the King James Isaiah translations, it seems almost certain that Joseph Smith relied on the King James translation as a guide to translating the Book of Mormon Isaiah passages.

However, the Book of Mormon Isaiah passages are by no means identical to the King James translation. Just over half of the Book of Mormon Isaiah verses differ in some way from the corresponding King James verses. Many of those differences do suggest that Joseph Smith had access to an ancient Isaiah text that was not known to the King James translators. One study found 59 examples of Book of Mormon Isaiah passages that differ from the King James Version, for which ancient texts support the Book of Mormon translation as correct!

For example, consider Isaiah 2:16 and it's Book of Mormon parallel, 2 Nephi 12:16. The King James verse reads, “…and upon all the ships of Tarshish.” The Book of Mormon verse reads, “…and upon all the ships of the sea, and upon all the ships of Tarshish.” In fact, the addition of “upon all the ships of the sea” is supported by ancient texts.

Many more examples can be found at http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?id=2&table=transcripts.
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