Tuesday, June 21, 2016

What is the Nature and Use of Chariots in the Book of Mormon?

Book of Mormon Central has a new paper (and short video) entitled, "What is the Nature and Use of Chariots in the Book of Mormon?" The full article on the issue can be found here, and the video that offers a brief overview thereof here:




The comments about the Hebrew is pretty spot-on. One of the Hebrew term translated as "chariot" in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Song 3:9) is defined by HALOT as follows:

787  אַפִּרְיוֹן

*אַפִּרְיוֹן, MHb. אפריון and JArm.t (א)פריונא, JArm.g פורינא, פרינא litter )for the bride(, Syr. pwrywn, puryaÒ Brockelmann Lex. 596b; usu. lw. < φορεῖον (Sept.) Rudolph 139f; Rundgren ZAW 74:70ff :: < Sanskr. par/lyanka > French and English palanqin (Lokotsch 1639), Gordis JBL 63:263ff; < OPers. *uÒpariyana Widengren Königtum 112: sedan chair Song 39. †

Understanding the Book of Mormon as a translation usually results in many of the so-called anachronisms in the Book of Mormon losing their force against its historicity.