Bible quotations in the Book of Mormon
“I would like to know,” explained
Elder Barlow when it came his turn to ask a question, “just to what extent the
Bible quotations in the Book of Mormon are taken word for word from the King
James Version. This charge was the most common one made against the book by all
the early critics, some of them saying that was the only thing in the book
worth reading. I wish to know why the popular version of the Bible was copied
from and if there is any evidence that the translator had access to an ancient
text?”
To this the President replied: “This
is the outstanding feature of the book that is a stumbling block to many
scholars. Perhaps they are perfectly justified in assuming that the Nephite
prophets should not have been quoting from the Hebrew prophets, yet putting
their message in almost exactly the words of the King James Version of 1611
A.D. I think we are justified in saying that in 1830, long before the higher
criticism of the Bible was known, it was a common belief that every feature of
the Bible was inspired. Many preachers at that day were saying that every ‘jot,
tittle and punctuation mark were inspired.’
“In such an atmosphere it was
wisdom to make the new book agree as nearly as possible with the version of the
Bible in use among the Protestants. I agree with the scholars who have said
that the Prophet likely kept an open Bible before him and copied from it instead
of translating word for word from the Nephite scriptures, unless there was a
very important correction to be made. There is ample evidence that the
translator had access to an ancient text and that he did not slavishly follow
the Bible text, often pausing to make notable changes, many of which are far
more like the ancient biblical manuscripts recently found than like the King
James Version. (E. Cecil McGavin, Cumorah’s “Gold Bible” [Salt Lake
City: The Deseret News Press, 1940], 130-31, emphasis in bold added)
