Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing
my father that he was a just man—for he
taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it. (Enos 1:1)
Commenting
on Jacob teaching Enos “in his language” Brant Gardner wrote:
It is curious that Enos explains that his
father taught him in the language of his father and in the ways of the Lord. We
can readily understand the second idea, for we also strive to teach our
children the ways of the Lord. What is less clear is why Jacob would have to
teach Enos his “language.” Nephi stated that he has been “taught somewhat in
all the learning of my father . . . The language of my father . . . consists of
the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians” (1 Ne. 1:1-2).
While this seems to be a parallel statement, the difference is that Enos
specifically mentions being taught in the language where Nephi writes in the “language
of my father.”
I suggest that Enos is literally speaking
about learning Jacob’s language. Obviously, he is not talking simply about the
unconscious way in which all toddlers absorb grammar and vocabulary from their
parents. One possible reason for this statement is to indicate that Jacob
taught him the language of the Old World (Hebrew) because the Nephites are now
speaking a different language. This interpretation is appropriate, even likely,
given the Nephites’ linguistic adaptation to a new location. But a second and
more likely meaning is that Jacob taught Enos the writing system (Egyptian)
that he would need for his record on the plates. Regardless of the spoken
language, the plates require a specific script and vocabulary, modelled after
the brass plates. (Brant A. Gardner, Second
Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Volume 3:
Enos Through Mosiah [Draper, Utah: Greg Kofford Books, 2007], 6-7)
Further Reading
John L.
Sorenson, When
Lehi's Party Arrived in the Land, Did They Find Others There?
