A Little Discovery

Mountain in Wadi Sayq, Oman (Nephi 17:7)

How many people who have read the Bible could explain the Old Testament concept of Wisdom and its feminine associations? I’m guessing very few would even know what I’m referring to.

The only reason I know of it, despite having read the Bible, is because I’ve studied the work of Margaret Barker. But when you know what to look for, you can find this theme in many places throughout the Bible. For example,

Proverbs 3:13-15: Happy is the man that findeth WISDOM, and the man that getteth understanding… SHE is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto HER.

Proverbs 4:5-6: Get WISDOM, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake HER not, and SHE shall preserve thee; love HER, and SHE shall keep thee.

Matthew 11:19:…but WISDOM is justified of HER children.

So, the association is there, but if modern, educated readers are unlikely to pick up on and understand this theme, how much less an uneducated farm boy from upstate New York! But there it is, right in Mosiah 8:20 of the Book of Mormon (and a few other places):

O how marvelous are the works of the Lord, and how long doth he suffer with his people; yea, and how blind and impenetrable are the understandings of the children of men; for they will not seek WISDOM, neither do they desire that SHE should rule over them.

Certainly there are other possible explanations, but what makes sense to me is that the ancient Israelites (pre-Josiah/600 BC), understood what and who wisdom really was. When Lehi and his family left Jerusalem in 600 BC, they carried this belief and understanding with them, and deposited these little artifacts in what we now have as the Book of Mormon.

This small discovery won’t convince anyone of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, but it is a precious little morsel to those who already know its authenticity.

There is, however, a lot more evidence of the Book of Mormon, and much of it is set out very well in this documentary: http://journeyoffaithfilms.com/videos/watch-journey-of-faith