Hi Gramps,
I’m a convert of some 42+ years now and am still excited about being a member. I’ve recently read the book ‘The Bible Code.’ I was very impressed with the apparent accuracy of the incidents noted therein. I was thinking on how Joseph Smith translated and modified the King James version of the Bible and I accept the changes he made as being inspired.
Are the changes Joseph made in our English version of the bible of such a nature that it would be necessary to change the original Hebrew to include what Joseph changed in the English? Also, assuming that the Bible is encoded might we find that the Book Of Mormon is also encoded? What do you think Gramps?
Cy, from California

Dear Cy,
First, the Joseph Smith translation. The King James Version of the Bible is the result of some fifteen translations and versions from the original Greek and Hebrew. Joseph Smith’s translation served to correct the errors that had crept into the Bible as a result of its many modifications. So, instead of changing the original Hebrew to match the Joseph Smith translation, he changed the King James version to more closely match the original Hebrew. Just a case in point- We might consider as an example of biblical Hebraisms that have been deleted by uninspired scribes a comparison of Isaiah 49:1 with 1 Nephi 21:1. The first phrase in that verse had been deleted from the Bible, but was restored in Joseph Smith’s translation of the Book of Mormon. The part deleted from the Bible is

And again: Hearken, O ye house of Israel, all ye that are broken off and are driven out because of the wickedness of the pastors of my people; yea, all ye that are broken off, that are scattered abroad, who are of my people, O house of Israel.

This phrase is in the form of a chiasmus, and is in reality a literary gem characteristic of the Hebrew biblical structure. Rewritten in chiastic form, (the chiasmus being a series of inverse parallelisms) it would appear as follows:
4] And again: Hearken,
3] O ye house of Israel,
2A] all ye that are broken off
2B] and are driven out
1] because of the wickedness of the pastors of my people;
2A] yea, all ye that are broken off,
2B] that are scattered abroad,
3] who are of my people, O house of Israel.
4] Listen,
(Note the parallel phrasing of the mirror elements in the chiasmus. Elements 2A and 2B are synonymous parallelisms (another characteristic Hebrew literary form) embedded as one element of the chiasmus.
And while we’re on the subject, let’s look at a few more of the differences between the chiastic structures found in both the Isaiah chapters from the Brass Plates of Laban, as recorded in 1 and 2 Nephi and in the KJV Isaiah. There are ten chiasma common to these two sections of the scripture. Five of them are identical, but the other five are not. What is the difference in those that are not exactly the same? In every case, one finds a degradation of the chiastic form in the KJV. This establishes without any question that the Book of Mormon version is the prime document. It would have been impossible for Joseph Smith, had his translation been fraudulent, to have accidentally corrected such a sophisticated subliminal structure in his translation. As a matter of fact the prophet could not have known anything about such a thing as a chiasmus, as it was virtually unknown in his day. Only three published articles before the time of Joseph Smith even mention the word chiasmus, and all three were London publications. For those who may be interested, a detailed comparison of the structures of these five chiasma may be found in The Legacy of the Brass Plates of Laban, by H. Clay Gorton, Horizon Publishers, Bountiful, Utah, 1994.pp 52-65.
Not having read “The Bible Code,” I’m afraid that I cannot comment on what it says. However, the Book of Mormon is full of Hebrew literary structures of various kinds, and without any doubt, although written in the Egyptian, reflects the Hebrew culture and speech patterns.
Gramps