Shulem wrote: ↑Sat Nov 14, 2020 10:57 pm
Example #3
Hebrew Unicorn
Isaiah said that unicorns will come down with cattle to meet their fate:
Isa 34:7 KJV wrote:And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.
But what is a
“uniciorn”? What was Smith to think when he was about to change the KJV to the JST? Smith’s understanding would likely correspond to the 1828 Webster Dictionary:
Webster 1828 wrote:U’NICORN, noun [Latin unicornis; unus, one, and cornu, horn.]
1. an animal with one horn; the monoceros. this name is often applied to the rhinoceros.
Hmmm. Rhinoceros? I have to think that Smith must have been sorely intrigued with this and sought clarification. So, time to check Adam Clarke and see what he says! Smith knew that Adam Clarke understood the Hebrew language and would depend on him for what he has to say. Smith didn't know Hebrew. His meetings and lessons with instructor Joshua Seixas would not occur for several more years. Smith had therefore a very limited knowledge of Hebrew and must have relied on Adam Clarke's commentary for clarification and glean information thereby:
Adam Clarke Commentary wrote:The unicorns shall come down - ראמים reemim, translated wild goats by Bishop Lowth. The ראם reem Bochart thinks to be a species of wild goat in the deserts of Arabia. It seems generally to mean the rhinoceros.
Little wonder, Smith stole Adam Clark’s
“reem” which is the translation for
“unicorn”. Where else would have Smith had learned such a thing? How did Smith pick up on the Hebrew if he had not gleaned it from Clarke?
Isa 34:7 JST wrote:And the reem shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.
The authors of
Producing Ancient Scripture make it quite clear that the only known source in which Smith could have picked up the transliteration “reem” at that time is from the Clarke Commentary. Smith’s study of Hebrew came years later and transliterations of that word were different than the one Smith adopted into Isaiah. I view Clarke’s Commentary as a bullseye for identifying Smith’s unicorn! It serves as the only known evidence in proving that Smith relied on Clarke in making changes and interpreting difficult words in the Bible.
But notice the
penmanship of Frederick G. Williams’
“Re-em” (re’em or reëm) is transcribed with a hyphen:
Isaiah 34:7 JST wrote:Verse 7 Re-em
You will recall that Adam Clarke’s commentary does not have the hyphen in its version of the word “reem.” So why does the scribe give it a hyphen if information was being gleaned and copied from Clarke? The answer is simple, because Smith dictated and the scribe wrote according to his pleasure! Now compare how the JST via Rigdon likes to add a hyphen (
-) for no apparent reason:
Gen 23:2 KJV wrote: Sarah died in Kirjatharba
Gen 23:2 JST wrote: Sarah died in Kirjath-arba
Sidney Rigden was the
penman and elected to add a hyphen to Kirjatharba for whatever fancy purpose he designed. Rigdon changed the KJV name from
Kirjatharba to
Kirjath-arba which suggests he took license in doing what he wanted with the likes of a hyphen. Rigdon also adds a hyphen in shoe-latchet (Gen 14:23) in the JST manuscript wherein the KJV has none. It seems when it comes to hyphens, Rigdon was footloose and fancy free.
One note of particular interest is the pencil marks flanking the word “unicorns” found in the actual
KJV Bible (Isaiah XXXIV.7) utilized by the prophet for his biblical revision. Although the footnote “m” next to
unicorns refers to Psalms 22:21 where changes were made to the biblical text of the new translation but the word
unicorn was preserved:
Psalms 22:21 KJV wrote:Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me
from the horns of the unicorns.
*Note:
“from the horns” is
encircled with a pencil indicating some kind of significant change was in order as follows in the JST:
Psalms 22:21 JST wrote:Save me from the lion’s mouth, for thou hast heard me speak from the secret places of the wilderness through the horns of the unicorns.
So, the change made in Psalms has nothing to do with what a unicorn is but that one may speak from the secret places of the wilderness *through* the horns of the unicorns.
But wait, there’s more! Recall that Fredrick G. Williams was found responsible for adding a hyphen to
re-em in the biblical revision manuscript when Clarke’s version of the word was without one. How might that compare with the Egyptian translation manuscripts in which Smith translated the Book of Abraham? Do you suppose Williams added a hyphen when others did not?
Yes. See here, because everyone loves a parallel:
Fredrick G. Williams wrote:
Manuscript–
A
The land of Egypt being first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham; and the daughter of Zep-tah
Warren Parrish wrote:
Manuscript-
B
Manuscript-
C
The land of Egypt being first discovered, by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Zeptah