The Apologetic Efforts with Gazelem = Stone Cut By God

[_Philo Sofee]

A recent LDS apologetic made a testable claim. It was proclaimed that “Gazelem in Hebrew would mean “stone cut by God,” in an effort to support Joseph Smith’s use of the word’s meaning.

The Hebrew word for stone is אֶבֶן (‘eben) not Gazelem. The Hebrew word גָזׅית (gazit), but this is not gazelem and has nothing to do with “stone cut by God.” Gazit is used only 6 times in the Old Testament; Exo. 20:25; 1 Ki 6:36; 1 Ki 7:11; Isa 9:9; Lam 3:9; Amos 5:11. In none of these in context is there anything about God cutting anything, it is always used of human construction with stones.

The Koehler/Baumgartner Bilingual Dictionary of the Hebrew and Aramaic Old Testament has גזז with an Akkadian parallel of gizzu meaning “sheer” as in sheering sheep. (p. 177). They also note gazit is the ashlar, that is the hewn (behauen) stone. The Hebrew גזל(gazal) gepackt warden (be seized), as well as meaning to tear away, jemand um seinen Anspruch bringen – “wrest away the right of a person.” The Hebrew גזל (gezel) means “robbing,” while gezelah is Geraubtes, widerrechtlich Weggenommenes, “things violently taken away.” (p. 178)

There is no element of “God” in “gazelem” that I am aware of. I might be missing something, but mainly the Hebrew words or elements for God are אלהים (Elohim); אל(El); יהוה(Yahweh); יה (Yah). For the proposed theory to make sense we would have to see “Gaz” – “el” – “em” or something similar. There is a “gez” element, but it is from the root “gzz” which means to “sheer” like from a sheep. Hence it means “fleece” also. It can have the sense of having a mowed field or meadow.

If we try to break it up with gaze or gaza – lem then the Hebrew “gaza” does mean a cut stone. But what do we do with the “-lem”? Well we have למואל (Lemuel!) meaning “by God.” (Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon of the Old Testament, p. 439) But to make this work the word would be gazelemuel, not gazelem.

El elim אל אלים– the God of gods in Daniel 11:36. We could have gazelim, then we have stone hewn or cut by the gods, instead of the singular God. Remember, there are no vowels in Hebrew... That’s about as close as I can find it. I can see, if Joseph Smith came up with this word after his study of Hebrew how he would put those elements together. I mean, why not?

In the D&C sections 78, 82, and 104 where the code names were used (I don’t have my old D&C anymore, and the new one took the secret code names out, so I am relying on McConkie Mormon Doctrine, the 1958 edition) those sections weren’t revealed until 1832 and 1834 for section 104. The Gazelem in Alma 37:21-23 is interesting because this was in 1829, quite a while before Joseph Smith studied Hebrew. I have no idea who near him during the translation process would have known Hebrew either. It’s an interesting issue actually. If anyone else has anything I’d like to see it. I don’t know all the rules of how Hebrew words were put together so I don’t know how accurate “gazelem" would be.

[_Symmachus]

Well, that's really creative. Hebrew and its closest cognates don't have compound words like this—they'd be cast as phrases in the construct state, my grammarian friends—so all of these are implausible at first glance.

On the other hand, Nephitish was, to judge from Brian Stubbs's work, basically a pidgin of Hebrew, Aramaic, AND Egyptian (as well as Arabic and some indigenous proto-Uto-Aztecan language). Late Egyptian has some compounds. In fact the Coptic word hamše ("carpenter") is composed of two parts, še ("wood") and ham-, which ultimately derives from Egyptian ḥm ("fashion, produce, work in/with"). Need I remind you that Jesus was a carpenter?

What probably happened, then, is that patterns of Egyptian noun formation found their way into Nephitish. On that basis, the apologetic etymology of Gazelem is almost probable, but I think a better one is available, since we can admit that noun compounds were possible in Nephitish. All that stuff about stone-cutting is really not going to go anywhere, and the answer is as plain as the inside of an Egyptian coffin with a urim and thummim in it.

Gazelem has two parts, like any good compound worth the name: gaz- and -elem. But the second element is actually the word el in the plural: elīm = "gods" (the -em vs. -īm is just a spelling variant that that idiot troglodyte Grandin introduced, or that bumbling scribe, Cowdery). What about gaz-? Easy: this is from the very well attested word that ultimately derives from Old Persian, gaza ("treasure"). The word Gazelem therefore means "treasure of the gods."

Consider its occurrence:

And the Lord said: I will prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light, that I may discover unto my people who serve me, that I may discover unto them the works of their brethren, yea, their secret works, their works of darkness, and their wickedness and abominations (Alma 37;23)

Notice, first of all, the Elizabethan idiom ("discover unto them...") that means "reveal to, make known." In other words, this stone, Gazelem, is an instrument of knowledge and revelation: a Urim and Thummim (note the Hebrew plural ending on both of those, the first of which means "lights," which strongly recalls Alma's "shine foth in darkness unto light"). Is a Urim and Thummim a "treasure of the gods"? Indeed, it is:

8 The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim [which, as well know, is a shiny star near Kolob].

9 This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ’s.

10 Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known;

11 And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word. (D&C 130: 6-11)

Those who enter into the celestial kingdom will be gods (Hebrew: ēlīm), and their shiny treasure (Hebrew: gaza) will be a stone shedding light and knowledge: a gaz-ēlīm. Normally, that sort of compound wouldn't work in a northwest Semitic language from that period, but thanks to the Late Egyptian influence on Nephitish, we know that it works just fine. In fact, it's proof that of the Book of Mormon, because there is no way that Joseph Smith could have known about Late Egyptian noun-compounding.

You're welcome, apologists.

[_moksha]

Symmachus, you have shown the legion of apologists what is needed to be "more good".

[_grindael]

Yeah, rob and fleece totally describe "Gaze-at-em through the stone", or Joseph Smith. All kinds of irony that he would pick that for his secret name.

[_Kishkumen]

Symmachus is obviously a genius (both intellectually and comedically), but I will go with Gazelem being the stone for seeing (gaze) the gods (elohim). It would be a compound on the model of Mormon, albeit English plus Hebrew, instead of English plus "Egyptian."

The Brother of Jared models how one can obtain the Gazelem, which is nothing more or less than the alchemical process.

[_Philo Sofee]

Symmachus is obviously a genius (both intellectually and comedically), but I will go with Gazelem being the stone for seeing (gaze) the gods (elohim). It would be a compound on the model of Mormon, albeit English plus Hebrew, instead of English plus "Egyptian."

The Brother of Jared models how one can obtain the Gazelem, which is nothing more or less than the alchemical process.

Oh my LORDY!!!!! You just catastrophically gonged me ole cranium with the alchemical comment. Good gawd it's been in front of me all this time!!!!! OF COURSE! The Philosopher's Stone, how could I not have seen THAT?! THANK YOU for the tip and hint amigo.....

[_Choyo Chagas]

Symmachus, you have shown the legion of apologists what is needed to be "more good".

“Look,” he went on to say, “if there is any name that is totally honorable in its derivation, it is the name Mormon. And so, when someone asks me about it and what it means, I quietly say—‘Mormon means more good.’” (The Prophet Joseph Smith first said this in 1843; see Times and Seasons, 4:194; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 299–300.)

search...

[_Kishkumen]

Yes, the Gazelem is the Philosopher's Stone. It is also the Pearl of Great Price, which is none other than the Pearl of the Hymn of the Pearl, which was recovered from the side of the sleeping serpent in the River Nile in Egypt. Anyone who would return to the Kingdom must obtain the stone/pearl.

http://www.rexresearch.com/bonus/bonus.htm

[_ClarkGoble]

A recent LDS apologetic made a testable claim. It was proclaimed that “Gazelem in Hebrew would mean “stone cut by God,” in an effort to support Joseph Smith’s use of the word’s meaning.

Not sure which article you're referring to Kerry. I'll confess I'm completely not up on semetic linguistics. Whenever I read a claim I usually turn to the Book of Mormon Onamasticon which seems like a good resource to see the typical views on particular words.

Lehite prophetic name for a future “servant” of God (Gazelam = Joseph Smith in D&C 78:9, etc.), or of stone “directors” (Alma 37:21, 24, O P mss 1830-1911 eds > “interpreters” in 1920 1981 eds.), depending on whether the word within the phrase is read as an appositive to the preceding noun or as the noun of the following appositive (Alma 37:23).

An etymology based on North-west Semitic gzl, gṣl, ǵzl or ǵṣl would be the most likely, with a dual ending -êm.[1] The dual ending would tend to reinforce reading GAZELEM as the noun of the following appositive, because the “directors”/“interpreters” consisted of two (=dual) stones set in a silver bow.[2]

Because “r” and “l” are both “liquid” consonants, they often interchange from one language to another, such as between HEBREW and EGYPTIAN.[3] Therefore it would not be amiss to derive from Semitic gzr, yielding a very attractive etymology along the lines of biblical Aramaic gāzrîn, the “deciders/determiners (of fate),” used for the Babylonian magi (Daniel 2:27; 4:4; 5:7, 11). This root is represented in biblical HEBREW by gzr “cut, divide; decree (fate)” (Isaiah 9:19; 2 Nephi 19:10, Isaiah 53:8; Job 22:28).

Such terms may be related to Cypriote Maronite Arabic xazra, “stone.” gzar, “stones.”[4] Cf. HEBREW gĕzārîm, “halves” in Genesis 15:17; Psalms 136:13, from gzr, “cut in two” (1 Kings 3:25) or “polishing, beauty” (Lamentations 4:7).

Another possible etymology could employ Ugaritic gùzr (pl. gùzrm), “young man, warrior, hero”[5] >azara/ta>azra (meaning uncertain - either “to launch an attack,” or “to be scattered, be routed, pour forth”)[6]; Arabic gùazura “to be much, be abundant”; adj. gùazeµr “much, plentiful.”[7]

Also promising is the suggestion that the name comes from ʿāz, “might,” and ʿelem, “young man” (JH), if ʿāz comes from ģzz and ʿelem comes from ʿlm.

Less likely are readings from the Arabic root for “gazelle,” ģzl, the initial syllable as the root gzh or gzz, having to do with cutting and shearing (JH). Reynolds and Sjodahl[8] suggest possibly HEBREW *gāz-ʿālêm, or gazê-ʿalem (V???), “cut-stones of the Most High,” from gzh, “cut, hew” (cf. ’ăbnê-gāzît, “hewed stones, squared stones” in 1 Kings 5:17; 6:36; 7:9, 11, 12; Exodus 20:25; Isaiah 9:9, 10‖2 Nephi 19:10) + ‘alem (V???), “(he who is) on high”? Or *ga-ṣelem, “exalted image, magnificent likeness,” from gāʾā, “exalted, glorious, proud, magnificent” (Exodus 15:1, 21) + ṣelem, “image, likeness.”

My own view is that while the above etymologies may be plausible to varying degrees, I'm a bit skeptical. While I have no clue what it's etymology is (and everyone is just giving conjectures) I wouldn't be shocked to find out it's a neologism from the English "gaze." I don't think believers ought have to assume every non-English word is actually an accurate transliteration of some sort.

Of course it's not hard to find people playing at apologetics with things far outside their experience. I'm not sure it tells us much about apologetics in general any more than there being critics who do the same sorts of things tells us about criticism of Mormon claims. I think discussion would go much farther if we take up the strongest arguments rather than the weakest ones and portray the weakest ones as typical.

[_grindael]

There are strong arguments for Mormonism? Really? Where?