Martin Buber, a Jewish philosopher and Bible scholar, is credited with the discovery of a literary style in the Bible called Leitwort, meaning "leading word" in German. The repetition of a particular Leitwort, or word, leads the reader into a particular theme to emphasize meaning.
All of these prominent words in the Bible are also found in the Book of Mormon with the same contextual meanings. The Book of Mormon even introduces a couple of new Leitworts, such as remember in Helaman, chapter 5 and tight in Ether, chapters 2 and 6.
Buber and other Bible scholars have observed how the word down emphasizes the concept of moving away from the presence of God. The story of Jonah is perhaps the prime example for this Leitwort. Notice the repetition and context of the following verses:
"But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
"Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep" (Jonah 1: 3,5).
The word down and the phrase "from the presence of the Lord," are paired together in a chiastic structure. The meaning is clear from the context.
In the next chapter Jonah proclaims, "I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God." And earlier he said, "I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple" (Jonah 2: 4,6).
As Jonah looks to run away from the Lord he is cast down, and after he has a more repentant attitude and is willing to "look again toward (the) temple," his life is brought up. The main scriptural purpose of the temple is to come back into the presence of God.
As Lehi and his family board the ship for the promised land, they are leaving the Jerusalem temple area, and in a symbolic sense, they are leaving the presence of God. In a similar fashion, the same Leitwort down is repeated in these verses:
"And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came unto my father, that we should arise and go down into the ship.
"And it came to pass that on the morrow, after we had prepared all things, much fruits and meat from the wilderness, and honey in abundance, and provisions according to that which the Lord had commanded us, we did go down into the ship, with all our loading and our seeds, and whatsoever thing we had brought with us, every one according to his age; wherefore, we did all go down into the ship, with our wives and our children.
"And it came to pass after we had all gone down into the ship, and had taken with us our provisions and things which had been commanded us, we did put forth into the sea and were driven forth before the wind towards the promised land" (1 Nephi 18: 5-6, 8).
The brother of Jared has a temple-like experience and actually overcomes the fall in that he is brought back into the presence of God (Ether 3: 13). The Book of Mormon uses Hebrew syntax of the words up and down to describe this experience of the brother of Jared.
"And the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord . . . " (Ether 4: 1).
These texts from the Book of Mormon demonstrate a purely Hebrew style and the purity of translation from these ancient texts. The literary style emphasizes the importance of temple ordinances in our quest to return to the presence of God. It also relates to the three pillars of eternity--Creation, Fall, and Atonement, and speaks of the role of the Savior as our great Mediator.
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