The Book of Mormon in Hebrew

[Stargazer]

I was checking out the comments to a Ward Radio episode on YouTube channel (Jews & Mormons Have More in Common Than You Think (feat. Shabbos Kestenbaum from PragerU)). A question came up in the comments as to the lack of a Hebrew language Book of Mormon. I became curious, since I had seen photos of such a translation many years ago. I checked out the Church website, but there isn't a Hebrew translation available there online. I researched further, and apparently the Church did produce a partial translation into Hebrew in the 1980s (the one I saw) but it wasn't generally available and is no longer in print. At some point, by contract with the Israeli government, the Church agreed not to produce a Hebrew translation.

I asked Bing CoPilot about this. I asked "is the book of mormon available in Hebrew?" Turns out the answer is YES! In modern Hebrew, anyway. But it isn't available from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but from an Israel-based research institute, the Institute of Ancient Studies. It overcomes copyright restrictions by using the 1830 and 1920 editions.

The website for the Hebrew translation is: https://www.bookofmormoninhebrew.org/?

Here's what CoPilot said about it:

The Book of Mormon has been translated into Hebrew, with a modern translation completed between 2018 and 2024 by professional Israeli linguists.

Modern Hebrew Translation

The most recent Hebrew translation of the Book of Mormon was completed by a team of four professional Israeli linguists over the years 2018–2024. This translation is based primarily on the 1830 English edition of the Book of Mormon, with some reference to the 1920 edition, and was published in Israel by the Institute of Ancient Studies, which operates independently of any church or religious organization. This translation aims to make the text accessible to Hebrew-speaking audiences while maintaining fidelity to the original English text.

Historical and Scriptural Context

The Book of Mormon was originally written in a form of ancient language and translated into English by Joseph Smith in the early 19th century. Hebrew translations are significant because the text was intended to eventually reach the scattered remnants of Israel, including Jewish communities, fulfilling a prophetic mandate described in the Book of Mormon itself . Hebrew, being the native language of over 5 million Jews and the national language of Israel, is therefore a critical medium for this purpose.

Purpose and Audience

The Hebrew translation is intended to reach Jewish readers who are familiar with Biblical Hebrew, as modern Hebrew alone may not convey the scriptural tone of the original text. Previous Hebrew translations existed but were of lower quality and are now out of print. The current translation seeks to preserve the scriptural style, grammar, and poetic elements, making it suitable for study and religious reflection.

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It's not very expensive, actually, but add in shipping and the price shoots up like a SpaceX rocket. 

Edited Thursday at 11:35 PM by Stargazer
Added link

[ijah Tafari]

Tank yuh fi post dis—really interesting stuff! Mi vaguely memba see pics a dat deh old partial Hebrew translation fram di 80s years ago, but yeah, it's basically impossible fi find now. Sounds like di Church did pull it fi diplomatic reasons related to di Jerusalem Center. Super cool dat dis independent group (Institute of Ancient Studies) put tugeda a full modern Hebrew version. Mi jus check dem site an it look solid—dem a use di earlier English editions fi get roun di copyright stuff. Di fact dat it did done by professional Israeli linguists between 2018-2024, trying fi gi it more a one proper scriptural feel, mek a lot a sense. Di Book of Mormon have so much Hebrew-like elements anyway. Only downside is di shipping turn it into an expensive purchase, like yuh seh 😂 Enibadi yah actually pick up a copy or check out di online version? Mi woulda love fi hear how it read.