What do you think?
Rate this book
They Shall Grow Together: The Bible in the Book of Mormon - Hardcover – September 23, 2022
This fourth volume by the Book of Mormon Academy at Brigham Young University is a careful study of the intersections of two ancient texts: The Book of Mormon and the Bible. The authors approach the two books of scripture from within two fundamental frameworks. First, several of the essays explore the books in terms of the worlds from which they come with their related ideals, interests, and origins. Second, a number of the authors analyze topics based on the texts themselves, closely studying the two texts and helping readers better understand connections.
500 pages, Hardcover
Published September 21, 2022
1 person is currently reading
24 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 16, 2024
There are some interesting and helpful insights here about how the Bible and the Book of Mormon work together and teach about each other. Here are some of my favorite quotes:
"Soon after the Book of Mormon came off the press, it was clear to thoughtful readers that this sacred text shares several significant connections with the Bible. From lengthy passages similar to texts from Isaiah, Malachi, and Matthew to thousands of shorter allusions (p. vii)."
Jared W. Ludlow
"One Biblical figure who looms large in the Book of Mormon is Moses. His influence inspires various Book of Mormon prophets as they use his example, law, and testimony to encourage others (p. 1)."
"Moses went to Pharaoh's court multiple times, while Nephi likewise pursued his charge with new stratagems and firm resolve in fulfilling the Lord's commandments (p. 2)."
"The work of... Joseph Smith's bringing forth the Book of Mormon record as part of the great latter-day work of gathering the house of Israel, is likened to the future deliverance Moses would do for his people (p. 12)."
"Abinadi also mentions Moses's prophecy or testimony of the future Messiah who would redeem his people (p. 14)."
"Alma's and Moses's departures are equated in the Book of Mormon with God directly overseeing their exits from the mortal realm (p. 17)."
"Nephi is using Moses as proof that because God could grant Moses power, he could grant him power also (p. 18)."
"The influence of Moses on the Book of Mormon is substantial. The law of Moses stood behind centuries of worship practice among the Book of Mormon peoples (p. 19)."
David Rolph Seely
"Both Deuteronomy and the Book of Mormon present themselves as self-referential texts--that is, both texts refer to themselves in their respective narratives and are consciously aware of their function with respect to their future readers (p. 29)."
"Lehi and his family almost certainly experienced firsthand Josiah's reforms in Jerusalem, which began in 622 BC, and the coming forth of 'the book of the law,' which was very likely some form of the book of Deuteronomy (p. 30)."
"The Book of Mormon... contains numerous instances of words and phrases from Deuteronomy (p. 31)."
"Writers have identified the elements of the ancient Near Eastern treaty/covenant pattern in King Benjamin's covenantal sermon in Mosiah 1-6 as well as in the sermon of Limhi in Mosiah 7 (p. 32)."
"The text refers to itself as an object in the future and also to its impact on its future reader (p. 33)."
"Both Mormon and Moroni finish their records by referring to the texts they are writing and their future readers (p. 42)."
Kerry Hull
"The Book of Mormon includes a single yet important reference to lot-casting at the outset of the text in 1 Nephi 3:11... Why would Laman base his decision to accept the risk of going in alone to negotiate with Laban on the results of an ostensible 'game of chance' like lot-casting? The answer lies in the cultural and religious saliency of lot-casting in ancient Israel and throughout the Near East as a means of divining God's will on a particular subject... The brothers' lot-casting was a cultural and religious act bound to common divinatory practices of their day throughout Israel and the Near East (p. 50)."
"During New Testament times lot-casting was also viewed as a divinely guided process... 'before Pentecost the ordination of Matthias was decided by lot' because the Father had not yet sent the Holy Ghost into the world (p. 53)."
"Precedent for a metaphorical interpretation of 'lot' as relating to one's eternal salvation appears on occasion in the Old Testament but more plainly in several New Testament passages (p. 57)."
"A close relationship exists among lot-casting, birthright of the firstborn, and issues of inheritance in Jewish tradition (p. 58)."
George and Krystal Pierce
"It should be clear that the problem with the tower [of Babel] was not humanity's ability to accomplish engineering marvels (p. 88)."
"The problem with the tower was not one of humanity being corrupted, but of humanity corrupting the nature of Deity (p. 89)."
"Instead of restricting the autonomy of God, the actions of the brothers show a reliance on his sovereignty to overrule even his own actions among humanity. Jared and his brother realize that since God possesses supreme dominion and ultimate control over all people, he can choose to intervene in their affairs. In requesting that he not confound their language, the brothers show a reliance on a God who will make his own choices according to his own will, and not because of manipulation by those who were building the tower for a needy and dependent deity (p. 93)."
"Jared did not attempt to regulate the power of God for his own selfish use, but rather showed an awareness that the thoughts and ways of the God are omniscient and distinct from those of humankind (p. 95)."
"A full awareness of God's sovereignty is reflected in an understanding of his supreme rulership and kingship (p. 96)."
"A transcendent God exists independently and above his creation and cannot be manipulated to come down to earth and be bound to residing in a certain location like the tower. The holiness of a transcendent God also exists independently and separately from an imperfect humanity (p. 97)."
"A powerful God is one who can accomplish any task, at any time, and in any place (p. 97)."
"The solution to the Babel syndrome is to have a corrected, renewed vision of God... As opposed to bringing God down from heaven to earth by devaluing him and giving him human limitations, God's revelation of himself brough Abraham and the brother of Jared up to the divine level, showing them their true potential, and God seeks to do the same for the modern believer (p. 99)."
Jan J. Martin
"Contrary to what many students of the Book of Mormon assume, 1 and 2 Nephi are not 'on-the-ground, in-the-moment' reports of what happened as Nephi and his family left Jerusalem and traveled to the Americas (p. 108)."
"An eternal covenant is an agreement between a person and God in which God sets the terms (p. 109)."
"Nephi's descriptions are seen to be covenantal in nature, not racial or metaphorical (p. 127)."
Frank F. Judd Jr.
"The Bible contains numerous references to shepherds and shepherding (p. 179)."
"There are only two places in the Book of Mormon where Jesus refers to teachings he gave in the Old World and they are recorded just as they would one day be written in the New Testament. The most famous is 3 Nephi 12-14... The other is 3 Nephi 15:17, which mirrors the teaching in John 10:16 (p. 180)."
"Though it is not quoted directly in this parable, such an intimate relationship between shepherd and sheep recalls these words of Jehovah in the book of Isaiah: 'I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine' (p. 185)."
"After Jesus identified the Nephites as his other sheep, he proceeded to inform his Nephite twelve disciples that their people were not his only other sheep (p. 194)."
"These teachings also contain relevant information for modern disciples of Jesus Christ, who are also his other sheep... We reach out to his other sheep, wherever they may live and in whatever circumstances we may encounter them, and we encourage and compassionately help them become part of the fold, remain in the fold, or return to the fold (p. 196)."
Nicholas J. Frederick
"Giving thanks is fundamental--the message at the heart of Christianity is a joyful, sublime one. Jesus has conquered sin and death, and all who follow him can find rest (p. 222)."
John Hilton III
"One of the question I was most frequently asked was why my church had 'added' to the Bible when the book of Revelation specifically forbids doing so (p. 235)."
"At both the beginning and end of the Book of Mormon readers are expressly told that a key purpose of the Book of Mormon is to instill belief in the Bible (p. 236)."
"These later books do not replace the book the Gentiles brought with them, but rather convince the Gentiles that 'the records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are true' (p. 238)."
"While ministering to the Nephites, the Savior himself indicated that he viewed the Bible as important (p. 242)."
"The resurrected Savior also emphasized the importance of Malchi's words (p. 243)."
"Perhaps the clearest teachings on the value of the Bible come from the final words that Mormon engraved on the plates... 'Lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews' (p. 243)."
"The Book of Mormon is not meant to replace the Bible but to help us believe the Bible (p. 244)."
Avram R. Shannon
"The Book of Mormon presents, in many ways, a hybrid text in the sense that the Nephites lived the rituals of the law of Moses and preached about salvation through Jesus Christ. In fact, the book if explicitly Christocentric, both in terms of the content created by its authors and in the explicit reason for its compilation (p. 249)."
"One of the gravest errors that modern readers of ancient scripture can fall into is to try to make the scriptures do or say something they were not intended to do or say (p. 255)."
"Knowledge of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon is not dependent on scholarly discussions one way or the other, but on revelation from a loving Heavenly Father (p. 267)."
Charles Swift
"Lehi's dream is one of the most important chapters in the entire book, but theologically and structurally (p. 277)."
"Though the man in the white robe in Lehi's dream is not identified, I believe one possibility is that the man is John the Revelator... Through a comparative analysis of the tree in Lehi's vision and the tree in John's, we may come to a deeper understanding of and appreciation for how the Christ-centered symbolism of the tree in Lehi's dream finds a closer parallel with the symbolism in Revelation than in Genesis (p. 295)."
Joseph M. Spencer
"Despite a long history of doing so, there may be less reason than often assumed for Latter-day Saints to argue that Ezekiel's 'sticks' are equivalent to writings or books or records (p. 303)."
"Things are a good deal more complicated than they appear... section 27 has a complex textual history (p. 310)."
"A vast consensus about the basic meaning of Ezekiel's prophecy in fact exists among biblical scholars... The point of the prophecy is to predict the reunification of divided Israel (p. 311)."
Ryan Sharp
"Brain sweat requires each student of the scriptures to 'read more slowly and more carefully and with more questions in mind' (p. 328)."
"Nephi is a teacher. While he is writing 'unto all the house of Israel'... his immediate audience is his own family (p. 331)."
"As students pay the price to study... they will get a clearer picture of how Nephi was reading, interpreting, and likening the words of Isaiah... Pay close attention to the chapter immediately preceding the Isaiah passages (p. 342)."
"Like Nephi, Jacob is often overt in articulating his own editorial choices (p. 348)."
"As our students engage in a serious study of the Book of Mormon, as they learn to read the prophetic words of Isaiah through the lens of Nephi and Jacob, and as they themselves are inspired to repent and 'rely on this Redeemer' spoken of throughout these writings, they will draw strength from him and will begin to 'look forward unto that life which is in Christ' (p. 359)."
Joshua M. Sears
"God could have had still-to-be-written or still-to-be-redacted texts inserted into the brass plates ahead of their (re)creation decades later (p. 379)."
Dana M. Pike
"The fact that Jesus quoted verses from Micah to the Nephites in the Americas suggests they are worth our attention (p. 394)."
"'God's anger is on the other side of God's love and concern. To be in relationship with a God who truly cares about people and what they do means running the risk that God may sometimes be angry. The good news is that anger is never the last word' (Daniel Simundson, p. 422)."
Nicholas J. Frederick
"'Nephi, Mormon, Moroni, and Joseph Smith were all continuing the tradition of using archaic sources to create new scripture' (David Bokovoy, p. 451)."
"Soon after the Book of Mormon came off the press, it was clear to thoughtful readers that this sacred text shares several significant connections with the Bible. From lengthy passages similar to texts from Isaiah, Malachi, and Matthew to thousands of shorter allusions (p. vii)."
Jared W. Ludlow
"One Biblical figure who looms large in the Book of Mormon is Moses. His influence inspires various Book of Mormon prophets as they use his example, law, and testimony to encourage others (p. 1)."
"Moses went to Pharaoh's court multiple times, while Nephi likewise pursued his charge with new stratagems and firm resolve in fulfilling the Lord's commandments (p. 2)."
"The work of... Joseph Smith's bringing forth the Book of Mormon record as part of the great latter-day work of gathering the house of Israel, is likened to the future deliverance Moses would do for his people (p. 12)."
"Abinadi also mentions Moses's prophecy or testimony of the future Messiah who would redeem his people (p. 14)."
"Alma's and Moses's departures are equated in the Book of Mormon with God directly overseeing their exits from the mortal realm (p. 17)."
"Nephi is using Moses as proof that because God could grant Moses power, he could grant him power also (p. 18)."
"The influence of Moses on the Book of Mormon is substantial. The law of Moses stood behind centuries of worship practice among the Book of Mormon peoples (p. 19)."
David Rolph Seely
"Both Deuteronomy and the Book of Mormon present themselves as self-referential texts--that is, both texts refer to themselves in their respective narratives and are consciously aware of their function with respect to their future readers (p. 29)."
"Lehi and his family almost certainly experienced firsthand Josiah's reforms in Jerusalem, which began in 622 BC, and the coming forth of 'the book of the law,' which was very likely some form of the book of Deuteronomy (p. 30)."
"The Book of Mormon... contains numerous instances of words and phrases from Deuteronomy (p. 31)."
"Writers have identified the elements of the ancient Near Eastern treaty/covenant pattern in King Benjamin's covenantal sermon in Mosiah 1-6 as well as in the sermon of Limhi in Mosiah 7 (p. 32)."
"The text refers to itself as an object in the future and also to its impact on its future reader (p. 33)."
"Both Mormon and Moroni finish their records by referring to the texts they are writing and their future readers (p. 42)."
Kerry Hull
"The Book of Mormon includes a single yet important reference to lot-casting at the outset of the text in 1 Nephi 3:11... Why would Laman base his decision to accept the risk of going in alone to negotiate with Laban on the results of an ostensible 'game of chance' like lot-casting? The answer lies in the cultural and religious saliency of lot-casting in ancient Israel and throughout the Near East as a means of divining God's will on a particular subject... The brothers' lot-casting was a cultural and religious act bound to common divinatory practices of their day throughout Israel and the Near East (p. 50)."
"During New Testament times lot-casting was also viewed as a divinely guided process... 'before Pentecost the ordination of Matthias was decided by lot' because the Father had not yet sent the Holy Ghost into the world (p. 53)."
"Precedent for a metaphorical interpretation of 'lot' as relating to one's eternal salvation appears on occasion in the Old Testament but more plainly in several New Testament passages (p. 57)."
"A close relationship exists among lot-casting, birthright of the firstborn, and issues of inheritance in Jewish tradition (p. 58)."
George and Krystal Pierce
"It should be clear that the problem with the tower [of Babel] was not humanity's ability to accomplish engineering marvels (p. 88)."
"The problem with the tower was not one of humanity being corrupted, but of humanity corrupting the nature of Deity (p. 89)."
"Instead of restricting the autonomy of God, the actions of the brothers show a reliance on his sovereignty to overrule even his own actions among humanity. Jared and his brother realize that since God possesses supreme dominion and ultimate control over all people, he can choose to intervene in their affairs. In requesting that he not confound their language, the brothers show a reliance on a God who will make his own choices according to his own will, and not because of manipulation by those who were building the tower for a needy and dependent deity (p. 93)."
"Jared did not attempt to regulate the power of God for his own selfish use, but rather showed an awareness that the thoughts and ways of the God are omniscient and distinct from those of humankind (p. 95)."
"A full awareness of God's sovereignty is reflected in an understanding of his supreme rulership and kingship (p. 96)."
"A transcendent God exists independently and above his creation and cannot be manipulated to come down to earth and be bound to residing in a certain location like the tower. The holiness of a transcendent God also exists independently and separately from an imperfect humanity (p. 97)."
"A powerful God is one who can accomplish any task, at any time, and in any place (p. 97)."
"The solution to the Babel syndrome is to have a corrected, renewed vision of God... As opposed to bringing God down from heaven to earth by devaluing him and giving him human limitations, God's revelation of himself brough Abraham and the brother of Jared up to the divine level, showing them their true potential, and God seeks to do the same for the modern believer (p. 99)."
Jan J. Martin
"Contrary to what many students of the Book of Mormon assume, 1 and 2 Nephi are not 'on-the-ground, in-the-moment' reports of what happened as Nephi and his family left Jerusalem and traveled to the Americas (p. 108)."
"An eternal covenant is an agreement between a person and God in which God sets the terms (p. 109)."
"Nephi's descriptions are seen to be covenantal in nature, not racial or metaphorical (p. 127)."
Frank F. Judd Jr.
"The Bible contains numerous references to shepherds and shepherding (p. 179)."
"There are only two places in the Book of Mormon where Jesus refers to teachings he gave in the Old World and they are recorded just as they would one day be written in the New Testament. The most famous is 3 Nephi 12-14... The other is 3 Nephi 15:17, which mirrors the teaching in John 10:16 (p. 180)."
"Though it is not quoted directly in this parable, such an intimate relationship between shepherd and sheep recalls these words of Jehovah in the book of Isaiah: 'I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine' (p. 185)."
"After Jesus identified the Nephites as his other sheep, he proceeded to inform his Nephite twelve disciples that their people were not his only other sheep (p. 194)."
"These teachings also contain relevant information for modern disciples of Jesus Christ, who are also his other sheep... We reach out to his other sheep, wherever they may live and in whatever circumstances we may encounter them, and we encourage and compassionately help them become part of the fold, remain in the fold, or return to the fold (p. 196)."
Nicholas J. Frederick
"Giving thanks is fundamental--the message at the heart of Christianity is a joyful, sublime one. Jesus has conquered sin and death, and all who follow him can find rest (p. 222)."
John Hilton III
"One of the question I was most frequently asked was why my church had 'added' to the Bible when the book of Revelation specifically forbids doing so (p. 235)."
"At both the beginning and end of the Book of Mormon readers are expressly told that a key purpose of the Book of Mormon is to instill belief in the Bible (p. 236)."
"These later books do not replace the book the Gentiles brought with them, but rather convince the Gentiles that 'the records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are true' (p. 238)."
"While ministering to the Nephites, the Savior himself indicated that he viewed the Bible as important (p. 242)."
"The resurrected Savior also emphasized the importance of Malchi's words (p. 243)."
"Perhaps the clearest teachings on the value of the Bible come from the final words that Mormon engraved on the plates... 'Lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews' (p. 243)."
"The Book of Mormon is not meant to replace the Bible but to help us believe the Bible (p. 244)."
Avram R. Shannon
"The Book of Mormon presents, in many ways, a hybrid text in the sense that the Nephites lived the rituals of the law of Moses and preached about salvation through Jesus Christ. In fact, the book if explicitly Christocentric, both in terms of the content created by its authors and in the explicit reason for its compilation (p. 249)."
"One of the gravest errors that modern readers of ancient scripture can fall into is to try to make the scriptures do or say something they were not intended to do or say (p. 255)."
"Knowledge of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon is not dependent on scholarly discussions one way or the other, but on revelation from a loving Heavenly Father (p. 267)."
Charles Swift
"Lehi's dream is one of the most important chapters in the entire book, but theologically and structurally (p. 277)."
"Though the man in the white robe in Lehi's dream is not identified, I believe one possibility is that the man is John the Revelator... Through a comparative analysis of the tree in Lehi's vision and the tree in John's, we may come to a deeper understanding of and appreciation for how the Christ-centered symbolism of the tree in Lehi's dream finds a closer parallel with the symbolism in Revelation than in Genesis (p. 295)."
Joseph M. Spencer
"Despite a long history of doing so, there may be less reason than often assumed for Latter-day Saints to argue that Ezekiel's 'sticks' are equivalent to writings or books or records (p. 303)."
"Things are a good deal more complicated than they appear... section 27 has a complex textual history (p. 310)."
"A vast consensus about the basic meaning of Ezekiel's prophecy in fact exists among biblical scholars... The point of the prophecy is to predict the reunification of divided Israel (p. 311)."
Ryan Sharp
"Brain sweat requires each student of the scriptures to 'read more slowly and more carefully and with more questions in mind' (p. 328)."
"Nephi is a teacher. While he is writing 'unto all the house of Israel'... his immediate audience is his own family (p. 331)."
"As students pay the price to study... they will get a clearer picture of how Nephi was reading, interpreting, and likening the words of Isaiah... Pay close attention to the chapter immediately preceding the Isaiah passages (p. 342)."
"Like Nephi, Jacob is often overt in articulating his own editorial choices (p. 348)."
"As our students engage in a serious study of the Book of Mormon, as they learn to read the prophetic words of Isaiah through the lens of Nephi and Jacob, and as they themselves are inspired to repent and 'rely on this Redeemer' spoken of throughout these writings, they will draw strength from him and will begin to 'look forward unto that life which is in Christ' (p. 359)."
Joshua M. Sears
"God could have had still-to-be-written or still-to-be-redacted texts inserted into the brass plates ahead of their (re)creation decades later (p. 379)."
Dana M. Pike
"The fact that Jesus quoted verses from Micah to the Nephites in the Americas suggests they are worth our attention (p. 394)."
"'God's anger is on the other side of God's love and concern. To be in relationship with a God who truly cares about people and what they do means running the risk that God may sometimes be angry. The good news is that anger is never the last word' (Daniel Simundson, p. 422)."
Nicholas J. Frederick
"'Nephi, Mormon, Moroni, and Joseph Smith were all continuing the tradition of using archaic sources to create new scripture' (David Bokovoy, p. 451)."
December 31, 2024
I liked the second half of this book more than the first half. It addressed my main question: explaining how text from the Bible may have gotten into the Book of Mormon. There are essays about Deutero-Isaiah, Micah, Paul, and John 10. I really like Nicholas Frederick's work, and I would love to read a book solely written by him.
October 27, 2022
Interesting topics and I liked the topics that were written. The discussions in this book got me thinking of things I have never really gave any thought of. First couple chapter were fine, but then the rest of the book took off.... in a good way.
June 30, 2024
Extremely deep. Had to take it so slow and I would say a lot still went over my head.
September 5, 2024
The Book of Mormon Academy's latest volume is OK. It doesn't quite reach the heights of the previous ones I have read. In particular, there were a few essays that were little more than "here's a topic on the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and a list of relevant passages," with little follow-up analysis. Those should have been cut or expanded. But several of the articles were on fire with good scholarship and detailed commentary that brought new understanding to my mind in reading the Book of Mormon and how it treats biblical topics, themes, and passages.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews