Abstract: In previous work, unexpected textual relationships between the Book of Mormon and the Book of Moses that seem consistent with a brass-plates version of Genesis with similarities to the modern Book of Moses were explored. However, there is a need for further research to examine the nature of the distribution of the parallels in the Book of Mormon to the Book of Moses to assess, for example, whether the connections are scattered randomly across the text or show any meaningful patterns. There is also a need to consider the relationship of the Book of Mormon to the rest of the Joseph Smith Translation to determine if the Book of Mormon’s relationship with the Book of Moses (the first portion of the JST) is somehow unique or is consistent with the rest of Joseph’s work with the translation of the Bible. Data related to both topics are treated here, showing that the Book of Mormon’s relationship with the Book of Moses appears to be unique and consistent with an ancient brass-plates version of Genesis that influenced Book of Mormon personalities such as Lehi1, Nephi1, Jacob, and Alma2. Later portions of the JST lack numerous parallels with the Book of Mormon, except for a few sections that appear to have been imported from the Book of Mormon into the JST. Further, the distribution of parallels at the book level and the chapter level is consistent with a meaningful application of material from a brass-plates version of Genesis by authors or speakers familiar with the brass plates.

The post Parallels between the Book of Moses and the Book of Mormon, Part 1: Details of Their Distribution and Relationships to the JST first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: The Christmas season evokes tender feelings within us as we contemplate the newborn Christ child, whose life and mission would change the world forever. Many retellings of the nativity story include the unusual—the awkward boy/innkeeper who impulsively offers his own room to Mary and Joseph or the Herdman kids who unwittingly impart a realistic view of the Christ child’s birth. The Christmas star of Bethlehem, leading the wise men to the newborn baby, symbolically invites us to come unto Christ as we celebrate the season through memorable stories and Christmas songs.

The post Christmas Stars: Inviting Us to Come to Christ first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the December 15 episode of The Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Martin Tanner and Terry Hutchinson discuss “Christmas, The Matchless Gift of God's Divine Son.”

The post Interpreter Podcast — December 15, 2025 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the December 4 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our host Martin Tanner discusses the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for December 22 - 28 about Christmas.

The post Interpreter Come, Follow Me Podcast: Christmas for December 22 – 28 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: Political legitimacy is a key concept related to the exercise of political power. Legitimacy was especially critical for “irregular kings,” so named because they were not automatically legitimated by the existing political structure. There are many examples of apologetics from the literature of the Ancient Near East that sought to bolster the legitimacy of irregular kings. The Book of Mormon uses similar apologetics to legitimate its own irregular rulers. The most striking example is seen in the case of Nephi (son of Lehi). Nephi provides dozens of arguments that strengthen his status as a divinely sanctioned king within an Ancient Near Eastern framework. Startlingly, Nephi and other Book of Mormon prophets also seem to have viewed Joseph Smith, the future seer who would bring their words to light, in similar terms. Joseph appears to have been presented as the legitimate heir of the Nephite royal line. The prophecies of the Book of Mormon and Joseph’s receipt of the royal artifacts serve to bolster this claim.

The post Irregular Kings and Precious Things: Viewing Nephi and Joseph Smith through the Lens of Ancient Near Eastern Kingship first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the December 9 episode of The Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Terry Hutchinson, Kevin Christensen, and Mark Johnson discuss books and materials to aid Old Testament Study and Kevin's 2004 FARMS Review Article "The Deuteronomist De-Christianizing of the Old Testament".

The post Interpreter Podcast — December 9, 2025 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the December 10 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Terry Hutchinson, John Gee, and John Thompson discusses the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for December 5 - 21 about The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

The post Interpreter Come, Follow Me Podcast: The Family: A Proclamation to the World , December 5 – 21 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: One of the most notable features of Nephi’s small plates rendition of Isaiah chapter 2 (2 Nephi 12) is the prominent expansion of the nations theme with two additional clauses with the word nations (Hebrew gôyim) that are not found in the Masoretic text (from which the KJV has been translated). Nephi’s text preserves the use of nations from Isaiah 2:2, 4 in 2 Nephi 12:2, 4, but also attests significant additional references to the nations in 2 Nephi 12:12, 14: “For the day of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one . . . and upon all the nations which are lifted up, and upon every people.” These variants are consistent with—and may even be explained by—Nephi’s declaration of intent in 2 Nephi 25:3: “Wherefore, I write unto my people, unto all those that shall receive hereafter these things, which I write, that they may know the judgments of God, that they come upon all nations, according to the word which he hath spoken” (2 Nephi 25:3). This purpose in writing might explain additional textual variants in 2 Nephi 12–24 that pertain to coming judgments upon the nations, which is a dominant theme of the writings of Isaiah, which Nephi incorporated into this part of his record.

The post “Upon All the Nations”: The gôyim in Nephi’s Rendition of Isaiah 2 (2 Nephi 12) in Literary Context first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.