INTERPRETER

A Journal of Mormon Scripture

Volume 14 2015 Pages 187-207

Reflections of Urim: Hebrew Poetry

Sheds Light on the Directors-
Interpreters Mystery

Stan Spencer

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 Reflections of Urim: Hebrew Poetry
Sheds Light on the Directors-
Interpreters Mystery

Stan Spencer

Abstract: In the early editions of the Book of Mormon, Alma refers to the
Nephite interpreters as directors. Because director(s) elsewhere refers to
the brass ball that guided Lehis family through the wilderness, Almas use of
the term was apparently considered a mistake, and directors was changed
to interpreters for the 1920 edition of the Book of Mormon. There are
reasons, however, to believe that Almas use of directors was intentional.
I present contextual evidence that Alma was actually using the Hebrew
word urim, which was later translated into English as directors (for the
interpreters) and director (for the brass ball), and biblical evidence that
those translations are appropriate. Alma may have called the instruments
urim to emphasize their sacred importance. As English prose, Almas
discussion of these sacred instruments is wordy and at times confusing. As
Hebrew poetry built around the word urim, it makes more sense. Almas
apparent sophisticated use of this word suggests that he had a thorough
understanding of the ancient connotations of urim and remarkable talent
as a classical Hebrew poet.

Instrument Confusion in the Book of Mormon

O ne of the more substantial changes to the Book of Mormon since its

1830 publication was the replacement of the word directors in Alma
chapter 37 with interpreters (Alma 37:21, 24). The change was made for
the 1920 edition of the Book of Mormon and has been preserved in all
subsequent Latter-day Saint (LDS) editions. The change made sense
because Alma is speaking of the two sacred stones used to interpret
ancient writings, and everywhere else in the Book of Mormon those
stones are fittingly called interpreters. Also, director (i.e., in the singular)
in the Book of Mormon and directors in the Doctrine and Covenants
188 Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 14 (2015)

always refer to the brass ball that guided the Nephites to their promised
land, not to the two interpreter stones.1
So was the use of directors to refer to the interpreters in Alma 37 an
error? Did Joseph Smith dictate the wrong word during the translation
process, or did Alma forget what the interpreter stones were called? Not
likely. There are reasons to believe that the use of directors in Almas
message was intentional.
First, even though Joseph Smith made many corrections and
clarifications in the Book of Mormon text for the 1837, 1840, and 1847
editions, he apparently saw no need to change directors to interpreters.
Being intimately familiar with the interpreters and the translation
process, he should have known if a correction was needed.
Second, Alma uses director(s) to refer to both the interpreters and
the brass ball in Alma 37 and seems to be aware of that fact. He calls
the interpreters these directors and the brass ball this director (not
the director), suggesting that he considers directors to be a class of
instruments of which the interpreters and the brass ball are two examples.
Third, even the brass ball is rarely called a director in the Book of
Mormon. While its called a ball or compass 17 times, its called a director
only three times, and two of those are in Alma 37. The third instance,
which may also be based on Almas writing, is in Mormons list of names
for the instrument in Mosiah 1:16. The interpreters are called directors

1 The earliest manuscript of the revelation in Doctrine and Covenants (D&C)

17 reads, directors which was given to Lehi. Revelation, June 1829-E [D&C 17],
The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 26 Nov. 1014, http://josephsmithpapers.org/
paperSummary/revelation-june-1829-e-dc-17. The singular verb was suggests that
directors may have been an error and director was intended. Alternatively, directors
in this case may refer to the two pointers within the brass ball. On the other hand,
director in D&C 3 may be referring to the interpreters or a seer stone: And this is
the reason that thou hast lost thy privileges for a season for thou hast suffered the
counsel of thy director [directors in the earliest manuscript] to be trampled upon
from the beginning (D&C 3:14-15). That the earliest manuscript had directors
in the plural suggests that it is referring to the interpreters through which the
counsel may have been received rather than to the one who gave it. For the earliest
manuscript of this revelation, see Revelation, July 1828 [D&C 3], The Joseph Smith
Papers, accessed 26 Nov. 1014, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/
revelation-july-1828-dc-3. Elizabeth Ann Whitmer Cowdery, a witness to the
translation of the Book of Mormon, referred to the instrument with which Joseph
Smith translated (and through which he may have received the trampled counsel)
as a director. Elizabeth Ann Whitmer Cowdery Affidavit, 15 February 1870,
in Early Mormon Documents, ed. Dan Vogel (Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books,
1870), 5:260.
Spencer, Reflections of Urim: Directors-Interpreters Mystery 189

twice both times in Alma 37. If director(s) should refer exclusively

to one instrument, it isnt obvious from these few occurrences that the
instrument is the brass ball and not the interpreters. More likely, Alma
intentionally applied the term to both instruments.
Fourth, there is no closely preceding occurrence of director(s) in the
Book of Mormon that might have prompted Joseph Smith to dictate (or
his scribe to record) directors when interpreters was intended. The only
previous instance is director in Mosiah 1:16.
If the word directors in Alma 37 was not a mistake, why was it used?
Why didnt Alma just call the interpreters ... interpreters? For that matter,
why did he call the brass ball a director instead of referring to it by its
more usual names?
I will present evidence that, in Almas original composition of his
message, he was actually using the Hebrew word urim, which was later
translated into English as directors (for the interpreters) and director
(for the brass ball).2 He may have called the instruments urim for the
same reason Joseph Smith eventually called the interpreters Urim and
Thummim to emphasize their sacred importance.
I will show that the interpreters and brass ball are similar to the
biblical Urim and Thummim in being physical instruments of divine
revelation, that the Urim and Thummim was sometimes simply called
Urim or belonged to a class of instruments called Urim in the King James
Bible, that directors and director are reasonable English translations of
urim, that urim is an appropriate label for the interpreters and brass
ball given Almas purpose in writing, and that urim fits naturally in the
poetry of his message.

2 As Hebrew was the predominant language in Jerusalem at the time of his

departure in about 600 bce, it would have been the most likely language spoken
by Nephi. According to Mosiah 24:4, the language of Nephi was still spoken
in Almas fathers generation. Also, according to Omni 1:1517, the people of
Zarahemla were of Jewish descent, but their language had become corrupted; and
they had brought no records with them; and they denied the being of their Creator;
and Mosiah, nor the people of Mosiah, could understand them, implying that, had
it not become corrupted, their Hebrew language would have been understandable to
the Nephites. Even if some alteration of Hebrew wasnt a spoken language in Almas
day, it must have been a written language familiar to the Nephite recordkeepers,
given Moronis statement in Mormon 9:33 that if our plates had been sufficiently
large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us
also.
190 Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 14 (2015)

Instruments Like the Urim and Thummim

The Urim and Thummim was an instrument through which the word
of the Lord was revealed to ancient Israel. Its first mention in scripture
is when the Lord commands Moses to place it in the breastplate of the
ephod worn by the high priest (Exodus 28:30). The Bible says nothing
of its physical nature or of how it communicated the Lords word, but
in several of the early traditions, revelation by Urim and Thummim
involved light-emitting stones, or luminous or projecting letters that
formed messages. A king or other important person who desired to
consult the Urim and Thummim would make his question known to the
high priest, who would then inquire of the Lord and receive the Lords
response (Numbers 27:21).3
The Nephite interpreters were two seer stones given by the Lord
to the Jaredites and later used by the Nephites and by Joseph Smith
in translating ancient records. Like the biblical Urim and Thummim,
they were associated with a breastplate. Joseph Smith also had other
seer stones. He used one of these interchangeably with the interpreters
in receiving the translation of the gold plates. He also used seer stones
to receive other revelations. These revelations were prompted by his
inquiring of the Lord, after which he would look into a hat in which he
had placed the stone, for the answer. At least in the case of the Book of
Mormon translation, the answer appeared in the form of written words.4

3 Cornelis Van Dam, The Urim and Thummim: A Means of Revelation in

Ancient Israel (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1997). See pages 9-23 and 27-32 for
identification of the Urim as stones, and 24-25, 33 for identification as luminous or
projecting letters. The prevailing modern theory is that the Urim and Thummim
was a lot oracle (see pp. 34-37). This theory, however, is hardly compatible with the
biblical evidence, as explained by Van Dam (pp. 197-217), who believes that Urim
refers to the verifying light that emitted from what was probably a single gem (p.
230). The lot theory does not readily explain, for example, how Saul could fail to
get an answer when consulting the Urim (1 Samuel 28:6) or how the Urim could
provide answers such as Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage in response
to an inquiry of Has the man come here yet? (1 Samuel 10:22 NASB). Nor does the
lot theory accord well with early traditions regarding the instrument. For persons
who could consult the Urim, see Van Dam, Urim and Thummim, 181. Also see note
15 below regarding the significance of the phrase inquired of the Lord.
4 For a description of the interpreters as seer stones and their relationship to
the breastplate, see Joseph Smith History 1:35. For a discussion and references
relating to Joseph Smiths use of the interpreters and his seer stones, see Richard
Van Wagoner and Steven C. Walker, Joseph Smith: The Gift of Seeing, Dialogue:
A Journal of Mormon Thought 15/2 (1982): 48-68, especially 5758. David Whitmer,
Spencer, Reflections of Urim: Directors-Interpreters Mystery 191

Joseph Smith initially called the interpreters spectacles. The first

recorded identification of the interpreters with the biblical Urim and
Thummim was in 1833, nearly three years after the Book of Mormon
was published, when W. W. Phelps suggested that the interpreters may
have been known anciently as Urim and Thummim.5 Thereafter Joseph
Smith and his associates often referred to the interpreters as well as
his individual seer stones as the Urim and Thummim, apparently
considering Urim and Thummim to be a class of revelatory instruments.6

among others, speaks of Joseph Smith inquiring of the Lord: Joseph did not know
how it was, so he enquired of the Lord about it, and behold the following revelation
came through the stone. David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ
(Richmond, MO: n.p., 1887), 31. Orson Pratt, a close associate of Joseph Smith
beginning in late 1830, in 1887 provided a signed report of a meeting held that same
year, during which he explained the circumstances under which several revelations
were received by Joseph, the Prophet, and the manner in which he received them,
he being present on several occasions of the kind. Declared that sometimes Joseph
used a seer stone when enquiring of the Lord, and receiving revelation. Report of
Elders Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith, Millennial Star 15 (17 Sep 1878): 787. The
first revelation Orson Pratt witnessed was directed at him. Upon meeting Joseph
Smith, Orson Pratt asked if there was a revelation for him. Joseph took him and
John Whitmer upstairs, produced a small stone called a seer stone, and putting it
into a hat soon commenced speaking. James R. B. Vancleave to Joseph Smith III,
29 Sep 1878, in David Whitmer Interviews: A Restoration Witness, ed. Lyndon W.
Cook (Orem, UT: Grandin, 1991), 239-240. That revelation is now found in D&C
34.
5 In about summer of 1832, Joseph Smith recorded in his personal history that
the Lord had prepared spectacles for to read the book. History, circa Summer
1832, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 24 Nov. 2014, http://josephsmithpapers.
org/paperSummary/history-circa-summer-1832. In January 1833, The Evening and
the Morning Star, edited by William W. Phelps, reported that the Book of Mormon
was translated by the gift and power of God, by an unlearned man, through the
aid of a pair of Interpreters, or spectacles (known, perhaps, in ancient days as
Teraphim, or Urim and Thummim), The Book of Mormon, Evening and the
Morning Star 1 (Jan 1833): 58.
6 After a meeting with other apostles in which Joseph Smith showed one of his
seer stones, Wilford Woodruff wrote in his journal, I had the privilege of seeing,
for the first time in my day, the Urim and Thummim. Van Wagoner, 5960. Oliver
Cowdery referred to the seer stone by which Joseph Smith translated the Book of
Mormon as the Urim and Thummim, then added that the Nephites would have
considered it an interpreter: Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write
from his mouth, as he translated, with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites
whould [sic] have said, Interpreters. Oliver Cowdery to W.W. Phelps, 7 Sep 1834,
Messenger and Advocate 1 (Oct 1834): 14. On another occasion, Oliver Cowdery
referred to the same stone as a Urim and Thummim in connection with Joseph
192 Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 14 (2015)

The term is used this way in Doctrine and Covenants 130:10, and Orson
Pratt, a close associate of Joseph Smith, taught that the Urim and
Thummim is a stone or other substance sanctified and illuminated by
the Spirit of the living God, and presented to those who are blessed with
the gift of seeing.7
The brass ball (or Liahona, interpreted as compass) contained two
spindles, or pointers.8 At least one of the spindles pointed the way Lehis
group should travel in their journey to their promised land (1 Nephi
16:10; Alma 37:40). While the brass ball guided Lehis family as a physical
compass, it also gave them understanding concerning the ways of the
Lord in the form of written messages on the spindles (1 Nephi 16:29).
In one instance, written directions (1 Nephi 16:30) were given after
Lehi, the groups high priest, did inquire of the Lord (1 Nephi 16:24).
In this second function, that of revealing the word of the Lord, it served
a similar purpose for the first Nephites as the Urim and Thummim did
for the biblical Israelites and as the interpreters and Joseph Smiths seer
stones did for the early Mormons. They were all oracular instruments.
After making early use of these instruments for divine direction, the
Nephites, biblical Israelites, and Joseph Smith all eventually came to rely
less on them and more on the spirit of prophecy and revelation (i.e., the

Smiths use of it to receive an 1830 revelation (Van Wagoner and Walker, Gift of
Seeing, 5758). See Van Wagoner and Walker, 49-63, for additional examples of
the use of this term for Joseph Smiths seer stones and the Nephite interpreters.
7 Masterful Discourses of Orson Pratt, ed. N. B. Lundwall (Salt Lake City, UT:
Bookcraft Publishers, 1962), 552.
8 Liahona appears to be a properly constructed Hebrew word from li,
which can indicate the possession of something; iaho, which is a short form of
Jehovah, used in coining words; and ona, which can be translated as whither, as
it is in whither wilt thou go? in Genesis 16:8. Together they mean, more or less,
whither of Jehovah or direction of the Lord, or by analogy, the Lords compass.
See Jonathan Curci, Liahona: The Direction of the Lord: An Etymological
Explanation, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 16/2 (2007): 60-67, 97-98. Compass
is more an analogy than a translation for Liahona. Although the brass ball, like
a compass, was a navigational instrument, it worked by faith, not magnetism,
and pointed toward a destination, not magnetic north. The unexpected and the
Lord [Jehovah] prepared it following the word Liahona in Alma 37:38 may be a
wordplay on its iaho (Jehovah) element. The prophet Nephi seems to introduce this
instrument with the same type of wordplay whenever he refers to it as a compass
(presumably Liahona in the original Hebrew text; 1 Nephi 18:12-21, 2 Nephi 5:12)
but not when he refers to it as a ball (1 Nephi 16:10-16; 1 Nephi 10:26-30).
Spencer, Reflections of Urim: Directors-Interpreters Mystery 193

power of the Holy Ghost) and on their growing collections of written

revelations.9

Translations of Urim
Urim and Thummim is a transliterated Hebrew phrase. It has usually been
interpreted as lights and perfections based on its Hebrew associations,
or as manifestations and truth based on some of the Greek renderings
in the Septuagint.10 Urim probably expresses the main idea of the name,
with Thummim being of secondary importance. Accordingly, Thummim
is sometimes omitted altogether and the instrument simply called Urim,
as in 1 Samuel 28:6 (NASB; see also Numbers 27:21): When Saul inquired
of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim
or by prophets. Alternatively, given the lack of the definite article, Urim
in this passage may be referring more generally to oracular instruments,
not just the divinely sanctioned Urim and Thummim. In fact, Saul could
not have inquired of the Lord by the Urim and Thummim, because
Abiathar had fled with the ephod to the camp of David (1 Samuel 23:9).
Saul may have attempted to use a different urim.
Urim can mean flames or fires in Hebrew, but the Urim in
Urim and Thummim is as likely derived from orim, meaning lights

9 There is no clear scriptural indication of use of the revelatory instruments

by the Nephites after the second King Mosiah or by the biblical Israelites after King
David. David Whitmer reported: After the translation of the Book of Mormon was
finished early in the spring of 1830 before April 6th, Joseph gave the stone to Oliver
Cowdery and told me as well as the rest that he was through with it, and he did
not use the stone anymore. Whitmer, All Believers, 32. The spirit of revelation is
equated to the power of the Holy Ghost in D&C 8:2-3. The spirit of prophecy and
spirit of revelation are associated with each other throughout the Book of Mormon,
including the title page, and throughout the Doctrine and Covenants. While many
of the early revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants were received
through the Urim and Thummim (as noted in headings of D&C sections 3, 6, 7,
11, 14, and 17; Van Wagoner and Walker, Gift of Seeing, 61), the heading to D&C
20 is consistent with David Whitmers statement, indicating it was given in April
1830 by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. However, Joseph Smith reportedly
used another seer stone on later occasions, including for a revelation given to Orson
Pratt (now D&C 34), on November 4, 1830 (James R. B. Vancleave to Joseph Smith
III, 239-240), and in translating the Book of Abraham (Van Wagoner and Walker,
60) in 1835.
10 For traditional interpretations of Urim and Thummim, see Van Dam, Urim
and Thummim, 93, 132-136.
194 Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 14 (2015)

in classical Hebrew.11 (There is currently, however, nothing approaching

consensus on the words origin, and numerous other derivations have
been proposed.12) Even though Urim referred specifically to an oracular
instrument, it would have anciently carried some degree of connotation
of fire and light due to its similarity to these words. In fact, evidence
from ancient Greek translations tends to confirm an association of Urim
with light. In the Septuagints Ezra and Nehemiah, Urim was translated
into Greek by forms of photizo, which means to shine or to give
light. Translations of Urim elsewhere in the Septuagint suggest that it
had other ancient connotations as well. In the books of Moses, it was
translated by forms of deloi, likely signifying manifestations, and by
delosis, signifying manifestation or revelation, or perhaps direction
or instruction.13 These Greek renderings suggest that the light implied
in Urim was understood anciently as a spiritual or metaphorical light
a light that manifested or revealed what was hidden, or that provided
direction.
The Urim represented the word of the Lord to ancient Israel, for
when the high priest inquired of the Lord, his word came by Urim. Not
only did the Urim and Thummim convey and represent the word of the
Lord, it also belonged explicitly to him, as Moses said to the Lord, Let
thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one (Deuteronomy 33:8).
Although plural in form, Urim may be a plural of respect referring to a

11 Although modern Hebrew creates the plural of or (light) with a feminine

ending to give orot, lights could be represented in classical Hebrew by orim (a
masculine ending), as it is in Psalms 136:7. The gender of or is given as masculine
but sometimes f. in David J. A. Clines (ed.), Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, vol.
1 (Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic Press, 1993). For urim as light or lights,
see Van Dam, Urim and Thummim, 93, 132-136. Ur, the singular form of urim, is
translated as light (of fire) in Isaiah 50:11.
12 For derivations of urim related to the lot theory, see Van Dam, 94-98. For a
short summary of proposed derivations, see Ann Jeffers, Magic and Divination in
Ancient Palestine and Syria (New York: Brill, 1996), 210211.
13 Those who translated the Hebrew Old Testament into English generally
chose to simply transliterate (not translate) Urim and Thummim, thus preserving
it in English as a proper name. Those who produced the Septuagint, in contrast,
chose to render Urim and Thummim into Greek by translating its connotations. For
translations of urim in the Septuagint, see Van Dam, Urim and Thummim, 85, 132-
135, including footnotes, and particularly page 85 for connotations relating to deloi
and delosis. Delosis is a pointing out, manifestation, explaining, shewing or a
direction, order. Henry George Liddell and Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon,
8th ed. (New York: American Book Co., 1897), 338.
Spencer, Reflections of Urim: Directors-Interpreters Mystery 195

single object. In classical Hebrew, single objects belonging to royalty or

other important persons were sometimes named in the plural.14
Given the possible connotations of Urim in the Bible, including that
of direction, director(s) is a reasonable English translation. If urim was
used by Alma as a plural of respect, it could have been translated with
both a plural and a singular meaning as directors (for the interpreters)
and as director (for the brass ball) just as elohim is translated as both
gods and God in the Bible.
Not only is director a reasonable translation of urim, it also aptly
describes how the Urim was used in ancient Israel. The Lords instructions
regarding the use of the instrument are given in Numbers 27:21 (NASB):
Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall
inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord.
At his command they shall go out and at his command they
shall come in, both he and the sons of Israel with him, even
all the congregation.
In this passage, the Lord indicates that Joshua, the national
leader, is to inquire (through the high priest) by the judgment of the
Urim in order to receive the Lords directions for matters of national
importance. Although there is no record of Joshua making use of the
Urim and Thummim, the Bible does relate at least twelve cases in which
subsequent leaders inquired of the Lord and received a response,
apparently by the Urim and Thummim.15 In eight of these cases (Judges
1:1-2; 20:18; 20:23; 20:27-28; 1 Samuel 23:2-4; 30:8; 2 Samuel 5:19; 5:23),
the Lord provides military direction. In one case (1 Samuel 10:22), he
provides information regarding the whereabouts of Saul in the context of
directing his ascension to the throne. In two cases, he provides strategic
information to David to help him in his struggle with Saul (1 Samuel

14 See Van Dam, Urim and Thummim, 137, including footnotes; and Ronald
J. Williams, Williams Hebrew Syntax, revised and expanded by John C. Beckman,
3rd ed. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007), 2. Cornelis Van Dam, arguably
the foremost authority on the biblical Urim and Thummim, believes that it most
likely consisted of a single object (Van Dam, 230).
15 The Hebrew phrases translated as inquired of the Lord and inquired of
God in the New American Standard Bible (NASB) likely indicate the use of the
Urim and Thummim when no other means of revelation are indicated, even when
the instrument is not mentioned by name (see Van Dam, Urim and Thummim,
109, 182-189). All of the twelve cases mentioned include such a phrase except 1
Samuel 23:1-4, which specifically states that the ephod (which contained the Urim
and Thummim) was involved.
196 Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 14 (2015)

22:10-13; 23:10-12), and in the final case (2 Samuel 2:1), he directs David
in his ascension to the throne. In addition, Numbers 31:6 indicates that
Moses sent men to war with the holy instruments. Targum Pseudo-
Jonathan renders this as with the Urim and Thummim to inquire by
them, again suggesting that the Lord directed Israelite warfare through
the Urim and Thummim. Judging from these likely instances of the use
of the Urim and Thummim in ancient Israel, its principlal function was
to provide divine direction in practical matters of national importance.
Director would be a pretty good and perhaps the best one-word
English description of that function.
Directors and director could have been translated from the Hebrew
word urim in Almas original text. But why would Alma have wanted to
use this label for the instruments?

Almas Motivation to Use a Special Word

In Alma chapter 37, Alma charges his son Helaman with the keeping
of the Nephites sacred instruments and records. He instructs Helaman
regarding the plates of Nephi, the plates of brass, the twenty-four Jaredite
plates and the interpreters used to translate them, and the brass ball.
Alma is clearly concerned that Helaman realize the importance of his
charge:
And I also command you that ye ... keep all these things sacred
which I have kept.... And now remember, my son, that God
has entrusted you with these things, which are sacred, which
he has kept sacred, and also which he will keep and preserve
for a wise purpose in him, that he may shew forth his power
unto future generations. (Alma 37:2, 14)
Alma reiterates the sacred nature of the charge as he sums up his
message to Helaman in verse 47: And now, my son, see that ye take care
of these sacred things.
In order to impress upon Helaman the seriousness of his charge,
Alma emphasizes the importance of the records and instruments in
spiritual terms. The plates of brass were the means of bringing thousands
of souls to repentance. The interpreters are not just for translating, but
are also the subject of a prophecy concerning the fate of a nation. The
brass ball is not just a compass, but a type of the word of Christ. Since his
message is to be an important and enduring testament to his son, Alma
Spencer, Reflections of Urim: Directors-Interpreters Mystery 197

follows the classical Hebrew practice of using chiasmus and other poetic
devices to highlight its most important elements.16
With Almas efforts to emphasize the sacred nature of the interpreters
and brass ball, it makes sense that he would use the most sacred labels
available to refer to them. In the English text, directors and director dont
seem to be any better in this regard than the usual labels, but urim, the
name of one of the most sacred objects to the ancient Israelites, would
have certainly met the need. With its connotation of manifestation or
revelation, urim would have also been a fitting label for the two revelatory
instruments the interpreters that manifested hidden truths, and the
brass ball that provided divine direction and instruction.
The fact that urim would have been a fitting label for these instruments
doesnt in itself tell us whether Alma used the term. Evidence for Almas
use of urim, however, may be found in the context. When a word at a
key location in a poem has been obscured, it can sometimes be revealed
again by analysis of nearby words.
Consider the following poem:
Roses are red, violets are blue.
The called are many, but the chosen are ___.
With a little scriptural knowledge and attention to rhyme, meter,
and meaning, most readers would be able to correctly fill in the blank
with the missing word few. Few is a good fit because it agrees with the
words found in parallel positions its sound is reflected in blue while
its meaning is reflected in many. It also agrees in number with are and
completes a meaningful scriptural allusion (to Matthew 22:14). A similar
method of analysis is used in exegesis of ancient writing to address
text-critical and lexicographical questions. Although rhyme and meter
arent typically apparent as poetic devices in classical Hebrew writing,
parallelism of meaning usually is, and other rhetorical devices such a
repetition, imagery, and allusion can also be important. Almas writing
is in the form of a classical Hebrew poem, and an analysis of its poetic
features can show just how well urim fits where the English text has
director(s).

16 A chiasm is an inverted parallel structure. Chiasmus was used as a poetic

device by the ancient Hebrews and other Semitic peoples, and is common in the
Bible and Book of Mormon.
198 Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 14 (2015)

The Interpreters or Directors as Urim

In his instructions to Helaman, Alma speaks of the interpreters (or
directors) in the context of making known the sins of the extinct
Jaredites. He uses repetition as a poetic device to establish a theme. In
the passage below, the words and phrases shown in bold all express the
idea of manifestation, or revealing what is hidden:17
And now, I will speak unto you concerning those twenty-
four plates, that ye keep them, that the mysteries and the
works of darkness, and their secret works or the secret
works of those people who have been destroyed may be
made manifest unto this people yea, all their murders and
robbings, and their plunderings, and all their wickedness and
abominations, may be made manifest unto this people yea,
and that ye preserve these directors. For behold, the Lord saw
that his people began to work in darkness; yea, work secret
murders and abominations; therefore the Lord said, if they
did not repent they should be destroyed from off the face of
the earth. 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.
And now, my son, these directors were prepared that the
word of God might be fulfilled, which he spake, saying: I will
bring forth out of darkness unto light all their secret works
and their abominations; and except they repent I will destroy
them from off the face of the earth; and I will bring to light
all their secrets and abominations, unto every nation that
shall hereafter possess the land. And now, my son, we see that
they did not repent; therefore they have been destroyed, and
thus far the word of God hath been fulfilled; yea, their secret

17 For these and other Book of Mormon passages in this paper, I have used the
reconstructed earliest text from the Book of Mormon Critical Text Project (Royal
Skousen, The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text [New Haven, CT: Yale University
Press, 2009]) and have adjusted the punctuation in some instances for clarity.
Punctuation was almost completely lacking in the original Book of Mormon
manuscript, being added later by the printer. Biblical passages are from the King
James Version unless otherwise indicated.
Spencer, Reflections of Urim: Directors-Interpreters Mystery 199

abominations have been brought out of darkness and made

known unto us. (Alma 37:21-26)
While the subject of this poem is the importance of the interpreters,
the theme is manifestation (the idea of manifestation is repeated nine
times in the five sentences).
An unusual word choice in a poem can sometimes be explained by its
contribution to the theme. Directors is certainly an unusual word choice
for a translating instrument, but it makes no obvious contribution to the
theme in the English text. In Hebrew, with urim (connoting manifestation
or revelation) in place of directors, the word choice would have aptly
reinforced the theme.
Not satisfied with repetition as his principal poetic device, Alma set
this poem in chiastic form. The parallel elements that form the framework
of the chiasm are in italics, below. The first half of the chiasm tells of an
ancient prophecy, and the second half describes its fulfillment.
A And now, I will speak unto you concerning those twenty-four plates, that ye
keep them,
that the mysteries and the works of darkness, and their secret
works or the secret works of those people who have been
destroyed may be made manifest unto this people
yea, all their murders and robbings, and their plunderings, and all
their wickedness and abominations, may be made manifest unto
this people
yea, and that ye preserve these directors.
B For behold, the Lord saw that his people began to work in darkness, yea,
work secret murders and abominations;
C therefore the Lord said, if they did not repent they should be destroyed
from off the face of the earth.
D 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.
D And now, my son, these directors were prepared that the word
of God might be fulfilled, which he spake, saying: I will bring
forth out of darkness unto light all their secret works and their
abominations; and except they repent I will destroy them from
off the face of the earth; and I will bring to light all their secrets
and abominations, unto every nation that shall hereafter
possess the land.
C And now, my son, we see that they did not repent; therefore they
have been destroyed, and thus far the word of God hath been
fulfilled;
B yea, their secret abominations have been brought out of darkness
A and made known unto us.
200 Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 14 (2015)

Note that element A is itself a chiasm. In the outer level of this

small chiasm, Alma tells his son to preserve the sacred instrument
and to keep (which can also mean preserve, as in Genesis 2:15) the
sacred plates. However, it is only the subject of the inner level the
manifestation of secrets and sins that is mirrored in A.
The arrangement of text in chiastic form draws the readers attention
to the center, and thats where the main message is often focused. In this
case, a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light and directors
are at the two focal points at the center of the large chiasm, so they
might be expected to reflect the chiasms overall theme of manifestation.
The Gazelem stone shining in darkness unto light certainly does, but
directors doesnt, at least not in the English text.18 As urim (connoting
manifestation or revelation), it would.
The theme of this chiasm is further reinforced by a chiasm of similar
size that immediately follows it (Alma 37:2732).19 The four levels of the
second chiasm have more or less the same topics as the corresponding
levels of the first. The innermost and outermost levels are about what
should (or should not) be made known, or manifest, to the people, and
the second and third levels are, again, about darkness and destruction.

18 Whether Gazelem refers to the servant or the stone is unclear, but it could
refer to either one without changing the structure or message of the chiasm. If it
is the name or title of a servant, Gazelem could refer to the brother of Jared, who
received the interpreters from the Lord, or to Mosiah, who used them to translate
the Jaredite record for the benefit of the Nephites. In any case, Alma declares
that the Gazelem prophecy has thus far been fulfilled with the interpreters
having made known the secrets and sins of the Jaredites to the Nephite people
(Alma 37:26). If Gazelem refers to a class of instruments perhaps the Jaredite
counterpart to Urim then a stone which shall shine forth in darkness unto
light may have been intended as its parenthetical definition. The mismatch in
number between the singular Gazelem stone and the plural interpreters may well be
an artifact of translation. But even in English, the interpreters could be described as
a shining stone (referring to the material of which they are made) or as shining
stones (speaking of the stones as individual objects).
19 The structure of the chiasm in Alma 37:27-32 is as follows: (A) And now, my
son, I command you (B) lest peradventure they should fall into darkness and be
destroyed. For behold, there is a curse (C) therefore I desire that this people might
not be destroyed. (D) Therefore ye shall keep these secret plans of their oaths and
their covenants from this people, (D) and only their wickedness and their murders
and their abominations shall ye make known unto them .. (C) and ye shall also teach
them that these people were destroyed. (B) Yea, and cursed be the land forever .
(A) And now, my son, remember the words which I have spoken unto you; trust not
those secret plans unto this people, but teach them an everlasting hatred against sin
and iniquity. Elements A, D, and C are themselves chiasms.
Spencer, Reflections of Urim: Directors-Interpreters Mystery 201

The theme of manifestation that characterizes these paired chiasms is

also associated with the interpreters elsewhere in the Book of Mormon:
And the things are called interpreters.... And whosoever is
commanded to look in them, the same is called seer.... And
by them ... shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden
things shall come to light. (Mosiah 8:13, 17)
The same idea of manifesting hidden things is associated with the
biblical Urim in the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan reading of Exodus 28:30:
And you shall put into the breastplate the Urim, which
illuminate their words and make manifest the hidden things
of the House of Israel.
Both of these passages associate the idea of illumination or light, as
well as manifestation, with the sacred instrument. Light is a prominent
element in Almas poetry as well. In the center of his first interpreters
chiasm, directors is parallel to a stone which shall shine forth in darkness
unto light. With its connotations of light and shining, urim (in place
of directors) would have properly mirrored the shining stone. The
interpreters are not only associated with the shining Gazelem stone
poetically, but also prophetically. Alma says that the interpreters are the
fulfillment of a prophecy that a shining stone would be prepared. The
interpreters must therefore be shining stones, at least metaphorically.
The label urim would have properly expressed that identification.20
In addition to using repetition to establish a theme for his chiastic
poem, Alma uses it to create a dark mood. In the paired chiasms, he
repeats secret(s) twelve times, darkness and abominations each ten times,
and murders, destroyed, and wickedness each five times. Blood, robbings,
plunderings, cursings, and destruction add to the gloom. The Jaredites
are workers of darkness; and the Nephites, if not careful, will fall
into darkness also and be destroyed. The only nouns (excluding proper
names) or adjectives that suggest light or goodness in these chiasms
are light, which appears three times, and prophets. The situation is the
reverse in the remainder of the chapter, where words with positive
connotations predominate. The effect of this contrasting mood is that

20 The beginning of the fulfillment of the Gazelem prophecy is recorded in

Ether 3. The brother of Jared, apparently invoking the prophecy, asks the Lord to
touch 16 stones and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness ... that we
may have light. The Lord grants his request, causing the stones to produce physical
light, and also gives him the two interpreter stones to provide eventual spiritual
enlightenment.
202 Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 14 (2015)

the light of the sacred stones appears even brighter as it shines forth in
darkness. The imagery of light is a key element in the poem, and urim,
with its connotation of light, would have been an obvious word choice
for the interpreter stones.21
While interpreters is the usual word for the instrument under
discussion, with its mundane connotation of translation, it wouldnt
have worked particularly well in apposition to the shining Gazelem
stone or at a focal point of a dark chiasm about manifesting secrets and
sins. Alma understandably chose a different word. Although in English
(as directors) his word choice appeared so poor that it was eventually
rejected by editors, in Hebrew (as urim) it would have made sense.

The Brass Ball or Director as Urim

Almas discussion of the brass ball with its two internal spindles consists
of two chiasms set within a larger parallel structure.22 Parallel words and
phrases are shown in italics in Almas text (Alma 37:38-46) below.

21 The dark mood becomes starkly evident when all neutral words are removed
from the two chiasms. The following sequence of words is Almas interpreters
poem reduced to nouns (excluding proper names) and adjectives that have
connotations of physical or metaphysical light or darkness, with the positive/
light words in capital letters and negative/dark words in bold: mysteries darkness
secret secret murders robbings plunderings wickedness abominations darkness
secret murders abominations destroyed darkness LIGHT secret darkness
wickedness abominations darkness LIGHT secret abominations LIGHT secrets
abominations destroyed secret abominations darkness secret abominations
darkness destroyed curse destruction darkness destroyed secret wickedness
murders abominations wickedness abominations murders destroyed
wickedness abominations murders PROPHETS iniquities blood vengeance
murderers judgments darkness secret cursed darkness secret destruction secret
hatred sin iniquity. Notice the three instances of light shining out of the uniform
darkness of the interpreters poem. The same process applied to the remainder
of Alma 37 produces the following sequence of words: SACRED WISE HOLY
SCRIPTURES LORD mysteries BRIGHTNESS BRIGHTNESS HOLY foolishness
WISE WISE SALVATION WISDOM error KNOWLEDGE GOD SALVATION
incorrect REPENTANCE KNOWLEDGE GOD REDEEMER stiffnecked sin
iniquities KNOWLEDGE REDEEMER mysteries WISDOM SACRED SACRED
SACRED chaff SACRED hell DILIGENT DILIGENT [interpreters poem]
REPENTANCE FAITH MEEK temptation devil FAITH GOOD MEEK WISDOM
GOOD night sleep DAY wilderness FAITH FAITH MIRACLE MIRACLES DAY
DAY MIRACLES slothful FAITH DILIGENCE wilderness transgressions shadow
slothful BLISS sorrow slothful SACRED SOBER.
22 Whether intentional or not, the morphology of the brass ball is represented
in the morphology of Almas discussion of the instrument. The same morphological
Spencer, Reflections of Urim: Directors-Interpreters Mystery 203

A And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers
call a ball or director or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being
interpreted, a compass, and the Lord prepared it. And behold, there cannot any
man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. And behold, it was
prepared to shew unto our fathers
B the course which they should travel in the wilderness.
C And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if
they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles
should point the way they should go, behold, it was done;
D therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles,
wrought by the power of God, day by day.
D Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means
(nevertheless it did shew unto them marvelous works),23
C they were slothful and forgat to exercise their faith and diligence, and
then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their
journey;
B Therefore, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course, and
were afflicted with hunger and thirst, because of their transgression.

E And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are
not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this
compass (now these things were temporal) they did not prosper; even so it is
with things which are spiritual.
F For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will
point to you a straight course to eternal bliss,
G as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would
point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
G And now I say: Is there not a type in this thing? For just assuredly as
this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the
promised land,
F shall the word of Christ, if we follow its course, carry us beyond this vale
of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
E O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way, for so was
it with our fathers;
A for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is
with us: the way is prepared, and if we will look, we may live forever.

The first internal chiasm tells how the brass ball provided physical
direction for the Nephite fathers in their journey through the wilderness.
The second internal chiasm presents that miracle as a shadow of a

relationship exists between the pair of interpreter stones and the pair of chiasms in
which they and the Jaredite record are discussed.
23 This line is confusing in LDS editions of the Book of Mormon because the
second nevertheless, which was present in the original manuscript, is missing.
Royal Skousen (ed.), The Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon: Typographical
Facsimile or the Extant Text. (Provo, UT: The Foundation for Ancient Research and
Mormon Studies, 2001), 333. The punctuation is mine.
204 Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 14 (2015)

greater truth that the word of Christ gives us vital spiritual direction.
This word of Christ analogy is in the form a double parallel in which
director (or urim) is parallel to both compass and word of Christ. With its
connotation of the word of the Lord, urim would have fit well parallel to
word of Christ; and with its likely connotation of direction, it would have
also fit well parallel to compass and expressed the poems overall theme
of direction.
Urim also provides plausible answers to a couple of mysteries in
Almas word of Christ analogy.
First, its unclear, based on the English text, why Alma refers to the
brass ball as a compass through most of his discussion and then suddenly
calls it a director when he gets to his word of Christ analogy. In fact,
in his analogy, Alma seems to be doing nothing more than repeating
himself the compass pointed the fathers to the promised land, and
the director brought the fathers to the promised land. In the English
reading, theres no obvious reason for the use of director instead of the
usual word, compass. However, if director is translated from urim, with
its connotations of light and fire, possible reasons for the change of labels
become apparent.
While a compass can only point the way, a light can also direct a
traveler by illuminating the path. As a compass, the brass ball would
point ... a straight course to the promised land, but as a director (or
urim, suggesting light), it did bring the fathers to the promised land,
just as the word of Christ will, if we follow its course, carry us beyond
our valley of sorrow.24 The Old Testament uses similar imagery in
presenting light as a metaphor for the word of the Lord that shows us
the path to higher ground.25 In Psalm 119:105, his word is a lamp unto
my feet, and a light unto my path; and in Psalms 43:3, we read, O send
out thy light and thy truth: let then lead me; let them bring me unto
thy holy hill. The Hebrew word for light in both of these psalms comes
from the same root that urim is potentially related to. In fact, the phrase
thy light and thy truth in Psalm 43 has been seen by some authors as
a reference to the Urim and Thummim.26 Alma himself compares the

24 Carry in King James English meant to take something to a different place,

but not necessarily by holding or supporting it. For example, Moses carried the
Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 14:11).
25 While the current LDS edition of the Book of Mormon has the director
being compared to the words (plural) of Christ, the earliest text has word (Skousen,
2009). It is the singular word of the Lord that is compared to a light in Psalm 119.
26 Van Dam, Urim and Thummim, 225, including footnotes.
Spencer, Reflections of Urim: Directors-Interpreters Mystery 205

word of the Lord to a light elsewhere (Alma 5:7; 32:35). Also, the Lord
had told the first Nephites that he, as their light in the wilderness, did
bring them out of Jerusalem and would, according to their obedience,
prepare the way before them and lead them towards the promised land (1
Nephi 17:1314). Urim, with its connotation of light, would have thus fit
naturally in Almas analogy and could have strengthened it by bringing
to mind these earlier writings.
Urims alternative meaning of flames or fires would have created
another biblical allusion in Almas text, especially if urim were read as a
plural of respect referring to the Lords fire. The fire that did bring our
fathers ... to the promised land in Almas poem would have brought to
the Hebrew mind the pillar of cloud and fire that directed the Israelite
fathers under Moses to their promised land (Exodus 13:21).
That Alma was thinking in biblical terms, and particularly in terms
of the Israelite fathers journeying to their promised land, is evidenced by
his allusion to Mosess brass serpent in his closing sentence. Alma echoes
his own words from an earlier sermon referencing the brass serpent when
he says that the brass ball was prepared for the fathers that if they would
look they might live.27 Together with this allusion, Almas use of urim
for the brass ball would have portrayed it as a three-in-one instrument
for the Nephite fathers in their journey to their promised land. It played
the role of the biblical Urim in providing instruction, the role of the fiery
pillar in showing physical direction, and the role of the brass serpent in
testing their faith.
The second mystery relates to Christ typology. After comparing the
compass to the word of Christ, Alma asks, Is there not a type in this
thing? But where is his answer? The for that begins the next sentence
suggests he is about to provide an answer, but then he essentially repeats
the comparison he just made, this time substituting director for compass.
It reads as if, by using the word director, Alma is providing the answer
to his question. This makes no sense in English a director is no more

27 After referring to the brass ball as a type of the word of Christ for the Nephite
fathers in their wilderness, Alma says, Do not let us be slothful because of the
easiness of the way, for so was it with our fathers; for so it was prepared for them,
that if they would look they might live (Alma 37:46). This phrase echoes Almas
words from an earlier sermon, in which he had warned against being slothful
and spoken of Mosess brass serpent, which, as a type of Christ, was raised up in
the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live (Alma 33:19,21; also
Numbers 21:8-9). Nephi had similarly taught that because of the simpleness of the
way, or the easiness of it, there were many which perished because they would not
look at the brass serpent (1 Nephi 17:41).
206 Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 14 (2015)

a type of the word of Christ than is a compass. In Hebrew, however, with

urim in place of director, it would have made more sense. The Urim was,
as the word of the Lord to the Israelite fathers, a fitting type of the word
of Christ.
Almas use of urim to create these biblical references would have not
only provided greater depth to his word of Christ analogy, but would
have also suited his purpose in emphasizing the sacredness of the brass
ball. As urim, the ball is no longer just a pointer its the Nephite
counterpart of the biblical Urim and Thummim and pillar of cloud and
fire, and a physical representation of the light and word of the Lord.

Conclusions
Although we cant say for certain whether directors and director in
Alma 37 represent the Hebrew word urim, the circumstantial evidence
suggests they do. When Almas work is read as English prose, his uses of
directors and director seem unnecessary, awkward, or even erroneous.
If these terms are translations of urim, however, his word choices make
sense. Urim aptly expresses the revelatory function as well as the sacred
nature of the interpreters and brass ball. It also fits naturally in Almas
chiastic poetry.
Given its likely connotation of manifestation, urim would have
reflected the principal theme of Almas interpreters poem. With its
connotation of light or shining, it would have focused the imagery of
light in darkness and properly mirrored the shining Gazelem stone at
the center of a chiasm. At the same time, with a connotation of direction,
urim would have reflected the principal theme of Almas brass ball poem.
Urim would have also strengthened Almas comparison of the brass
ball to the word of Christ by echoing biblical imagery of Gods word as a
directing light and by creating an allusion to the fiery pillar that guided
Israel in the wilderness. Finally, as a reference to the biblical Urim and
Thummim that revealed the word of the Lord, urim would have answered
Almas question regarding a type of the word of Christ.
While interpreters, ball, directors and director are mundane words
ill-suited for poetic reference to divine instruments, urim is rich in
sacred meaning. It suits Almas resplendent poetry and appears to be
reflected in it. Almas apparent sophisticated use of this word suggests he
had a thorough understanding of the ancient connotations of urim and
remarkable talent as a classical Hebrew poet. Together with the chiastic
structure of the text, it also suggests that this portion of the Book of
Mormon was originally composed in Hebrew.
Spencer, Reflections of Urim: Directors-Interpreters Mystery 207

Stan Spencer earned a BS from Brigham Young University and a PhD

from Claremont Graduate University, both in botany. He has worked as
a research scientist at Brigham Young University and the Smithsonian
Institutions Laboratory of Molecular Systematics and now works as a
consultant in California. He has a particular interest in the textual origins
of Mormon scripture.