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531 and the Book of
Mormon
Alphabetics Bible Code Validations
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There are several words on page 531 of Gesenius'
Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament that are very
interesting in context of the Book of Mormon.
Word 5055 means, "to push, strike with the horn," as used in
Deuteronomy 33:17 regarding the blessing given to the seed of Joseph:
"...his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the
people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of
Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh."
Again, this ties in to the idea of the remnant of Israel and the role of
the Book of Mormon as a tool for the gathering of Israel in these latter-days
especially by those who are of the lineage of Ephraim, which is what most
American Mormons are.
Word 5050 on page 531 means "to shine, to be bright," which in
this context calls to mind the idea of the golden plates upon which the Book
of Mormon was engraved and from which leaves it was translated.
An interesting play here is that the number 5050 calls to mind the idea of
50-50 or 50% and 50%. A corollary idea is 1/3 and 2/3. The Book of
Mormon we have translated is actually only a third part of the golden plates
that Joseph Smith found in the stone box as the angel Moroni directed
him. The other two thirds are promised yet to come forth when a people
sufficiently pure have been prepared.
Another word of interest on page 531 of Gesenius is:
5057 $*#1 A prince, a leader,
ruler, so called from preceding; to go before; first; (1) of any prefect, or
leader; (2) prince of a people, a general word, comprehending even the royal
dignity; the anointed once, the prince; (3) noble, honourable; noble things,
excellent things.
First, Joseph Smith comes to mind as the instrument in the Lord's hands for
bringing forth the Book of Mormon in these the latter days when the Gentiles
are now first, having been last after the Jews at the time of Jesus
Christ. It also calls to mind the Davidic servant ministry at which
point the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled and the kingdom returns to the
house of Israel, to the remnant of Jacob.
Words 5058 and 5059 refer to "a stringed instrument, a song, a
psalm;" and "to play on a stringed instrument,"
respectively. Between them Gesenius lists and unused root that means,
"to wound, to pierce."
For the first coming of Christ among the Jews, this calls to mind the
piercing of Christ. For the second Messianic advent, this time among the
Gentiles, this calls to mind the latter-day David who will be marred.
(e.g. Isaiah 52:14; III Ne. 21:8-11.)
These veiled allusions on page 531 are yet another witness that the work of
the Davidic servant among the Mormons who reject him will pertain to the Book
of Mormon and the bringing forth and looking forward to greater things --
epitomized by the two thirds of the golden plates that will eventually be
translated and become the primary new cannon for those who will inhabit the
New Jerusalem that will be the capital of the kingdom of God -- a literal
government of righteousness that will fill the whole earth.
The topic listings on page 531 of the LDS Topical Guide are,
in order,
Today
Toil (see also Labor; Work)
Token (see also Signs)
Tolerable
Tolerance
Tomb
Tomorrow
Tongue
In regards to "today," recall the above connection in which the
antonym for word 531 in Greek was word 2000, which is the current year.
The idea of timeliness is conveyed, along with the forward-looking
anticipation of "Tomorrow."
The words "today" and "toil" in juxtaposition call to
mind the scripture, "labor while it is called today." This
phraseology occurs twice in D&C 64, and is followed by a warning about the
division of the people as those who are the true blood of Ephraim are made
known by their obedience to the will of God, while they who not apostles and
prophets will be made known and removed.
The idea of "token" or "sign" calls to mind the many
signs, such as the ones mentioned in this write-up, by which the Lord speaks
to those who are faithful and who have eyes to see.
When juxtaposed to the word "tolerable" the Saviors words about
how it would be "more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah" come to
mind. In other words when those who have been given so much light and
knowledge refuse to hearken to the signs and miracles manifest among them then
they are worse off than the riotous heathen.
"Tomb" and "tomorrow" seem an ominous foreboding for
those who chart a path of rebellion to their duties to be a light to the world
as the Lord's people.
The words "tomorrow" and "tongue" next to each other
call to mind the modern Pentecost of greater proportions that awaits the
faithful remnant who will redeem Zion for the coming, glorious millennial
age. When the condemnation is lifted from off this people, how truly
glorious will be the great outpouring of the gifts of the spirit that follow
them that believe.
Thought these words do not necessarily point to the Book of Mormon per se,
their occurrence on page 531 nevertheless provides interesting food for
thought in contemplating the role of that book in this great sifting of the
souls of men.
My college dictionary, Webster's II New
Riverside begins page 531 with "pinch hit" and ends with
"pioneer." Thinking of these words in combination and in
context of the Book of Mormon, calls to mind the idea of the modern pinch hit
pioneers of Zion, the outcast remnant, who the Lord calls in stead of those
who were supposed to build Zion but who have been lax in their
responsibilities.
The midpoint word on this page is "pinnacle,"
calling to mind these pivotal times in which we live -- the fullness of times.
The Book of Mormon is the touchstone of the age.
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Page 531 in Webster's III '61 |
The first and last words -- hence the headings -- on page 531
of my huge Webster's New
International Dictionary (3rd Ed., Unabridged, 1961), are "crash
truck" and "crazy house."
A "crash truck" is "a specially equipped truck
designed to rescue survivors of an airplane crash."
A "crazy house" is "(1) an insane asylum."
Together, this calls to mind the gathering out of the wheat
from the midst of the tares. The "crazy house" would be in
reference to the "foolish" among Mormondom, who refuse to see the
signs of the times but think that all is well.
The Book of Mormon is the primary tool for sifting the wheat
from the tares.
Several words on page 531 of my New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of
the English Language are closely relevant to the Book of Mormon.
The first word on the page, and hence the first heading on the
page is "metalloid : See METAL."
This calls to mind the gold plates on which the Book of Mormon was engraved
for preservation.
The last word and heading on the page is "meter :
...The standard of linear
measure." STANDARD is a prophetic synonym used for the Book of
Mormon. The word of the Lord came to Nephi promising that "the
words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my
words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of
Israel." (2 Nephi 29:2.)
In the LDS world, we refer to our scriptures as the "Standard Works."
The entry before "meter" is
meter: Rhythmical arrangement of syllables into verses, stanzas, strophes, etc. --metric,
metrical, a. Pertaining to rhythm or meter; consisting of verse. --metrist, n. A composer of verses.
Another scripture-relevant word definition on the page is
metaphrase: A verbal translation
of one language into another, word for word. --metaphrast: A literal translator.
This calls to mind the role Joseph Smith played in translating
the ancient engravings by the gift of God into English.
The definition before that is:
metaphor: A figure of speech founded on resemblance,
by which a word is transferred from an object to which it properly belongs
to another in such a manner that a comparison is implied though not formally
expressed.
A significant theme of the Book of Mormon is the idea of
likening the scriptures to ourselves. That is one of the primary basis
of the studies at this web site -- drawing parallels between the themes of
scripture and applying them to our current circumstances. In the present
study, we are extracting meaning from word definitions based on their numeric
sequence in relation to the number 531 -- looking for parallel definitions and
metaphorical representations among parallel page and word numbers.
Another notable word on the page is:
metamorphosis Change of form, shape, or
structure; transformation.
To facilitate the mighty change of heart, or being born of
God, through the grace of Jesus Christ, and continuing faithful in that new
life, as testified in the Bible, is the very intent for which the Book of
Mormon was written, as set forth in Mormon 7:8-10.
Along these lines, another word on the page is worth mention
as well:
metaphysics: That science which seeks to trace the
branches of human knowledge to their first principles in the constitution of
our nature, or to find what is the nature of the human mind and its
relations to the external world; the science that seeks to know the ultimate
grounds of being or what it is that really exists.
My experience has been that the Book of Mormon, in harmony
with the Bible, is the most accurate metaphysical record available on the
earth at present.
Seeing as there are so many correlations to 531, I thought I
would try page 531 in President Gordon B. Hinckley's
Biography by Sheri L. Dew, which has 666 pages of text.
It turned out that this page was one of three in the entire
book that I had dog-eared when reading it. My markings on the page
indicate that I was impressed by the refreshing emphasis on Jesus Christ that
is mostly neglected elsewhere in the biography.
The page discussed how in the midst of the Church's growing
size and the attendant bureaucracy, "that we not loose sight of the fact
that it is the individual who counts."
It then quotes Boyd K. Packer as saying, "President
Hinckley . . . has sent the signal that the spiritual ministry and the message
of the redemption and the Atonement and the ministry of Jesus Christ must be
emphasized."
Toward the end of the page, the biography mentions that
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"In December 1995 the First Presidency and Quorum
of the Twelve unveiled a new Church logo which featured more
prominently the words Jesus Christ."

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The last statement on the page, spilling over to the next,
reads, "To one audience after another, he bore witness of the Savior as
the only solution to the world's ills."
This loco change of the Church calls to mind the title
appendage made to the Book of Mormon. The subtitle: "Another
Testament of Jesus Christ" was added around this same period of time.

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