3 Nephi 9 Repetition


BeccaKirstyn
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I noticed a pattern of phrases in 3 Nephi 9 that Christ repeated four times in somewhat similar ways and was wondering if anyone has ever come across any conference talks or has any insight about this repetition? Assuming things that are repeated are extremely poignant and of significance among scripture.

3 Nephi 9:5: "...to hide their iniquities and their abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come any more unto me against them."

3 Nephi 9:8: " ...to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up any more unto me against them."

3 Nephi 9: 9: "...to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them."

3 Nephi 9: 11: "...that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto me from the ground against them." 

 

 

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7 hours ago, BeccaKirstyn said:

I noticed a pattern of phrases in 3 Nephi 9 that Christ repeated four times in somewhat similar ways and was wondering if anyone has ever come across any conference talks or has any insight about this repetition? Assuming things that are repeated are extremely poignant and of significance among scripture.

3 Nephi 9:5: "...to hide their iniquities and their abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come any more unto me against them."

3 Nephi 9:8: " ...to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up any more unto me against them."

3 Nephi 9: 9: "...to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them."

3 Nephi 9: 11: "...that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto me from the ground against them." 

As a whole, these verses are part of a slightly larger chiasmus https://chiasmusresources.org/3-nephi-913-22

The rhetorical device serves as a mnemonic device for oral traditions, which includes focusing attention on the central idea, and in written traditions.

Edited by CV75
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4 hours ago, CV75 said:

As a whole, these verses are part of a slightly larger chiasmus https://chiasmusresources.org/3-nephi-913-22

The rhetorical device serves as a mnemonic device for oral traditions, which includes focusing attention on the central idea, and in written traditions.

Could you please illustrate (i.e. provide the parallel line structure) the chiasmus? 

The link you provided was AFTER the verses @BeccaKirstynlisted. And the central point was in verse 18.    I've tried including verses in Chapter 10.  I can't detect the structure.  And the author of the site you linked did not seem to agree with you.

So, where is the chiasmus for Becca's verses?

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One of the oft repeated themes of the Book of Mormon is the promise/warning:

If ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land—but if ye keep not his commandments ye shall be cut off from his presence.

It would seem, at least in part, that the Lord in 3 Nephi 9 is trying to be very clear that the horrific destruction of life they just witnessed was not a rash reaction of a vengeful God but rather the fulfillment of their conditional existence upon the promised land they've been warned about for centuries. It also stands in stark contrast to what they would experience about a year later when they themselves behold the face of the Lord in the flesh. I think it's a literal fulfillment of that promise made by the Lord as early on as 1 Nephi ch 2.

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20 hours ago, Carborendum said:

Could you please illustrate (i.e. provide the parallel line structure) the chiasmus? 

The link you provided was AFTER the verses @BeccaKirstynlisted. And the central point was in verse 18.    I've tried including verses in Chapter 10.  I can't detect the structure.  And the author of the site you linked did not seem to agree with you.

So, where is the chiasmus for Becca's verses?

Yes, I realized that after I posted:

Block of Verses 1-2 ("face of this land", "iniquity/wickedness/abominations") -- general

Block of Verses 3-10 (destructions by locale, referencing "my face" and "sins/wickedness/iniquity/abominations") -- more specific

Block of Verses 11-12 ("my face", "this land", "iniquity/wickedness/abominations") -- general, ties back to Block of Verses 1-2.

It is interesting He uses "face" to refer to Himself and the land, and ties them together in this fashion.

Then verses1-2 exhorts repentance and the last verse, 22, also.

 

 

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30 minutes ago, CV75 said:

Yes, I realized that after I posted:

Block of Verses 1-2 ("face of this land", "iniquity/wickedness/abominations") -- general

Block of Verses 3-10 (destructions by locale, referencing "my face" and "sins/wickedness/iniquity/abominations") -- more specific

Block of Verses 11-12 ("my face", "this land", "iniquity/wickedness/abominations") -- general, ties back to Block of Verses 1-2.

It is interesting He uses "face" to refer to Himself and the land, and ties them together in this fashion.

Then verses1-2 exhorts repentance and the last verse, 22, also.

I guess I can see that.  But it seems to be fairly weak.  I suppose it won't hurt to look at it that way.  But I'm not really getting the warm fuzzies about it.

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On 1/20/2021 at 12:35 AM, BeccaKirstyn said:

I noticed a pattern of phrases in 3 Nephi 9 that Christ repeated four times in somewhat similar ways and was wondering if anyone has ever come across any conference talks or has any insight about this repetition? Assuming things that are repeated are extremely poignant and of significance among scripture.

3 Nephi 9:5: "...to hide their iniquities and their abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come any more unto me against them."

3 Nephi 9:8: " ...to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up any more unto me against them."

3 Nephi 9: 9: "...to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them."

3 Nephi 9: 11: "...that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto me from the ground against them." 

 

 

Your question is a simple one and only requires a simple, straightforward answer. All the Lord is saying in these verses is that the inhabitants of these Nephite cities had become so fully ripened in iniquity that they didn’t deserve to have a even trace of their former existence left behind.  The Lord was so offended and provoked by the extreme wickedness of these people that they deserved to not only die in a terrifying manner but deserved nothing less than total obliteration. There is nothing more complicated than this even suggested in these verses.

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