The Book of Mormon

Ether 12:6

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~AD 401–421

1830 Edition

And now I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things: I would shew unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith:

Influences

Matthew 18:7 (KJV)
Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Changes

And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things:; I would sheow unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith:.

Simple English

I, Moroni, want to talk about these things. I want to show the world that faith is hoping for things you have not seen. So don’t argue just because you can’t see something. You won’t get proof until after you have faith.

Paraphrase

Now I, Moroni, want to say something about this. I want the world to understand that faith means hoping for things you haven’t seen yet. Don’t argue just because you can’t see something. You won’t get proof until after you’ve put your faith on the line.

Notes

12:4-22

LDS scholar Grant Hardy writes, "Any quotations in the Book of Mormon from biblical writings composed after 600 BC are anachronistic, potentially challenging both the book's historicity and its credibility. This is all the more so when the borrowed expressions appear in the exact words of the King James Version of 1611. Nonbelievers simply view the English Bible as one of Joseph Smith's sources, while Latter-day Saints look instead for more apologetic explanations... it is difficult to explain how it is that Moroni and his father before him had access to writings attributed to the apostle Paul.... Ether 12 is written as if Moroni is as fully familiar with the text of Hebrews as he is with Nephi's or Mormon's writings."

He continues, "There can be little doubt that Moroni's discourse on faith at Ether 12 is, in some way, based on the Epistle to the Hebrews, but it is more than simply an imitation; it is a creative adaptation."

He further states, "From the perspective of believers (LDS), it would be rather ironic if Moroni, who eschewed his father's program of evidence-based faith, here inadvertently ended up providing perhaps the strongest textual validation for the historicity of the Book of Mormon. Paradoxically, though, with Ether 12's clear and thorough dependence on Hebrews 6 and 11, Moroni has simultaneously supplied some of the most compelling evidence that the book has its origins in the nineteenth century." -Hardy, Understanding the Book Of Mormon, pp. 255, 257, 260.