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Et tu, Joseph?
Ironically, many of the Book of Mormon’s earliest readers found it oddly out of date as soon as it was published in 1830. While the content was very contemporary, the style of language was not. The text of the Book of Mormon mirrors the style of the King James Version of the Holy Bible, which was written in Elizabethan English. The innumerable “thee’s” and “thou’s” that the reader encounters in the Book of Mormon were indicative of the elevated vocabulary that English translators of the Bible intentionally employed in 1611, over 200 years before Joseph began his work. In short, no one was talking or writing like this in Joseph Smith’s time.
Interestingly, Joseph’s revelations canonized in the Doctrine and Covenants assume the same flavor of the Book of Mormon, so as to suggest that the Lord is deliberately speaking in 17th century English. It would be absurd to suggest that the Nephites spoke and wrote this way, and since 19th century America didn’t either, the only plausible explanation is that the Lord (or Joseph Smith) felt it necessary to duplicate the biblical style of language in order to make the Book of Mormon seem credible. After all, if this new record were to stand side by side with the Bible, then it would do well to sound like the Bible.
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The question might be asked: If the Book of
Mormon is a literal translation of ancient
records, and the Lord caused words to appear in the Urim and Thummim (or seer stone), why would He choose to use an archaic form of
English? Would not the Lord speak to Joseph in
his own language, as one man speaks to
another?