Synonymous and Synthetic Parallelism

Synonymous and Synthetic Parallelism in the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon contains beautiful Parallelisms combining Synonymous (same) and Synthetic (building to a point) phrases.

No other Book of American History comes close to the complexity and beauty of the Parallelisms contained within the Book of Mormon.

 

 

Alma 5:20-Alma 5:23

SYNTHETIC  
BUILDING
And He shall go forth,

   Suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind.
And this that the word might be fulfilled which saith

   He will take upon Him the pains and the sicknesses of His people;

   And He will take upon Him death,

   That He may loose the bands of death which bind His people;
And He will take upon Him their infirmities,

   That His bowels may be filled with mercy according to the flesh,

   That He may know according to the flesh,

   How to succor His people according to their infirmities.
Now the Spirit knoweth all things;

   Nevertheless, the Son of God suffereth, according to the flesh,

   That He might take upon Him the sins of His people,

   That He might blot out their transgressions according to the power of His deliverance.

And now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

(LDS: Alma 7:13)

 

SYNTHETIC  
BUILDING
Alma 5:24-Alma 5:28

Now I say unto you, that ye must repent and be born again,

For the Spirit saith If ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven.


Therefore, come and be baptized unto repentance,

   That ye may be washed from your sins,

   That ye may have faith on the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world,    

     Which is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.
Yea, I say unto you, come and fear not,

And lay aside every sin which easily doth beset you,

   Which doth bind you down to destruction.
Yea, come and go forth

   And show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins

   And enter into a covenant with Him to keep His commandments,

   And witness it unto Him this day by going into the waters of baptism;
And whosoever doeth this and keepeth the commandments of God from thenceforth,

The same will remember that I say unto him,

    Yea, he will remember that I have said unto him,

He shall have eternal life according to the testimony of the Holy Spirit which testifieth in me.

(LDS: Alma 7:16)

 

 

SYNTHETIC  
BUILDING
Alma 5:33-Alma 5:37

For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness;

I perceive that ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God;
Yea, I perceive that ye are making His paths strait;

I perceive that it hath been made known unto you by the testimony of His word

   That He cannot walk in crooked paths,
Neither doth He vary from that which He hath said,

  Neither hath He a shadow of turning from the right to the left,

   Or from that which is right to that which is wrong,

Therefore, His course is one eternal round.
And He doth not dwell in unholy temples;

Neither can filthiness or anything which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God.
Therefore I say unto you, the time shall come,

  Yea, and it shall be at the last day,

  That he which is filthy shall remain in his filthiness.

(LDS: Alma 7:21)