Liberty Tatham: Holy, holy, holy! (Book of Mormon

No lie, this week's post will be much less spiritual, and much more about interesting things learned this week, mainly because I didn't find any extremely life-changing words this week in lecture today. We're mostly focusing on history and dissecting the poetry that is Isaiah's writings. He's one tough cookie to understand (though his words are touching).

The most interesting thing I learned this week involves Isaiah's use of repetition. It's throughout the scriptures everywhere, so I figured it'd be good to share with y'all. It's already upped my scripture study.

In 2 Nephi 16, Isaiah is having a vision, and sees one seraphim (if I'm understanding this right - Isaiah is a little confusing) say unto another "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory" (2 Nephi 16:6). But why does he say it three times? Well, apparently, three is a superlative and holy number, and is highly symbolic to Isaiah and many Biblical writers. It gives a lot of emphasis to what is being said, and it is the supreme number to them. Don't ask me why, because honestly I'm not sure. If anyone would care to shed some light on the subject i the comments below, please do. But anyway, that shows that when something is repeated three times, it's something to pay attention to. Oftentimes in the scriptures, "Wo! Wo! Wo!" or something similar appears. To me, this means to slow down and really pay attention to why this word is being repeated, because it means their action/attitude/whatever is being spoken about is a big deal.

This divine number that is the number three shows its importance in other aspects of our religion as well as others. Look at the three members of the Godhead, the three degrees of glory, and the three days that passed before Jesus was resurrected. Three shows its face throughout religion.

Specifically in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we use the number three as a superlative without even realizing. For those of you who don't know, we have temples - which are houses of the Lord on this earth - that we dedicate to the Lord when they are done being built. I won't give lots of detail about temples, just because I honestly can't tell you much more than what I have - I haven't gone through the temple yet and couldn't give an explanation better than this one. But anyway, at these temple dedications, we do this thing called the "hosanna shout." We take a white handkerchief, and while waving it, say in unison "Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! to God and the Lamb!" three times, ending with "Amen! Amen! Amen!" Yes, it is a little odd, but it is what it is. It's our traditional way of praising God and setting the temple apart to the Lord. The fact that it is a marvel and a wonder is beside the point. The point is, we repeat this phrase three times. We ask "hosanna" three times, and end with "amen" three times. (For the record, this isn't a secret, you can read about it right here). That aspect of the temple lifts up and makes holy to us what is being repeated - praises of joy, to God and to Christ and to His Atonement, Amen! that it can be dedicated properly and be good enough to be called a Heavenly home on earth.

Maybe we should pay more attention to the number three. I'm very curious as to how the number lost its meaning in our day when it was the superlative back in Biblical times. Paying attention to this number and knowing it was - and still should be - significant has changed my scripture study and other aspects of my spiritual life, and I think it'll do the same for you.