“Your Worthless and Fallen State”

W. Cleon Skousen

Here is probably the longest sentence in the entire book of Mormon, consisting of 168 words. It is extends over three verses. One of the reasons it is so long is the fact that Benjamin interrupts himself at the end of this verse 5 and spends all of the remainder of the chapter on a parenthetical subject that suddenly crossed his mind. You will notice that he starts out addressing the people before him, then in the middle of verse 6 he starts talking about "him" that put his trust in the Lord. Then he moves over to a discussion of the atonement, which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind. It is interesting that during this long, complicated sentence King Benjamin changes the subject of the sentence three times, but you never miss the point he is trying to make.

Treasures from the Book of Mormon

References