Simile curses are found in many ancient Near Eastern writings, including treaties, prophecies, and religious texts dealing with covenants. In a simile curse, an invocation for harm to come upon the recipient is given in the form of a comparison between two objects, often using like or as. Since simile curses appear only a handful of times in the Old Testament, Joseph Smith was probably unaware of the concept. Therefore, the presence of numerous simile curses in the Book of Mormon attests its Near Eastern background. (See Echoes, 156–159).