In this episode of Temple Bound, host Will Humphreys sits down with Jared Lambert, a historical linguist specializing in Persian and the Hebrew Bible. Jared’s journey is anything but typical, from failing high school Spanish to serving as a military linguist and eventually pursuing seven degrees in his quest to understand the "soft" conceptual language of the ancient world.

Jared breaks down how modern, rigid "hard" languages often flatten the deep, multi-layered meanings of scripture. He explains why the Garden of Eden is linguistically the "Temple of Eden," and why the restoration of the gospel is an ongoing process of returning to the beautiful, relationship-based worship of the First Temple of Solomon.

Key Discussion Points:

• The Persian Influence: How the transition from an oral tradition to a written alphabet under Cyrus the Great shifted our understanding of the Hebrew Bible.
• Hard vs. Soft Language: Why we struggle to understand symbolism because we treat ancient visionary texts like modern technical manuals.
• The First Temple vs. The Second: Discovering the "Elohim"—the divine council and the worship of the relationship between man, woman, and family.
• The "Women Weavers": The hidden history of priestesses in the First Temple who wove the veils and garments, and how Joseph Smith sought to restore this role in the Nauvoo Relief Society.
• Covenants in Motion: A sneak peek into Jared’s upcoming book series on the evolution of temple ordinances from the Sacred Grove to the modern day.
• Shammah: A linguistic deep dive into the word "hear" and why it actually implies a "covenant in motion"—to internalize and perform.

Resources Mentioned:

• Veiled Roots: veiledroots.com (Register for classes and "Come Follow Me" linguistic deep dives).
• Bible Hub (https://biblehub.com/) A free tool for interlinear Hebrew study.
• Podcast
  • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6dcNiuVjhWAF1Kwv9F7Dbr
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@faithmattersfoundation
  • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-matters/id1307757928

About the Guest:

Jared Lambert is a PhD candidate and a "Tommy Boy of Scholarship" who has spent 20 years in higher education. A former military linguist fluent in nearly nine languages (including Persian Farsi and Afrikaans), he focuses on bridging the gap between high-level historical linguistics and the everyday faith of Latter-day Saints.

Send us Fan Mail