Close Menu
  • The One Climbs Show
    • YouTube
    • Apple Podcasts
    • Spotify
    • Show Posts
  • Topics
    • All Posts
    • The Book of Mormon
    • Atonement
    • Symbolism
    • Temple Prep
  • Study Tools
    • Book of Mormon Onomasticon
    • Etymology Dictionary
    • Hebrew 4 Christians
    • Lectures on Faith.com
    • LDSSymbols.com
    • Number in Scripture
    • Isaiah Explorer
    • ScriptureNotes
    • Strong’s Condordance
    • The Book of Isaiah (IIT)
    • Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
  • About
    • About oneClimbs
    • Contact
Trending
  • Was the Land of Mormon named after someone? If so, who?
  • NEW Research Shows Mormon Encoded Lehi’s Vision into Alma’s Story with Temple Symbolism – The Stick of Joseph
  • #40 – The Fountain of Filthy Water
  • The Meaning of Isaiah 4:1 and Seven Women Taking Hold of One Man
  • Lecture Five, the Godhead, and the Light We Missed
  • Retaining brightness
  • Sebus, Severed Arms, and Humility Unto Salvation
  • oneClimbs on The Stick of Joseph: Alma’s Sermon
oneClimbs.comoneClimbs.com
  • The One Climbs Show
    • YouTube
    • Apple Podcasts
    • Spotify
    • Show Posts
  • Topics
    • All Posts
    • The Book of Mormon
    • Atonement
    • Symbolism
    • Temple Prep
  • Study Tools
    • Book of Mormon Onomasticon
    • Etymology Dictionary
    • Hebrew 4 Christians
    • Lectures on Faith.com
    • LDSSymbols.com
    • Number in Scripture
    • Isaiah Explorer
    • ScriptureNotes
    • Strong’s Condordance
    • The Book of Isaiah (IIT)
    • Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
  • About
    • About oneClimbs
    • Contact
oneClimbs.comoneClimbs.com
Home»Articles»Taste
Articles August 5, 20124 Mins Read

Taste

In Sunday School today, I was browsing through Alma 36 and the word “taste” caught my attention again so I decided to do a little digging. I’m interested in how the word taste relates to the experience of obtaining divine knowledge.

Here’s one version of a word translated as “taste” from Hebrew via Strong’s:

Taste – (ta`am) from ‘ta`am’ (2938); properly, a taste, i.e. (figuratively) perception; by implication, intelligence; transitively, a mandate: — advice, behaviour, decree, discretion, judgment, reason, taste, understanding.

Here’s a particular definition via Noah Webster:

Taste – 6. To experience; to feel; to undergo.

And here are the places in the Book of Mormon that you can find the word “taste” used relevant to the context I am exploring:

Alma 36:26
For because of the word which he has imparted unto me, behold, many have been born of God, and have tasted as I have tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen; therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken, as I do know; and the knowledge which I have is of God.

Alma 36:24
Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Mormon 1:15
And I, being fifteen years of age and being somewhat of a sober mind, therefore I was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus.

Alma 32:35
O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?

Mosiah 4:11
And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love…

Just for kicks, ponder the meaning of this terminology in light of this verse:

Alma 32:28
Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

In the New Testament we only find the word taste used in the context of “taste of death”. The Book of Mormon seems to use the word when the speaker is attempting to stress intimate personal knowledge through experience. Taste is an interesting sense to compare with receiving divine knowledge; it seems to indicate a close proximity. You can see and hear things from afar, but to taste something it has to be right there in your face.

In that context, think of how that idea relates to this verse:

Helaman 4:23
And because of their iniquity the church had begun to dwindle; and they began to disbelieve in the spirit of prophecy and in the spirit of revelation; and the judgments of God did stare them in the face.

This verse which has already been mentioned is great because we have taste mentioned with the phrase “eye to eye” – another proximity reference:

Alma 36:26
For because of the word which he has imparted unto me, behold, many have been born of God, and have tasted as I have tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen;

Speaking of tasting in a negative context, what about when “a dog returns to its vomit”? (Proverbs 26:11)

Back on the positive side, I am also reminded of the sacrament where we literally taste tokens of a covenant. We find many Hebrew idioms in the text of the Bible and when we read of eating or drinking, this is another way of saying “Make my teaching a part of you“. Since you literally are what you eat physically, ‘eating’ a true doctrine nourishes the mind.

I think “tasting” is similar in that respect but is less about taking something into you and more about encountering and experiencing something in a close and intimate fashion.

Book of Mormon Etymology Origins
Previous ArticleThe Test Has Begun
Next Article TempleStudy.com Fireside Discussion on Andrew Skinner’s book “Temple Worship”
Steve Reed

I created oneClimbs as a place to organize my thoughts and share my observations with anyone who might find the information useful. Though I may speak passionately or convincingly in some of this content, PLEASE don't simply take my word alone on anything. Always seek the truth of all things through study and prayer in the name of Jesus Christ.

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

New Post Email Notifications

You can subscribe any time, and I will ONLY use your email to send you new post updates.

POPULAR POSTS
  • Popular
  • Recent
Recent Comments
  • Jocelyn on Tutorial on How to Use LDS Symbol Cards: “I absolutely love this! I wish I came across this sooner to purchase these cards. But I really appreciate you…”
  • Peggy on Analysis of an Incredible Eve/Mary Artwork by a Roman Catholic Nun: “Um, not quite… Eve sinned, caused Adam to sin, and we are all fallen creatures with Original Sin, removed by…”
  • Peggy on Analysis of an Incredible Eve/Mary Artwork by a Roman Catholic Nun: “Um, not quite… Eve sinned, caused Adam to sin, and we are all fallen creatures with Original Sin, removed by…”
  • Janet Cheney on The Gospel Vision of the Arts by Spencer W. Kimball: “Some writer friends and I, we are also story coaches for a writer’s coaching program, met yesterday for the first…”
  • Steve Reed on Was the Land of Mormon named after someone? If so, who?: “Haha, nice find, Justin, thanks for the tip!”
Blogroll
  • A Traditional Architecture Glossary
  • Academy for Temple Studies
  • Book of Mormon Onomasticon
  • Bruce Charlton's Notions
  • Interpreter Foundation
  • Isaiah Explained
  • Isaiah Explorer
  • Isaiah Institute
  • Isaiah Prophecy
  • Junior Ganymede
  • Latter-day Saint Architecture Blog
  • Latter-day Saint Temples
  • LDSSymbols.com
  • Leading Saints
  • Number in Scripture by E. W. Bullinger
  • Strongs Concordance
  • TempleStudy
  • The Ancient Context of Joseph Smith's Egyptian Alphabet and Grammar
  • Webster's 1828 Dictionary
New Post Email Notifications

You can subscribe any time, and I will ONLY use your email to send you new post updates.

About this Site

I created oneClimbs as a place to organize my thoughts and share my observations with anyone who might find the information useful. All content on this site is considered a work in progress that is often updated when new insights are obtained.

Climbspiration

The true revelation rouses the desire to know more by the truth of its incompleteness. – George MacDonald

oneClimbs.com
  • Home
  • All Posts
  • About oneClimbs
  • Contact

LecturesOnFaith.com  //  LDSSymbols.com

© 2025 oneClimbs. All content unique to oneClimbs is fair use. All other content is property of the respective copyright owner. oneClimbs.com is not owned, controlled, or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All views and opinions are of the authors here who are solely responsible for their content and should not be interpreted as official statements of Church doctrine, belief, or practice, unless specifically stated and correctly referenced.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.