LO, WO, O

Often, there are interesting patterns in the scriptures. Recently, I was watching one of the great programs on BYUTV where three or four BYU religious scholars sit together and discuss certain passages of scripture. This particular program dealt with 2 Nephi Chapter 9. One of the men, (lamentably, I do not recall his name) suggested that the chapter had a lot of “WOs” and “Os” in it. He said that the WOs (wo unto…) identified things that take us away from the Lord, and that the Os (O the wisdom of God) identified things that bring us closer to the Lord.

 I began to wonder if this pattern held true for other scriptures too. I also thought that I might add a third alliterative word to my research: “Lo.”

Perhaps definitions might help us understand the usages of these words in the scriptures:

Lo: Interjection. Used to call attention to, or to express wonder or surprise.

Wo: (modern, woe) Noun. Great sorrow; grief; misery, or a cause of sorrow; affliction; trouble.

O: (modern oh) Interjection. Used before the name of, or a pronoun referring to, a person or thing being formally addressed. Used to express surprise or strong emotion.

So it seems that when The Lord, heavenly messengers, or prophets want to get our attention, they might interject “Lo” into the discussion:

Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD … (Isaiah 25:9)
…lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah… (Jeremiah 30:3)
For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name. (Amos 4:13)
…lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:20)

Second Nephi Chapter 9 is an excellent example the use of “wo” and “o.” In the book, Heroes from the Book of Mormon, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland writes about Jacob the Unshakable:

…note that in chapter 9 of 2 Nephi, Jacob soars in his declaration of the atonement of Jesus Christ with at least fourteen uses of the cry "O." For both stylistic and theological contrast, this is linked in long, rhyming vowels with at least ten references to "Wo," an exclamation used to mark the dangers of going against the doctrine of Christ.

When the Lord, heavenly messengers, or prophets want to point out something that may lead us permanently or temporarily away from the Gospel and the Lord, they may use the noun “wo” to emphasize the danger:

Moroni 9:15, 27, 30-38:
Wo unto this people… But wo unto him that has the law given … and that transgresseth them … But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. And wo unto the deaf that will not hear…Wo unto the blind that will not see…Wo unto the uncircumcised of heart…Wo unto the liar…Wo unto the murderer who deliberately killeth…Wo unto them who commit whoredoms…Yea, wo unto those that worship idols…And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins…

When they want to identify things that can bring us closer to the gospel and the Lord, they may interject “O” into the sentence:

2 Ne. 9:8-11,13, 17,19, 20,28
O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! …
O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from … death and hell…
O how great the plan of our God!
O the greatness and the justice of our God! For he executeth all his words… and his law must be fulfilled.
O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For he delivereth his saints from ,,, death, and hell…
O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things…
O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men!

Helaman 7:16-17.20
Yea, how could you have given way to the enticing of him who is seeking to hurl away your souls down to everlasting misery and endless wo?
O repent ye, repent ye! Why will ye die? Turn ye, turn ye unto the Lord your God. Why has he forsaken you?...
O, how could you have forgotten your God in the very day that he has delivered you?

The Savor’s anguished cry to the Jewish people in Matthew 23:37 is another heart-wrenching example:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,…how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

President George Albert Smith was fond of saying: “Stay on the Lord’s side of the line.” Perhaps “Lo, Wo, and O,” scriptures can help us define where the Lord’s side of the line is. President (then Elder) Smith’s message in April 1942 General Conference is as timely today as it was then:

This is a day of proving ourselves, a day of trial. This is a day when men's hearts are failing them with fear. When the multitudes in the world are asking themselves what the end will be. A few inspired men know what the end will be. The Lord has told us what would occur, in these books that are upon this stand, this wonderful library that I hold in my hand. He has given us the information that we need to adjust our lives and to prepare ourselves that no matter what may transpire we will be on the Lord's side of the line.

President Smith’s message in April 1949 General Conference tells us where to find true happiness:

God bless you, my brethren and sisters. Do not make any mistake in these days of uncertainty. Stay on the Lord's side of the line. All righteousness, all happiness is on his side of the line.

There are hundreds of “Lo, Wo, and O” passages in the scriptures. Many of them are meant to get our attention, help us identify which side of the line to stand on and tell us what will happen if we cross the line.

Our ongoing challenge is to “Stay on the Lord’s side of the line.”