But what does it really mean?

I've been meaning to post a couple of scriptures that I've found better worded in Spanish. I do believe it helps me to understand the scripures better when studying them in 2 languages.

The firt is from Mormon 7:8. It says:
Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the ^agospel of Christ,

The casual reader might thing to "lay hold of the gospel" means to pick up the scriptures or join the Church. To lay hold kind of means when someone hands you something, you take it in your hand.  but to me, it kind of connotes taking the gospel into your life, being baptize, making it part of you. 

In Spanish, it uses the word "asir" instead of lay hold. Asir means to GRASP. So in Spanish it says to GRASP  the gospel:
"Por tanto, arrepentíos y sed bautizados en el nombre de Jesús, y asíos al ^aevangelio de Cristo"

Grasp onto the gospel of Jesus Christ. So instead of just taking it into your life, it feels more like grab on for dear life, like a drowning man would grasp the rope that can pull him out of the turbulent water. You don't just take hold, you GRASP it. It shows there should be more urgency and a stronger desire to get the gospel in our lives. I think that is much more meaningful.


The second one is from 3 Nephi 11:5. It is when God is speaking to the Nephites before Christ appeared. They hear His voice 3 times and the 3rd time is the one that makes the difference.

 In English it says, "And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it."

I love that it says that they 'opened their ears to hear'. I believe it is important for us to 'open our ears' to hear God's word.

In Spanish instead of 'open' their ears, it says, "aguzaron el oído para escucharla" . Aguzaron means their 'sharpened' their hearing. It is good to open our ears to hear, which I would think means to pay attention. But I think it goes a little farther in Spanish because of just paying attention, it says they sharpened their hearing. It sounds like they really strained to hear the voice and understand it.