The phrase “river of water,” which sounds odd to speakers of English, provides remarkable evidence that the Prophet Joseph Smith actually translated this ancient text as he stated. “Although the term ‘river of water’ probably seemed foreign to Joseph Smith … , the use of the term in the Book of Mormon is consistent with both modern and ancient Hebrew and with other Semitic languages of the Middle East. Different words are used in these languages to differentiate between (1) a riverbed that has water flowing in it and (2) a dry riverbed. This is one of many examples that prove the Book of Mormon is translation literature” (Ludlow, Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, 92–93).