One interesting difference between Semitic languages (like Hebrew, Aramaic, Phoenician, etc.) and Western ones is how some of our singular nouns are inherently plural in Semitic languages, ending in the plural suffix “-im (eem)” in Hebrew. Some examples include: water (mayeem, מַיִם), sky (shamayeem, שָׁמַיִם), and life (khayeem, חַיִים). That’s why the scriptures, which are mostly translated literally where these Semitic/Western differences occur, include foreign-sounding constructions like; “the waters of…”, “crossed the great waters”, “looked towards the heavens (sky)”, etc. (See Mosiah 18:8 and Ether 4:9 in the Book of Mormon, and the Biblical references of Genesis 1:2, Exodus 7:20, and 2 Kings 2:8 as examples.) These are all Semitic-origin constructions that became part of the English language translation of the scriptures. Some even sound almost commonplace to people who’ve grown up reading the King James Version of the Bible.
For me, the most interesting plural-ending noun in Hebrew that's singular in English is the word “life”, which in Hebrew literally means “lives”. One possible interpretation is that within each of us lies an innumerable potential posterity. This is significant on many levels. The taking of an innocent life is obviously considered a terrible act in any culture, but in the Semitic tradition it appears to be an even more severe offense against God and one’s community since the sin not only ends the victim's individual life prematurely, but it also prevents “lives” (generations of progeny) from coming into physical being on Earth. Along the same line, the English term “eternal life” is literally translated “eternal lives” in Hebrew (khayeh olam), a phrase that has wonderful implications for the hereafter.
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