Feast Upon the Words of Christ and Let Your Soul Delight in Fatness: 3 Nephi 5:8-11

⁸ And there had many things transpired which, in the eyes of some, would be great and marvelous; nevertheless, they cannot all be written in this book; yea, this book cannot contain even a hundredth part of what was done among so many people in the space of twenty and five years; ⁹ But behold there are records which do contain all the proceedings of this people; and a shorter but true account was given by Nephi.

¹⁰ Therefore I have made my record of these things according to the record of Nephi, which was engraven on the plates which were called the plates of Nephi. ¹¹ And behold, I do make the record on plates which I have made with mine own hands.

3 Nephi 5:8 – 11 (Emphasis mine)

After writing about the brutal war and subsequent peace, our narrator (who has not identified himself at this point[1]), stops his narrative at this point. He informs us that “there had many things transpired which, in the eyes of some, would be great and marvelous,” but all things cannot be written in his account. “[T]his book cannot contain even a hundredth part of what was done among so many people in the space of twenty and five years.”

Mormon makes this point frequently in his abridgment. For example:

Wherefore, I chose these things, to finish my record upon them, which remainder of my record I shall take from the plates of Nephi; and I cannot write the hundredth part of the things of my people.

Words of Mormon 1:5

And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people;

But behold the plates of Nephi do contain the more part of the things which he taught the people.

And these things have I written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people; and I have written them to the intent that they may be brought again unto this people, from the Gentiles, according to the words which Jesus hath spoken.

And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them.

And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation.

Behold, I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people.

Therefore I, Mormon, do write the things which have been commanded me of the Lord. And now I, Mormon, make an end of my sayings, and proceed to write the things which have been commanded me.

3 Nephi 26:6 - 12

Grant Hardy explains why the record is incomplete with things he left out.

The Book of Mormon is not like the Congressional Record—it does not try to include everything. Again and again, Mormon reminded us that he had to drastically condense his sources. "This book cannot contain even a hundredth part of what was done among so many people," he wrote, "but behold there are records which do contain all the proceedings of this people" (3 Nephi 5:8-9). Thus Mormon's concern over what to leave out must have been as great as his anxiety over what to include. On every page, he was making choices, and his decisions tell us a great deal about him—what he valued, what he believed, what he thought his readers ought to know. As we read the Book of Mormon, we must constantly ask, "Why is this story or detail included? What is being left out? Why do the events take this form or sequence?"[2]

Mormon’s statements indicating that he left things out reminds our knowledge about the Nephites is limited. Robert Millet writes:

How can we be so audacious as to suggest that we know what the Nephites did or did not understand, when in fact the writers indicated again and again that they were recording but "a hundredth part" of that which transpired or what God had indeed made known? (See Words of Mormon 1:5; 3 Nephi 5:8; Ether 15:33.) One wonders how many times such prophetic personalities as Nephi and Jacob and Abinadi and Alma sought to teach what they knew, only to have the Spirit "stop their utterance" (2 Nephi 32:7). It would seem to me that the pattern for this is found in Mormon's statement concerning the Savior's teachings to the Nephites: "And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people; but behold the plates of Nephi"—meaning here the large plates, the unabridged portion of the record—"do contain the more part of the things which he taught the people. And these things have I written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people."

It was not intended that our present Book of Mormon contain a record of all the Nephites knew and understood. The "lesser portion" is what is written, with the promise that "if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them" (3 Nephi 26:6-9).[3]

Mormon tells us he has records that give the entire history of the Nephites and all that happened, as well as “a shorter but true account was given by Nephi.”

Mormon wrote in his record that he had many sources.

And now there are many records kept of the proceedings of this people, by many of this people, which are particular and very large, concerning them.

But behold, a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, yea, the account of the Lamanites and of the Nephites, and their wars, and contentions, and dissensions, and their preaching, and their prophecies, and their shipping and their building of ships, and their building of temples, and of synagogues and their sanctuaries, and their righteousness, and their wickedness, and their murders, and their robbings, and their plundering, and all manner of abominations and whoredoms, cannot be contained in this work.

But behold, there are many books and many records of every kind, and they have been kept chiefly by the Nephites.

Helaman 3:13 - 15

And Alma spake many more words unto the people, which are not written in this book.

Alma 13:31

And upon the plates of Nephi I did make a full account of all the wickedness and abominations; but upon these plates I did forbear to make a full account of their wickedness and abominations, for behold, a continual scene of wickedness and abominations has been before mine eyes ever since I have been sufficient to behold the ways of man.

Mormon 2:18

John L. Sorenson discusses these documents.

Supplementary documents were used at certain points in creating Mormon's narrative. As noted previously, accounts prepared by earlier writers existed in the Nephite library under their own names, either as "books" that were part of the comprehensive larger plates of Nephi's record or as stand-alone documents. Mormon sometimes referred to these sources. He noted at one point his dependence upon "[Alma₂'s] own record" (Alma 5:2; chapter 7, heading; 35:16). He also phrased his account utilizing "the records of Helaman" and "of his sons" (Helaman, heading), and we also read of the "record of Nephi_[3]" (3 Nephi 5:10).

These references leave unclear whether the records referred to were on physically separate sets of plates or whether they were merely sections in the expanding plates of Nephi. (The second option appears likely in the case of 4 Nephi, where verse 19 says that Nephi kept this "last record" "upon the plates of Nephi.")[4]

“Therefore I have made my record of these things according to the record of Nephi, which was engraven on the plates which were called the plates of Nephi” (v. 10). Mormon explains:

And behold, in the end of this book ye shall see that this Gadianton did prove the overthrow, yea, almost the entire destruction of the people of Nephi.

Behold I do not mean the end of the book of Helaman, but I mean the end of the book of Nephi, from which I have taken all the account which I have written.

Helaman 2:13 - 14

AND now I, Mormon, make a record of the things which I have both seen and heard, and call it the Book of Mormon.

And about the time that Ammaron hid up the records unto the Lord, he came unto me, (I being about ten years of age, and I began to be learned somewhat after the manner of the learning of my people) and Ammaron said unto me: I perceive that thou art a sober child, and art quick to observe;

Therefore, when ye are about twenty and four years old I would that ye should remember the things that ye have observed concerning this people; and when ye are of that age go to the land Antum, unto a hill which shall be called Shim; and there have I deposited unto the Lord all the sacred engravings concerning this people.

And behold, ye shall take the plates of Nephi unto yourself, and the remainder shall ye leave in the place where they are; and ye shall engrave on the plates of Nephi all the things that ye have observed concerning this people.

Mormon 1:1 - 4

And now, the city of Jashon was near the land where Ammaron had deposited the records unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed. And behold I had gone according to the word of Ammaron, and taken the plates of Nephi, and did make a record according to the words of Ammaron.

Mormon 2:17 - 18

Our narrator then testifies, “ I do make the record on plates which I have made with mine own hands” (v. 11).

[1] Mormon does identify himself in the Words of Mormon, but that was written at the end of is abridgment. Since Mormon introduces himself in verse 12, we can infer he had not identified himself in the lost 116 pages.

[2] Mormon as Editor, Grant R. Hardy, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed October 27, 2012.

[3] By What (Whose) Standards Shall We Judge the Text? A Closer Look at Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon, Robert L. Millet, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed October 27, 2012.

[4] Mormon's Sources, John L. Sorenson, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed October 27, 2012.