Chapter 7
Ammon finds the land
of Lehi-Nephi where Limhi is king—Limhi's people are in bondage to the
Lamanites—Limhi recounts their history—A prophet (Abinadi) had testified that
Christ is the God and Father of all things—Those who sow filthiness reap the
whirlwind, and those who put their trust in the Lord shall be delivered. About
121 B.C.
1 AND now, it came to
pass that after king Mosiah had had continual peace for the space of three
years, he was desirous to know concerning the people who went up to dwell in
the land of Lehi-Nephi, or in the city of Lehi-Nephi; for his people had heard
nothing from them from the time they left the land of Zarahemla; therefore,
they wearied him with their teasings.
2 And it came to pass
that *king Mosiah granted that sixteen of their strong men might go
up to the land of Lehi-Nephi, to inquire concerning their brethren.
3 And it came to pass
that on the morrow they started to go up, having with them one Ammon, he being
a strong and mighty man, and a descendant of Zarahemla; and he was also their
leader.
4 And now, they knew
not the course they should travel in the wilderness to go up to the land of
Lehi-Nephi; therefore they wandered many days in the wilderness, even forty
days did they wander.
5 And when they had
wandered forty days they came to a hill, which is north of the land of Shilom,
and there they pitched their tents.
6 And Ammon took three
of his brethren, and their names were Amaleki, Helem, and Hem, and they went
down into the land of Nephi.
7 And behold, they met
the king of the people who were in the land of Nephi, and in the land of
Shilom; and they were surrounded by the king's guard, and were taken, and were
bound, and were committed to prison.
8 And it came to pass
when they had been in prison two days they were again brought before the king,
and their bands were loosed; and they stood before the king, and were
permitted, or rather commanded, that they should answer the questions which he
should ask them.
9 And he said unto
them: Behold, I am Limhi, the son of Noah, who was the son of Zeniff, who came
up out of the land of Zarahemla to inherit this land, which was the land of
their fathers, who was made a king by the voice of the people.
10 And now, I desire
to know the cause whereby ye were so bold as to come near the walls of the
city, when I, myself, was with my guards without the gate?
11 And now, for this
cause have I suffered that ye should be preserved, that I might inquire of you,
or else I should have caused that my guards should have put you to death. Ye are permitted to speak.
Mosiah 7:1-11
From this point in the book of Mosiah, there is no mention of the reign of Mosiah and the events in Zarahemla. Grant Hardy has suggested this was a time of relative peace and prosperity. The history of the people of Limhi has more conflict and spiritual teachings. Hardy suggests this is more in line with Mormon’s purpose in his abridgement of the record. This part of the record shows how the Lord deals with His people. When they are righteous, the Lord watches over and protects them. When they are wicked, He withdraws His protection and they suffer the consequences of their sin.
We need to go back into Nephite history, nearly a
century. We turn to the words of
Amaleki.
27
And now I would speak somewhat concerning a certain number who went up into the
wilderness to return to the land of Nephi; for there was a large number who
were desirous to possess the land of their inheritance.
28
Wherefore, they went up into the wilderness.
And their leader being a strong and mighty man, and a stiffnecked man,
wherefore he caused a contention among them; and they were all slain, save
fifty, in the wilderness, and they returned again to the land of Zarahemla.
29
And it came to pass that they also took others to a considerable number, and
took their journey again into the wilderness.
30
And I, Amaleki, had a brother, who also went with them; and I have not since
known concerning them.
Omni 1:27-30
At some point after Mosiah2 became king. He wanted
to know about these people who returned to the land of Nephi. Nothing had been heard from them since their second
attempt to settle the land. To find out,
he sent a team of sixteen men to find the people.
The leader of the group was Ammon1. He was described as a “strong and might man.” We
also learn he was of Mulekite heritage, being a descendent of Zarahemla.
When they left Zarahemla, they had no idea which way to go,
so they wandered around for forty days.
(This was the longest recorded journey in the Book of Mormon.[1]) They came to a hill to the north of the land
of Shilom and pitched their tents.
What they didn’t know was this was part of the land given to
Zeniff by the Lamanite king.
6
And I went in unto the king, and he covenanted with me that I might possess the
land of Lehi-Nephi, and the land of Shilom.
8
And we began to build buildings, and to repair the walls of the city, yea, even
the walls of the city of Lehi-Nephi, and the city of Shilom.
14
For, in the *thirteenth year of my reign in the land of Nephi, away
on the south of the land of Shilom, when my people were watering and feeding
their flocks, and tilling their lands, a numerous host of Lamanites came upon
them and began to slay them, and to take off their flocks, and the corn of
their fields.
Mosiah 9:6, 8, 14
Noah would also build extensively in the land of Shilom.
Ammon took three of his brethren to go into the land of
Nephi and continue their search. One of
the three was named Hem, and Egyptian name.
The chief governor of Egypt was
"the high priest of Amon" (or Ammon), his title being in Egyptian neter
hem tep—"chief servant (Hem) of the God."58 Hem is an element in Egyptian
proper names and means the same as the extremely common 'Abdi element
in western Asiatic names of the time (cf. the modern Arabic Abdullah,
"servant of God"). It is most interesting that the brother of the
earlier Ammon in the Book of Mormon actually bears the name of Hem (Mosiah
7:6).[2]
While looking for the settlement, they found the king. His guards surrounded them, bound them, and
took them to Shilom and placed them in prison.
22
And it came to pass that there was no more disturbance between the Lamanites
and the people of Limhi, *even until the time that Ammon and his
brethren came into the land.
23
And the king having been without the gates of the city with his guard, discovered
Ammon and his brethren; and supposing them to be priests of Noah therefore he
caused that they should be taken, and bound, and cast into prison. And had they been the priests of Noah he
would have caused that they should be put to death.
24
But when he found that they were not, but that they were his brethren, and had
come from the land of Zarahemla, he was filled with exceedingly great joy.
Mosiah 21:22-24
After spending two days in prison, they were taken before
the king. They were ordered to answer
the questions he asked them. He introduced himself as Limhi. He was the son of Noah who was the son of
Zeniff, the leader of the group that returned to the land of Nephi. He was made king by the voice of the people
(see Mosiah 19:26). What he wanted to
know was who were they and why were they there?
The only reason they weren’t executed was he wanted to find out who they
were.
[1] Archaeology,
Relics, and Book of Mormon Belief, John E. Clark, Maxwell Institute,
accessed August 20, 2014.
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