Mormon 4:6-23

War continued. The Lamanites prepared to attach the city Teancum.

The Nephites defeated the Lamanites and they withdrew. Having won, they boasted about their greatness and strength. They attacked the city Desolation and defeated the Lamanites there. A great price was paid by both sides. Each side lost thousands of men.

Two years have passed. The Lamanites attacked the Nephites. Mormon tells us the Nephites refused to repent, explaining they “persisted in their wickedness continually” (Mormon 4:10).

11 And it is impossible for the tongue to describe, or for man to write a perfect description of the horrible scene of the blood and carnage which was among the people, both of the Nephites and of the Lamanites; and every heart was hardened, so that they delighted in the shedding of blood continually.

In an Epistle to Moroni, Mormon described the Nephites. “For so exceedingly do they anger that it seemeth me that they have no fear of death; and they have lost their love, one towards another; and they thirst after blood and revenge continually…

“And if they perish it will be like unto the Jaredites, because of the wilfulness of their hearts, seeking for blood and revenge” (Moroni 9:5, 23).

The Nephites and Lamanites were so brutal in their wars, Mormon wrote “it is impossible for the tongue to describe, or for man to write a perfect description of the horrible scene of the blood and carnage which was among the people, both of the Nephites and of the Lamanites” (Mormon 4:11). Both sides “delighted” in the continuous shedding of blood.

“[T]he Nephites of Mormon’s day did not fight the Lamanites for a righteous cause. When they lost battles, they sorrowed, cursed God, and died in rebellion against him (see Mormon 2:11-15). When they won, they boasted in their own strength and swore revenge and destruction on the Lamanites (see Mormon 3:9-16; 4:8, 15). Unlike their ancestors, they delighted in the shedding of blood (see Mormon 4:10-11). Mormon urged them to stand and fight for their families and homes (see Mormon 2:23­24), but, because they remained unrepentant, at one point he resigned in despair as their chief captain (see Mormon 3:9-16).”[1]

Both sides were so depraved, Mormon explains there had never been such a wicked people among the Nephites and the house of Israel. That is saying something as there were times of great wickedness among the Nephites and house of Israel.

The Lamanites successful took possession of the city Desolation. The Nephites lost because they were outnumbered by the Lamanites.

The Lamanites attacked city Teancum and took the city. Some inhabitants escaped, but many were taken prisoners. The Lamanites had become so corrupted and vile, they took the women and children who their prisoners and offered them as a human sacrifice to their idols and gods. They had become so vile a people, they fell to the level of the house of Israel during Jeremiah’s days. Remember, it was at this time the Lord led Lehi’s party to the new world.

“Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged [OR alienated] this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;

“They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind” (Jeremiah 19:4-5).

“Idolatry was considered a serious threat to Nephite faith throughout Book of Mormon history. Jacob warns against it (2 Nephi 9:37), Enos mentions it in passing (Enos 1:20), and it continued to be a threat to the spirituality of the Church during the time of the judges (Alma 1:32; 31:1; 50:21; Helaman 6:31) and even after the time of Christ (Mormon 4:14, 21).”[2]

This so angered the Nephites, they attacked the Lamanites with such force that the Lamanites were driven out of the land. Eight years of peace followed.

The Lamanites attacked once again. The Nephites were overpowered by the huge Lamanite army.

“[I]n 375 A.D. came the turning point. The Nephites lost their strong places and were never again able to make a successful rally and defense, “but began to be swept off by them [the Lamanites] even as a dew before the sun” (Mormon 4:18).”[3]

The Lamanites attacked the city Desolation, routing the Nephite army. ‘They fled to the city of Boaz only to be driven out of it ‘and slaughtered with an exceedingly great slaughter” (Mormon 4:21). So they took to headlong flight, ‘taking all the inhabitants with them, both in towns and villages’ (Mormon 4:22).”

23 And now I, Mormon, seeing that the Lamanites were about to overthrow the land, therefore I did go to the hill Shim, and did take up all the records which Ammaron had hid up unto the Lord.

“In the 345th year after the birth of the Savior, Mormon removed at least some of the plates of Nephi from the hill Shim (Mormon 2:16–17). He doesn’t tell us the extent of the plates he removed at this time, but it is improbable that they were the full set of the ‘plates of Nephi,’ although he explicitly tells us that these were the very plates on which other record keepers had written (v. 18)…

“We next see the full collection of plates in the 367th year,1 when Mormon was forty-six. At that time he again retrieves plates from the hill Shim because the land is being overrun by the Lamanites (Mormon 4:23). A plausible scenario, then, has Mormon writing as a chronicler or regular record keeper for twenty-two years on the large plates of Nephi. He could not compose his own book without access to the complete records from Shim—and he apparently did not acquire them until the 367th year.”[4]

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[1] Book of Mormon Tribal Affiliation and Military Castes, John A. Tvedtnes, Maxwell Institute website.

[2] A More Perfect Priority?, Matthew Roper, Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 6/1 (1994): 370.

[3] An Approach to the Book of Mormon – Strategy for Survival, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute website.

[4] Mormon's Editorial Method and Meta-Message, Brant A. Gardner, Maxwell Institute website.

Mormon 4:1-5

Chapter 4

War and carnage continue—The wicked punish the wicked—Greater wickedness prevails than ever before in all Israel—Women and children are sacrificed to idols—The Lamanites begin to sweep the Nephites before them. About A.D. 363–375.

War continues. The Nephite army met the Lamanite army around the land Desolation. The warning against this future war was prophesied by Lehi at the beginning of Nephite history. “Yea, as one generation passeth to another there shall be bloodsheds, and great visitations among them; wherefore, my sons, I would that ye would remember; yea, I would that ye would hearken unto my words” (2 Nephi 1:12).

The Lamanites forced the Nephites to retreat back into the land Desolation. Fresh troops came and supported the Lamanite army; the Nephites received no new support. The Lamanites successful took possession of the city Desolation. Just two years earlier, the Nephites had defeated the Lamanites here. “And it came to pass that in the three hundred and sixty and first year the Lamanites did come down to the city of Desolation to battle against us; and it came to pass that in that year we did beat them, insomuch that they did return to their own lands again” (Mormon 3:7).

Many Nephites died or were taken prisoners.

“Two years later the Nephites foolishly took the offensive and as a result lost both the land and the city of Desolation, ‘and the remainder did flee and join the inhabitants of the city Teancum’ (Mormon 4:3). This makes it clear that we are still reading only of Mormon’s band of Nephites, and not a history of the whole nation, for the people of Teancum, which was ‘in the borders by the seashore . . . near the city of Desolation’ (Mormon 4:3), had up to then taken no part in the fighting. It must always be borne in mind that by this time the Nephite people had become broken up into ‘tribes,’ each living by itself and following its own tribal laws (3 Nephi 7:2-4). So what Mormon gives us is only a sampling of the sort of thing that was going on.”[1]

Once again, we see when the Nephites fight an offensive war, they lose. Only when the Nephites fought after a Lamanite attack were they able to obtain victory.

“Another of [the late Major A. Brent] Merrill’s insights on military practice based on economic and strategic considerations is the conclusion that the Nephites were prudent to maintain a grand strategy of defensive warfare: ‘Fortifications, which needed relatively few men to man, became force multipliers, by means of which the Nephites could extend a combat front, and served as a base of maneuver for mobile field forces. This was an effective use of one principle of war, the economy of forces’ (pp. 276-77). He does go on to conclude that when this principle was violated, the Nephites usually suffered defeat, referring the reader to Mormon 4:4.”

The Nephites faced God’s judgments. God will overtake the wicked. “The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet” (Nahum 1:3).

Only the wicked will punish the wicked. It is they who stir up men to bloodshed. “But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption” (2 Peter 2:12).

“I have sworn in my wrath, and decreed wars upon the face of the earth, and the wicked shall slay the wicked, and fear shall come upon every man” (D&C 63:33).

“It’s always the wicked against the wicked in the Book of Mormon, never the righteous against the wicked. In the duel between Amlici and Alma (see Alma 2:29-31), wasn’t that a good guy against a bad guy? No, when the war was over they mourned terribly because they were convinced that the war had been because of their wickedness. They had brought it on themselves. They weren’t fighting bad guys as good guys after all. In the same way, Mormon counsels, Don’t worry about the wicked; surely the ‘Judgments of God will overtake the wicked; and it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished’ (Mormon 4:5).[2]

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[1] An Approach to the Book of Mormon, Strategy for Survival, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute website.

[2] Warfare and the Book of Mormon, Hugh Nibley, Reprinted by permission from Stephen D. Ricks and William J. Hamblin, eds., Warfare in the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1990), 127-45, Maxwell Institute website.

Mormon 3:17-22

Since the Nephites were demanding vengeance, Mormon refused to lead the Nephites army any longer. Instead, he stood as a witness to the things he heard and saw as well as “according to the manifestations of the Spirit which had testified of things to come” (Mormon 3:16).

Mormon addresses the Gentiles. He is writing to them as well as the house of Israel. When the Book of Mormon comes forth, they will “prepare to return to the land of [their] inheritance” (Mormon 3:17).

“And now, I would prophesy somewhat more concerning the Jews and the Gentiles. For after the book of which I have spoken shall come forth, and be written unto the Gentiles, and sealed up again unto the Lord, there shall be many which shall believe the words which are written; and they shall carry them forth unto the remnant of our seed.

“And then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how that we came out from Jerusalem, and that they are descendants of the Jews” (2 Nephi 30:3-4).

Mormon is writing to all the Earth as well as the twelve tribes. They will be judged by the twelve chosen by Jesus. “And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, and it hath gone forth in a firm decree, by the will of the Father, that mine apostles, the Twelve which were with me in my ministry at Jerusalem, shall stand at my right hand at the day of my coming in a pillar of fire, being clothed with robes of righteousness, with crowns upon their heads, in glory even as I am, to judge the whole house of Israel, even as many as have loved me and kept my commandments, and none else” (D&C 29:12).

“And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;

“That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:29-30).

He is also writing to the remnant of the Nephites and Lamanites. They will be judged by the Nephite twelve. “And know ye that ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am” (3 Nephi 27:27).

“Mormon ‘did utterly refuse from this time forth to be . . . a leader of this people’ (Mormon 3:9—11), pointing out that God had expressly forbidden that sort of thing, and that if there was any avenging to be done God and God alone would do it: ‘But, behold, the judgments of God will overtake the wicked; and it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished’ (Mormon 4:5). From being a maker of history, Mormon became its recorder—for our benefit. For he immediately appends to the above remark: ‘I write unto you, Gentiles, and also unto you, house of Israel, . . . and I write also unto the remnant of this people’ (Mormon 3:17—19).”[1]

The Spirit has made it apparent to him we all will have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. All of the family of Adam will be judged by our works, good or evil.

Mormon desires the remnant of his people to accept the gospel of Christ. “And that the Lamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the promises of the Lord, and that they may believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be glorified through faith in his name, and that through their repentance they might be saved” (D&C 3:20).

He is also writing for the Jews. They will have additional witnesses of Christ, “whom they slew” (Mormon 3:21). “And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God” (2 Nephi 26:12).

“Wherefore, he shall bring forth his words unto them, which words shall judge them at the last day, for they shall be given them for the purpose of convincing them of the true Messiah, who was rejected by them; and unto the convincing of them that they need not look forward any more for a Messiah to come, for there should not any come, save it should be a false Messiah which should deceive the people; for there is save one Messiah spoken of by the prophets, and that Messiah is he who should be rejected of the Jews” (2 Nephi 25:18).

Mormon desired to persuade all to repent and prepare to stand before Christ in judgment. He echoes Alma₂’s words. “O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people” (Alma 29:1).

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[1] Chapter 12: Good People and Bad People, Since Cumorah, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute website.

Mormon 3:8-16

The peace with the Lamanites lasted about a year.

The Lamanites attacked, but the Nephites defeated them. There were so many dead, the bodies with thrown into the seas.

Having defeated the Lamanites, the Nephites boasted of their strength and power. They vowed they would avenge those who had died in previous battles.

There is a price to be paid when we placed our confidence in ourselves and ignore the part the Lord plays. David wrote, “A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident” (Psalms 14:16). Nephi wrote, “I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm” (2 Nephi 4:34).

This concept of the Lord’s strength as a source for humans is important throughout the Book of Mormon and is not limited to “the hand.” For example, those who have forgotten God “boast in their own strength” (see Mosiah 11:19; Mormon 3:9; 4:8), and this inevitably leads to their destruction.[1]

Because of the Nephites demand for revenge, as well as their boasting and wickedness, Mormon refused to command the armies.

“Revenge is the whole thing … What nobler motive can they have than to ‘avenge themselves of the blood of their brethren.’ With that, Mormon lays down his arms. He resigns as their commander and says he will have nothing more to do with them. He utterly refuses to avenge his enemy, for the one thing the Lord had absolutely forbidden them to do was to seek vengeance and build up hatred.”[2]

Despite their wickedness, Mormon still served as their leader. He prayed with all his heart and soul for the Nephites. It did no good because their hearts were hardened. He had delivered them from their enemies, but they did not repent.

They were no longer fighting for freedom, but for vengeance. The Lord spoke to Mormon, telling him, “Vengeance is mine, and I will repay; and because this people repented not after I had delivered them, behold, they shall be cut off from the face of the earth” (Mormon 3:15).

For a time, Mormon held his silence. Then the Lord commanded him to preach again (Mormon 3:2—3). Much as with Isaiah, Mormon’s ministry was not to bless but to bring judgment—the final end of hubris.[3] Thus, it was during this period that the Nephites committed that final devilish act that led to their utter downfall, for “they had sworn by all that had been forbidden them” and sought the blood of their brethren (Mormon 3:14).”[4]

He refused to attack the Lamanites if the reason was for vengeance. The Lord command him and he became an idle witness. He would tell others his story according to the prompting of the Spirit.

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[1] The Image of the Hand of God in the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament, David Rolph Seely, Maxwell Institute website.

[2] Warfare and the Book of Mormon, Hugh Nibley, Reprinted by permission from Stephen D. Ricks and William J. Hamblin, eds., Warfare in the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1990), 127—45, Maxwell Institute website.

[3] Excessive pride or self-confidence.

[4] Hubris and Atē: A Latter-day Warning from the Book of Mormon, Richard D. Draper, Maxwell Institute website.

Mormon 3:1-7

Chapter 3

Mormon cries repentance unto the Nephites—They gain a great victory and glory in their own strength—Mormon refuses to lead them, and his prayers for them are without faith—The Book of Mormon invites the twelve tribes of Israel to believe the gospel. About A.D. 360–362.

The Nephites experienced ten years of peach. He had his people prepare their lands and their arms for when the next battle occurred.

During the ten years, Mormon was commanded to call the people to repent, be baptized, and rebuild the church. This is the only way they will be spared from calamities to come. “And now behold, saith the Lord, concerning the people of the Nephites: If they will not repent, and observe to do my will, I will utterly destroy them, saith the Lord, because of their unbelief notwithstanding the many mighty works which I have done among them; and as surely as the Lord liveth shall these things be, saith the Lord” (Helaman 15:17).

“For a time Mormon attempted to preach to the people, but he was eventually forbidden, ‘for behold they had willfully rebelled against their God’ (Mormon 1:16). Though they were past feeling, Mormon was not. He could see that even in their occasional victory ‘we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us’ (Mormon 2:26). The effects of atē[1] were being felt. For a time Mormon held his silence. Then the Lord commanded him to preach again (Mormon 3:2—3).”[2]

Mormon failed to changes the hearts of the Nephites. Here we see the Lord will do all He can to gives us a chance to repent and live His commandments. Even at the height of their wickedness, the Lord delayed the prophesied destruction, giving them one last chance to repent. “And from this time forth did the Nephites gain no power over the Lamanites, but began to be swept off by them even as a dew before the sun” (Mormon 4:18).

After the ten years of peace had passed, the Lamanite king sent Mormon an epistle telling him they were preparing for war.

Hearing this, Mormon moved his people to the land Desolation, to a city by the borders. In that area, the was a narrow pass leading to the southern lands.

“And it came to pass that they did not head them until they had come to the borders of the land Desolation; and there they did head them, by the narrow pass which led by the sea into the land northward, yea, by the sea, on the west and on the east” (Alma 50:34).

A possible geography of Book of Mormon lands[3]

Arriving, Mormon placed his armies in strategic places, preventing the Lamanites from taking Nephite land. “During the ten years that followed, the Nephites made great preparations for defense, at the end of which, on receipt of a letter from the king of the Lamanites formally declaring war, Mormon ordered the people ‘to gather themselves together’ again, this time at their southernmost city ‘at the land Desolation . . . by the narrow pass which led into the land southward,’ where they ‘did fortify against them with all our force’ (Mormon 3:5—6), hoping to stop them at the pass.”[4]

“[The northern wilderness] was apparently heavily populated during the days of General Mormon, as evident in the Lamanites’ attacks against the Nephite stronghold at Desolation (Mormon 3:7; 4:2, 13, 19).”[5]

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[1] A spiritual blindness that impels the individual or society toward its doom.

[2] Hubris and Atē: A Latter-day Warning from the Book of Mormon, Richard D. Draper, Maxwell Institute website.

[3] Searching for Book of Mormon Lands in Middle America, John E. Clark, FARMS Review 16/2 (2004): 6.

[4] An Approach to the Book of Mormon, Strategy for Survival, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute website.

[5] Searching for Book of Mormon Lands in Middle America, John E. Clark, FARMS Review 16/2 (2004): 39.

Mormon 2:17-29

The Nephites had arrived at the city of Jashon. This was the land where Ammaron had hidden the plates. Mormon tells us he had gone and obtained the plates of Nephi.

He explains he has made a full account of the wickedness and abominations of the Nephites; however, he did not include this information on his abridged plates. “In his turn, Mormon keeps a ‘full account’ of his own period. In addition, he is eventually directed by God to abridge all the previous contributions to the large plates. Having done so, he instructs his son Moroni to complete the Nephite record, abridge the Jaredite record, and ‘seal up’ the collection of plates in view of their ‘coming forth’ in the last days.”[1]

Mormon’s heart is filled with sorrow because of the wickedness of the Nephites. But, he knows he “shall be lifted up at the last days” (Mormon 2:19). “Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people” (Mosiah 23:22).

The Nephites continued to fight, but they were on the offensive. They were forced out of Jashon and moved north into the land of Shem.

The people were gathered in Shem. The city was fortified for additional protection.

Mormon continued to prepare the army for the battle.  He urged them to fight for their wives, children, house, and homes. “Notice that the whole operation is strictly defensive—the whole problem is one of survival, and every move is made with great reluctance. In the city and land of Shem, Mormon made a passionate appeal to his people to ‘fight for their . . . houses, and their homes’ (Mormon 2:23) …”[2]

When the Lamanites attacked, the Nephite army held strong. The Lamanite army consisted of 50,000 men. The Nephite army was only 30,000 strong. Nevertheless, they were able to withstand the attack when the Lamanites fled.

The Nephite army pursued them and defeated the Lamanites. “Though they were past feeling, Mormon was not. He could see that even in their occasional victory ‘we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us’ (Mormon 2:26).”[3]

Mormon sorrowed in the Nephite wickedness. Even so, he continued to lead the army. They were able to defeat the Gadianton robbers and Lamanites and retake the lands of their inheritance.

Eventually, the Nephites were forced to make a treaty with the Lamanites and the Gadianton robbers. The end result was the lands of their inheritance were divided three ways.

The Lamanites gave the Nephites the land northward to a narrow passage which led to the land southward. The Lamanites were given that land.

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[1] Memory and Identity in the Book of Mormon, Steven L. Olsen, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 22/2 (2013): 49.

[2] An Approach to the Book of Mormon, Strategy for Survival, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute website.

[3] Hubris and Atē: A Latter-day Warning from the Book of Mormon, Richard D. Draper, Maxwell Institute website.

Mormon 2:10-16

The time came when the Nephites began to repent. They filled the prophecies of Samuel the prophet. Possessions were lost and never found.

Samuel had prophesied the day would come where “if a man hide up a treasure in the earth, and the Lord shall say—Let it be accursed, because of the iniquity of him who hath hid it up—behold, it shall be accursed” (Helaman 12:18).

“And it shall come to pass, saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, our great and true God, that whoso shall hide up treasures in the earth shall find them again no more, because of the great curse of the land …

“And the day shall come that they shall hide up their treasures, because they have set their hearts upon riches; and because they have set their hearts upon their riches, and will hide up their treasures when they shall flee before their enemies; because they will not hide them up unto me, cursed be they and also their treasures; and in that day shall they be smitten, saith the Lord” (Helaman 13:18, 20).

Mormon referred to these events earlier in his book. “And these Gadianton robbers, who were among the Lamanites, did infest the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof began to hide up their treasures in the earth; and they became slippery, because the Lord had cursed the land, that they could not hold them, nor retain them again” (Mormon 1:18).

The Jaredites also experienced the same events. “And now there began to be a great curse upon all the land because of the iniquity of the people, in which, if a man should lay his tool or his sword upon his shelf, or upon the place whither he would keep it, behold, upon the morrow, he could not find it, so great was the curse upon the land” (Ether 14:1).

Because of these events, the people were saddened because they lost their possessions.

Mormon was pleased to see the people’s response to these events. He assumed the Lord would show His mercies to the Nephites as they were becoming a righteous people.

Mormon soon realized their repentance was not sincere.  They did not desire God’s forgiveness.  They were saddened because they were not able to have happiness in their sin. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

“And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me” (Hosea 7:14).

“Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10).

“[T]heir sorrow sprang from not being able to reorder the universe to suit themselves. They felt the full depth of anguish, but it was because God and his justice proved supreme.”[1]

The refused to come to Jesus with a broken heart and contrite spirit. They cursed God and continued their wars.

Mormon realized “the day of grace was passed with them” (Mormon 2:15).  Samuel the Lamanite spoke of this day. “But behold, your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head” (Helaman 15:38).

“The Nephites had reached the point of no return, and Mormon simply wished they’d get wiped out. There is nothing more terrifying than that, nor more vivid or to the point.”[2]

Thousands died in open rebellion against God.

“There comes a time when the general defilement of a society becomes so great that the rising generation is put under undue pressure and cannot be said to have a fair choice between the way of light and the way of darkness. When such a point is reached the cup of iniquity is full, and the established order that has passed the point of no return and neither can nor will change its ways must be removed physically and forcibly if necessary from the earth, whether by war, plague, famine, or upheavals of nature (Mormon 2:13—15).”[3]

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[1] Hubris and Atē: A Latter-day Warning from the Book of Mormon, Richard D. Draper, Maxwell Institute website.

[2] Warfare and the Book of Mormon, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute website.

[3] An Approach to the Book of Mormon – The Flight into the Wilderness, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute website.

Mormon 2:1-9

Chapter 2

Mormon leads the Nephite armies—Blood and carnage sweep the land—The Nephites lament and mourn with the sorrowing of the damned—Their day of grace is passed—Mormon obtains the plates of Nephi—Wars continue. About A.D. 327–350.

War has broken out with the Lamanites. The young Mormon (sixteen years-old) was chosen to lead the Nephite army.

The Lamanite army outnumber the Nephite army. The army refused to fight and retreated to the north country. Mormon has referred to this part of the land earlier. “And thus [Moroni₁] cut off all the strongholds of the Lamanites in the east wilderness, yea, and also on the west, fortifying the line between the Nephites and the Lamanites, between the land of Zarahemla and the land of Nephi, from the west sea, running by the head of the river Sidon—the Nephites possessing all the land northward, yea, even all the land which was northward of the land Bountiful, according to their pleasure” (Alma 50:11).

The Nephites retook the city of Angola. They fortified the city, which was a common move by the Nephites defending a city. For example, “[governor Lachoneus] caused that fortifications should be built round about them, and the strength thereof should be exceedingly great. And he caused that armies, both of the Nephites and of the Lamanites, or of all them who were numbered among the Nephites, should be placed as guards round about to watch them, and to guard them from the robbers day and night” (3 Nephi 3:14).

However, the Lamanites drove the Nephites out of the land of David.

The next move by the Nephite army was into the land of Joshua. On the west, there was a body of water. “The information in the Book of Mormon is too inadequate for even guessing the distance of this western transect; the Nephites largely ignored this coast. The only other coastal city we know of is Joshua, occupied by General Mormon’s army in their doomed retreat from the land of Zarahemla to their final stand at the hill Cumorah (Mormon 2:6).”[1]

The army gathered the people so they could get into one place.

Despite the destruction, the Nephites experiences, the land was still filled with robbers and the Lamanites. This is similar to what they faced just after Christ’s birth. “And it came to pass in the thirteenth year there began to be wars and contentions throughout all the land; for the Gadianton robbers had become so numerous, and did slay so many of the people, and did lay waste so many cities, and did spread so much death and carnage throughout the land, that it became expedient that all the people, both the Nephites and the Lamanites, should take up arms against them” (3 Nephi 2:11).

Mormon referred to this earlier, in 4 Nephi. “And it came to pass that the robbers of Gadianton did spread over all the face of the land; and there were none that were righteous save it were the disciples of Jesus. And gold and silver did they lay up in store in abundance, and did traffic in all manner of traffic” (4 Nephi 1:46).

“[V]ery recent findings suggest a picture of warfare and sociopolitical disintegration at the very beginning of the period that the older archaeologists used to think of as peaceful. This also happens to be the time period when, according to Mormon’s record, the Nephites were driven out of their homeland and “one complete revolution” was going on ‘throughout all the face of the land’ (Mormon 2:8).”[2]

The king of the Lamanites, heading the army, was Aaron.  This name might have been a reminder of an earlier Aaron. “The Lamanite king of Mormon’s time was named Aaron (see Mormon 2:9). This may have been a family name originally adapted from Aaron, brother of Ammon, who had converted the Lamanite king (see Alma 22). If so, then the Lamanites of Mormon’s time can be tied to those of the time of Ammon.”[3]

The Lamanite army consisted of 44,000 troops. The Nephite army consisted of 42,000 troops. Population estimates around this time could very well have provided this many troops.[4]

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[1] Revisiting “A Key for Evaluating Book of Mormon Geographies.” John E. Clark, Mormon Studies Review 23/1 (2011): 27.

[2] Last-Ditch Warfare in Ancient Mesoamerica Recalls the Book of Mormon, John L. Sorenson, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 9/2 (2000): 50.

[3] Book of Mormon Tribal Affiliation and Military Castes, John A. Tvedtnes, Maxwell Institute.

[4] Nephi’s Descendants? Historical Demography and the Book of Mormon, James E. Smith, Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 6/1 (1994): 292.

Mormon 1:6-19

Mormon, again, told he was a descendant of Nephi.  Earlier, he wrote, “I am Mormon, and a pure descendant of Lehi. I have reason to bless my God and my Savior Jesus Christ, that he brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, (and no one knew it save it were himself and those whom he brought out of that land) and that he hath given me and my people so much knowledge unto the salvation of our souls” (3 Nephi 5:20).

He tells us he was named after his father.

When he was eleven years old, his father moved him to the land of Zarahemla. It was a major city, with a large population.

Around this time, a war broke out. On one side were the Nephites (Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, and Zoramites). On the other were the Lamanites (Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites). “That the tribal structure had never changed is evidenced by the fact that these groups are named in this same order in 4 Nephi 1:38 (referring to events dating two centuries prior to Mormon’s time) and Jacob 1:13-14 (dating to the sixth century B.C.).”[1]

The Nephite army consisted of over 30,000 men.  The Nephites defeated the Lamanites and the Lamanites withdrew.  The war ended and, for four years, there was peace in the land.

In spite of their victory, the Nephites had become a wicked people.  Because of their wickedness, the Lord removed the three disciples.  Works of miracles and healings ceased.

The Lord also withdrew His gifts from the people. They also no longer had the guidance of the Holy Ghost.

King Benjamin warned us about the consequences of losing the Holy Ghost.

“And now, I say unto you, my brethren, that after ye have known and have been taught all these things, if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom’s paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved—

“I say unto you, that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in open rebellion against God; therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit, and becometh an enemy to all righteousness; therefore, the Lord has no place in him, for he dwelleth not in unholy temples.

“Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.

“And now I say unto you, that mercy hath no claim on that man; therefore his final doom is to endure a never-ending torment” (Mosiah 2:36-39).

Mormon was now fifteen years old. Like Joseph Smith, Mormon’s age had no bearing on how the Lord dealt with him. He had been visited by the Lord and knew the goodness of Christ. “One can only wonder at the lasting influence the visit from Jesus Christ had upon Mormon’s leadership.”[2]

Mormon preached the gospel to his people, but because of their willful rebellion, he was commanded to cease preaching. “And there are none that do know the true God save it be the disciples of Jesus, who did tarry in the land until the wickedness of the people was so great that the Lord would not suffer them to remain with the people; and whether they be upon the face of the land no man knoweth” (Mormon 8:10).

Even so, Mormon remained among his people.

The land had been cursed because of their wickedness. “Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever” (2 Nephi 1:7).

“And he said: Thus saith the Lord God—Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully ripe; and as I have said so shall it be; for this is the cursing and the blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance” (Alma 45:16).

“And behold, if a man hide up a treasure in the earth, and the Lord shall say—Let it be accursed, because of the iniquity of him who hath hid it up—behold, it shall be accursed.

“And if the Lord shall say—Be thou accursed, that no man shall find thee from this time henceforth and forever—behold, no man getteth it henceforth and forever” (Helaman 12:18-19).

“And now there began to be a great curse upon all the land because of the iniquity of the people, in which, if a man should lay his tool or his sword upon his shelf, or upon the place whither he would keep it, behold, upon the morrow, he could not find it, so great was the curse upon the land” (Ether 14:1).

“In calling the Nephites to repentance, Samuel the Lamanite warned that ‘the time cometh that [the Lord] curseth your riches, that they become slippery, that ye cannot hold them; and in the days of your poverty ye cannot retain them’ (Helaman 13:31). In that day the Nephites would lament, ‘We have hid up our treasures and they have slipped away from us, because of the curse of the land. O that we had repented in the day that the word of the Lord came unto us; for behold the land is cursed, and all things are become slippery, and we cannot hold them’ (vv. 35-36).

“More than three centuries later, Mormon recorded that, in fulfillment of Samuel’s prophecy, the Gadianton robbers ‘did infest the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof began to hide up their treasures in the earth; and they became slippery, because the Lord had cursed the land, that they could not hold them, nor retain them again’ (Mormon 1:18).”[3]

The occult became a part of Nephite society.  There were witchcrafts, sorceries, and magic.  Satan’s power spread across the land. 

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[1] Book of Mormon Tribal Affiliation and Military Castes, John A. Tvedtnes, Maxwell Institute website.

[2] Mormon’s Spiritual Treasure, “Dazzling” or Otherwise, Paula W. Hicken, FARMS Review 19/2 (2007): 5.

[3] “Slippery Treasures” in the Book of Mormon: A Concept from the Ancient World, Insight 20/6, 2000.

Mormon 1:1-4

The Book of Mormon

Chapter 1

Ammaron instructs Mormon concerning the sacred records—War commences between the Nephites and the Lamanites—The Three Nephites are taken away—Wickedness, unbelief, sorceries, and witchcraft prevail. About A.D. 321–326.

We are approaching the end of the Nephite civilization. Mormon is making “a record of the things which I have both seen and heard” (Mormon 1:1). “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 also that a knowledge of these things must come unto the remnant of these people, and also unto the Gentiles, who the Lord hath said should scatter this people, and this people should be counted as naught among them—therefore I write a small abridgment, daring not to give a full account of the things which I have seen, because of the commandment which I have received, and also that ye might not have too great sorrow because of the wickedness of this people” (Mormon 5:9).

Mormon refers back to Ammaron hiding the plates. “And it came to pass that when three hundred and twenty years had passed away, Ammaron, being constrained by the Holy Ghost, did hide up the records which were sacred—yea, even all the sacred records which had been handed down from generation to generation, which were sacred—even until the three hundred and twentieth year from the coming of Christ” (4 Nephi 1:48).

He approached Mormon, who was ten years-old. He was impressed by Mormon. “Captain Mormon was evidently born during the end of this extended era of peace, ca. A.D. 310-11, somewhere in or near the land northward (see Mormon 1:6). He was a descendant of Nephi, and ‘in all likelihood he was the senior male in the senior branch of the [Nephite] line.’ When he was about ten years old, Mormon states he ‘began to be learned somewhat after the manner of the learning of [his] people’ (Mormon 1:2; italics added).”[1]

Merrill adds some background information. “This statement corresponds extremely well with what is known about later Aztec society. Among the Aztecs (who claimed to have inherited the mantle of earlier Toltec political preeminence), by the age of ten most boys began ‘to attend either their wards’ military schools, telpochcalli, or particularly if they belonged to the nobility [as was probably the case with Mormon], schools connected with the temples, calmecac, where they received a more religiously oriented education that explicitly trained them for the priesthood or to be leaders in their communities.’”[2]

Ammaron gave Mormon instructions. He told him where he had hidden the records and, when he was twenty-four, he was to obtain the records.

“For most of the history of the Nephites in the promised land, sacred records are kept and preserved by the supreme leaders, whether king, prophet, priest, or general. As the society begins to disintegrate, the preservation of records by leaders, regardless how righteous, becomes more problematic. Near the end, stewards of the records begin hiding and even compiling them in caves or in other secure natural repositories. Hence the hill Shim and hill Ramah play an important role among the Nephites and their counterparts among the Jaredites (Mormon 1:3; 4:23; Ether 9:3; 13:13–14; 15:11). Not being able to secure sacred records in the traditional way is a sign that society has so completely forgotten their covenants that they are ‘ripe for destruction,’ in accordance with the covenants’ curse.”[3]

Ammaron told him to record all things he had seen among the Nephites in his lifetime. Mormon would later write an explanation about his purposes.

“But behold there are records which do contain all the proceedings of this people; and a shorter but true account was given by Nephi.

“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.

“And behold, I do make the record on plates which I have made with mine own hands.

“And behold, I am called Mormon, being called after the land of Mormon, the land in which Alma did establish the church among the people, yea, the first church which was established among them after their transgression” (3 Nephi 5:9-12).

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[1] Nephite Captains and Armies, A. Brent Merrill, Maxwell Institute website.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Memory and Identity in the Book of Mormon, Steven L. Olsen, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 22/2 (2013): 50.