The Book of Ether is an unusual book in the Book of Mormon.1
Nephi – Omni are the original record, taken from the small plates of Nephi.
From Mosiah – 4 Nephi, we read Mormon’s abridgement. The Words of Mormon and
the Book of Mormon are records written by Mormon. Mormon 8-9 and Moroni are
records written by Moroni.
Ether is different. We know about the original 24 plates,
called the Book of Ether (see Mosiah 8:5-18). The records were given to King
Mosiah to translate, which he did. Moroni then took Mosiah’s translation and
abridged the record. What we have in the book of Mormon is an abridgement of a
translation of the original record. It
is not known if Moroni had access to the original record.
Here is a chart that shows sources behind the book of Ether.
Sources Behind the Book of Ether[1]
Speaking of the record, he informs us the first part of the
record was much like our biblical record of the creation to the building of the
tower of Babel, “is had among the Jews” (Ether 1:3). This fact is referred to
later in the record. “Now the daughter of Jared was exceedingly fair. And it
came to pass that she did talk with her father, and said unto him: Whereby hath
my father so much sorrow? Hath he not read the record which our fathers brought
across the great deep? Behold, is there not an account concerning them of old,
that they by their secret plans did obtain kingdoms and great glory” (Ether
8:9).
“And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower,
whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be
scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth?
“And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have
all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained
from them, which they have imagined to do.
“Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language,
that they may not understand one another’s speech.
“So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face
of all the earth: and they left off to build the [City and they hearkened not unto
the Lord, JST Genesis 11:6].
“Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord
did there confound [HEB balal, “mix,” “confound” (a world play on Babel)] the
language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad
upon the face of all the earth” (Genesis 11:4. 6-9).
Earlier in the Book of Mormon record (from the small
plates), we read about the finding of Corinatumr.
“And it came to pass in the days of Mosiah1,
there was a large stone brought unto him with engravings on it; and he did
interpret the engravings by the gift and power of God.
“And they gave an account of one Coriantumr, and the slain
of his people. And Coriantumr was discovered by the people of Zarahemla; and he
dwelt with them for the space of nine moons.
“It also spake a few words concerning his fathers. And his
first parents came out from the tower, at the time the Lord confounded the
language of the people; and the severity of the Lord fell upon them according
to his judgments, which are just; and their bones lay scattered in the land
northward” (Omni 1:20-22).
Since we already have the record from Adam to the tower of
Babel, Moroni elects to leave this out of his record. But, whomever gets the record of Ether will
have that part of the record available to them. His record will tell us about
the event following the tower of Babel to the destruction of the Jaredites.
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