Chapter 3
The Amlicites had
marked themselves according to the prophetic word—The Lamanites had been cursed
for their rebellion—Men bring their own curses upon themselves—The Nephites
defeat another Lamanite army. About 87–86 B.C.
1 And it came to pass that
the Nephites who were not slain by the weapons of war, after having buried
those who had been slain—now the number of the slain were not numbered, because
of the greatness of their number—after they had finished burying their dead
they all returned to their lands, and to their houses, and their wives, and
their children.
2 Now many women and
children had been slain with the sword, and also many of their flocks and their
herds; and also many of their fields of grain were destroyed, for they were
trodden down by the hosts of men.
3 And now as many of
the Lamanites and the Amlicites who had been slain upon the bank of the river
Sidon were cast into the waters of Sidon; and behold their bones are in the
depths of the sea, and they are many.
4 And the Amlicites
were distinguished from the Nephites, for they had marked themselves with red
in their foreheads after the manner of the Lamanites; nevertheless they had not
shorn their heads like unto the Lamanites.
5 Now the heads of the
Lamanites were shorn; and they were naked, save it were skin which was girded
about their loins, and also their armor, which was girded about them, and their
bows, and their arrows, and their stones, and their slings, and so forth.
6 And the skins of the
Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers,
which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion
against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who
were just and holy men.
7 And their brethren
sought to destroy them, therefore they were cursed; and the Lord God set a mark
upon them, yea, upon Laman and Lemuel, and also the sons of Ishmael, and
Ishmaelitish women.
8 And this was done
that their seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren, that
thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and
believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction.
9 And it came to pass
that whosoever did mingle his seed with that of the Lamanites did bring the same
curse upon his seed.
10 Therefore,
whosoever suffered himself to be led away by the Lamanites was called under
that head, and there was a mark set upon him.
11 And it came to pass
that whosoever would not believe in the tradition of the Lamanites, but believed
those records which were brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and also in the
tradition of their fathers, which were correct, who believed in the
commandments of God and kept them, were called the Nephites, or the people of
Nephi, from that time forth—
12 And it is they who
have kept the records which are true of their people, and also of the people of
the Lamanites.
The war is over, The dead have been buried. There were so
many who died during the war, they “were not numbered.” The people returned to
their homes and lives. In addition to the deaths, flocks, herds, and field were
destroyed during the battles.
“The record of Alma’s ministry (Alma 1:1–45:19) begins and
ends in the same place, embroiled in problems resulting from the apostasy of
Nehor and the Amlicites. Both his earliest battle and his final battle 18 years
later end with the same story: the dead bodies of the enemy soldiers being
thrown into the River Sidon, which carried them to “the depths of the sea”
(Alma 3:3; 44:22). Thus Alma’s record carefully shows how dissension, which was
dealt with by preaching the word, can lead to apostasy and then to treason,
which was dealt with by legal action and war.”[1]
The Amlicites decided to distinguish themselves from the
Nephites. They marked their foreheads with red like the Lamanites. They stopped
there, not shaving their heads.
“Alma 3 contains the Book of Mormon’s most thorough
explanation of the Lamanites’ mark, curse, and skins. It begins by describing
the aftermath of a horrific (but successful) battle between the Nephites and a
combined army of Lamanites and Amlicites. The text goes on to describe how the
Amlicites (Nephite insurrectionists) distinguish themselves from the Nephites,
their former kinsfolk: ‘the Amlicites were distinguished from the Nephites, for
they had marked themselves with red in their foreheads after the manner of the
Lamanites’ (Alma 3:4). Apparently, just as the Lamanites mark themselves, so do
their new Amlicite allies mark themselves. The next verse describes other ways
the Lamanites mark themselves—including, crucially, a description of their
distinctive girdle-skins (see Alma 3:5).”[2]
“[W]hen a group of Nephites severs their connection to the
Nephite tradition by marking their foreheads (Alma 3:4), this reminds the
narrator (Mormon) of how the Lamanites were first marked off from the Nephites
(Alma 3:6-9). For Mormon, this marking is not a matter of race or descent but
of adherence to different traditions (Alma 3:11).”[3]
Mormon breaks into the record to explain what is meant by
Nephite and Lamanite in his record.
“Nephite. While
the term Nephite, as it appears in
the Book of Mormon, can refer to actual descendants of Nephi, the son of Lehi (Mormon
1:5; 8:13), it is more commonly used in a political and ideological sense to
mean anybody under the rule of Nephi or his descendants. It can also include
those of at least partial Israelite origin, like the Mulekites, who united with
the Nephites (Mosiah 25:1– 4); those originally of some other name who took
upon themselves the name of Nephi and were called Nephites (Mosiah 25:12);
those friendly to Nephi or the Nephites (Jacob 1:14); those numbered with the
Nephites (Alma 3:17); those who kept the commandments of God and believed in
the records and tradition of the Nephites (Alma 3:11); and those who accepted
and sought to follow the teachings of Christ (4 Nephi 1:36). Throughout the
Nephites’ thousand-year history as a people, many of their literal descendants
defected to, intermarried with, or were numbered among the Lamanites. Modern
revelation indicates that among Native American peoples today are some, yet to
be revealed, who are descendants of the Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, and
Zoramites and that one day they will receive a knowledge of the gospel (D&C
3:16–17).
“Lamanite. Like
the term Nephite, the term Lamanite has a number of different
meanings in scripture. It can refer to the following:
- · “Actual descendants of Laman, Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael who followed Laman’s leadership after the death of Lehi (2 Nephi 5:1–6). Modern revelation indicates that among Lamanites today are some, yet to be revealed, who are descendants of Laman, Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael and that they will one day receive a knowledge of the gospel (D&C 3:18).
- · “Those who did not believe in the warnings and revelations of God through Nephi (2 Nephi 5:6).
- · “Those not friendly to Nephi or the Nephites (2 Nephi 5:14; Jacob 1:13–14).
- · “Those who rejected and did not believe in the records and traditions of the Nephites (Alma 3:11).
- · “Those who intermarried with the Lamanites (Alma 3:9, 15).
- · “Those who fought against the Nephites (Alma 3:16).
- · “Any who dissented from the Nephites (Alma 3:17).
- · “Any led away by the Lamanites (Alma 3:10).
- · “Those who rejected the teachings of Christ, together with their children and ideological sympathizers (4 Nephi 1:38).
- · “After the destruction of the Nephites as a cohesive group, the seed of anyone who at any time had once been numbered with the ‘people of Nephi’ (Alma 45:13; cf. 45:14).”[4]
[1] Alma’s
Enemies: The Case of the Lamanites, Amlicites, and Mysterious
Amalekites, J. Christopher Conkling, Journal
of Book of Mormon Studies 14/1 (2005): 113.
[2] Skins
as Garments in the Book of Mormon: A Textual Exegesis, Ethan Sproat,
Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 24
(2015): 27.
[3] Positivism
and the Priority of Ideology in Mosiah-First Theories of Book of Mormon
Production, Alan Goff, FARMS
Review 16/1 (2004): 32.
[4] Swimming
in the Gene Pool: Israelite Kinship Relations, Genes, and Genealogy,
Matthew Roper, FARMS Review 15/2
(2003): 152-153.
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