7 And it came to pass
that they came many times against us, the Nephites, to battle. But our kings and our leaders were mighty men
in the faith of the Lord; and they taught the people the ways of the Lord;
wherefore, we withstood the Lamanites and swept them away out of our lands, and
began to fortify our cities, or whatsoever place of our inheritance.
8 And we multiplied exceedingly, and spread
upon the face of the land, and became exceedingly rich in gold, and in silver,
and in precious things, and in fine workmanship of wood, in buildings, and in
machinery, and also in iron and copper, and brass and steel, making all manner
of tools of every kind to till the ground, and weapons of war – ‘yea, the sharp
pointed arrow, and the quiver, and the dart, and the javelin, and all
preparations for war.
9 And thus being
prepared to meet the Lamanites, they did not prosper against us. But the word of the Lord was verified, which
he spake unto our fathers, saying that: Inasmuch as ye will keep my commandments
ye shall prosper in the land.
Jarom 1:7-9
The Lamanites came many times to battle against the
Nephites. The Nephites were led by their
kings and leaders. These leaders “were
mighty men in the faith of the Lord.”
These leaders taught the people “the ways of the Lord.” As they were, at that time, a righteous
people, they were able to defeat the Nephites.
Lamanite attacks were not an uncommon occurrence. Writing about King Benjamin, Mormon would
tell us he led his people in battle. “And
in the strength of the Lord they did contend against their enemies, until they
had slain many thousands of the Lamanites.
And it came to pass that they did contend against the Lamanites until
they had driven them out of all the lands of their inheritance” (Words of
Mormon 1:14).
The Nephties began the process of fortifying their
cities. This effort would continue
throughout Nephite history.
“But in the third generation the Nephites ‘began to fortify
our cities, or whatsoever place of our inheritance,’ a project rendered
necessary and possible by the great increase of population (Jarom 1:7–8). From
this time on the strategy of fortified cities and “places of security” (Alma
50:4) becomes the rule, though the fighting is still mostly done in the
wilderness.”[1]
The Nephites spread out as their population grew. They also found gold, silver, and precious
things. They used wood in building and
in machinery (we don’t have clarification as to what the machinery might have
been). They were continuing the lifestyle
established by Nephi. “And I did teach
my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron,
and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of
precious ores, which were in great abundance” (2 Nephi 5:15).
It is here that Jarom might have given us some information
about himself. “Jarom referred to
Nephite warfare and trade in the first person … Jarom sounds as if he was a
soldier and artisan.”[2]
They also worked in iron, copper, brass, and steel. We don’t know what is meant by steel. In the Bible, the Hebrew word translated as
steel actually means bronze or copper.
“The latest mention of making copper, iron, and “steel” is
in Jarom 1:8, a couple of centuries after Nephi’s death; if he did know
the process, it could well have died out in succeeding years. There is no
evidence from Mesoamerican archaeology or traditions to indicate the use of any
metal in the manufacture of swords, other than as occasional decoration,
although we may not have the final word on that matter.”[3]
They also made weapons of war. Jarom lists “the sharp pointed arrow, and the
quiver, and the dart, and the javelin.”
“Interestingly, swords are not mentioned here, and the
weapons listed could have been made of wood as well as of metal, or with a
combination of both (wood shafts with metal tips, for example). Though the
passage could mean that the tools and weapons were of iron, copper, and steel,
it could also simply mean that the Nephites had the metals mentioned, as well
as tools and weapons constructed of unspecified materials (see also John A.
Tvedtnes, Was Lehi a Caravaneer? F.A.R.M.S. Preliminary Report, 1984; and ‘Lodestone
and the Liahona,’ F.A.R.M.S. Update, March 1984).”[4]
When the Lamanites attacked the Nephites, they were
prepared. They were defeated. Jarom repeats the promise given to Lehi and
Nephi. “Inasmuch as ye will keep my
commandments ye shall prosper in the land.”
Amaron would write, “For the Lord would not suffer, after he had led
them out of the land of Jerusalem and kept and preserved them from falling into
the hands of their enemies, yea, he would not suffer that the words should not
be verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: Inasmuch as ye will
not keep my commandments ye shall not prosper in the land” (Omni 1:6).
This promise plays a role in what Mormon chose for his
abridgement.
“Mormon said several times that his abridgment could not
treat more than a fraction of the historical material found on the large plates
of Nephi (Words of Mormon 1:5; Jacob 3:13–14; 4:1; 3 Nephi 5:8; 26:6).
How, then, did he make his selection of materials among the records he set out
to abridge? His primary criterion comes through repeatedly in his book. The aim
was to ensure that his readers, especially the future inhabitants of the
American promised land and particularly Lehi’s descendants, grasp the
significance for them of the promise and prophecy given to father Lehi: ‘Inasmuch
as ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land’ (Jarom 1:9).”[5]
[1] Strategy
for Survival, Maxwell Institute.
[2] Jacob
and His Descendants as Authors, John S. Tanner, Maxwell Institute.
[3]Swords
and “Cimeters” in the Book of Mormon, Mattew Roper, Maxwell Institute.
[4] Swords
in the Book of Mormon, William J. Hamblin and A. Brent Merrill, Maxwell Institute.
[5] Mormon’s
Sources, John L. Sorenson, Maxwell Institute.
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