A Comparative Book of Mormon Chronology - Zeniff vs. Mosiah

by Don R. Hender

(Appendix I)
[211-91 BC —— Mosiah I-Mosiah II vs Zeniff-Limhi]

   It is a bit difficult to set precise dates for the parallel histories of the three Nephite kings of Zarahemla, Mosiah I, Benjamin, and Mosiah II compared with the king of the land of Lehi-Nephi, Zeniff, Noah and Limhi, as the record is somewhat incomplete which leads up to such as would clearly establish the beginning dates of that time period. When Martin Harris took and lost the 116 pages, which Joseph Smith referred to being the Book of Lehi, the Lord prohibited Joseph Smith from resuming and/or again re-translating that record from the large plates of Nephi again. Rather the Lord commanded Joseph Smith to translate the attached small plates of Nephi, which were a religious history of the higher spiritual events of the people. And from reading that record one comes to understand that after the time of Jacob, the brother of Nephi and his son Enos, not a lot of significant spiritual events and prophecies took place down and until the time of Mosiah I and king Benjamin. And that is where the small plates again intersect the large plates of Nephi.

Many consider that the Book of Lehi covered all that period in detail and that we lost all that in the lossing of the 116 pages. Others, like myself, consider that the Book of Lehi was but the record of Lehi as transcribed by Nephi upon the large plates of Nephi. And that after the Book of Lehi, there would have been other such books which do fill in the record and history of the reigns of the kings of the Nephites which were each named 'Nephi', Nephi himself being I Nephi and any subsequent king of the Nephites assuming the ] name of Nephi, such as II Nephi, III Nephi, IV Nephi and so on down and until which ever king Nephi it was who was the king of the Nephites at the time of the prophet Mosiah, that is Mosiah I. Thus there could have been a number of books after the book of Lehi, each named for a king Nephi or perhaps there could have been just one large book such as the Book of the kings Nephi of the Nephites. In either such instance, that is the missing historical record which would have keep a better record of the dates and times of the Nephites while they were in the land of Nephi before that time when Mosiah led the more righteous part of the Nephites out of the land of Nephi.

Now the last marked date in the small plates of Nephi record is that of 320 years since the time Lehi left Jerusalem, thus roughly 280 BC (600-320) when Amaron did write in the record. After Amaron, there is Amaron's brother Chemish, Chemish's son Abinadom and Abinadom's son Amaleki. Now this Amaleki was contemporay with Mosiah I and king Benjamin, and thus he writes concerning them as well as somewhat concerning Zeniff, though not by name other than he was a part of a group of other Nephites took their journey into the wilderness to return to the land of their inheritance after having one initial previous set back which ended in contention and death. But he does not stipulate whether their expedition was in the days of Mosiah I or king Benjamin. And since when Ammon, a descendant of Zarahemla, went to find them Benjamin seems to still be alive though no longer king, I am left to guess that Zeniff's party went to the land of Lehi-Nephi in the midst of the reign of Mosiah I.

As for Mormon's short book the Words of Mormon, which stitches the small plates into where they fit with the large plates of Nephi, Mormon speaks of but king Benjamin and an abridged string of events during king Benjamin's reign which included wars with the Lamanites. He does not mention either Mosiah I or Mosiah II in his patch to the large plates and nothing in the Words of Mormon concerning Zeniff, Noah or Limhi. His stitching only goes from when Amaleki, the last writer in the small plates, delivers those plates up into the hands of king Benjamin, and a bit concerning king Benjamin down to when peace is established in the land of Zarahemla after internal contentions, false prophets and teachers and dissensions away unto the Lamanites and external wars with the Lamanites.

And thus this attempted parallel comparision is roughly estimated at 100-120 years time from when Mosiah I left the land of Nephi about 210 BC and migrated to the land of Zarahemla to when Mosiah II and Alma Elder died about 92-91 BC. The Book of Mormon over this time period yeilds no precise dating until the deaths of Mosiah II and Alma the Elder some 509 years since the time that Lehi left Jerusalem. Thus the best that can be done is to count back from that time and attempt to construction the parallel events over a likely duration of time.

But before we venture into that parallel comparision, perhaps one of the more helpful things to do is to construct a land plan upon which all this was played out upon. One of the best descriptions had in the Book of Mormon concerning the lay of the land is that presented in Alma 22 by Mormon. The 'contemporary map' Mormon provides is that about the mid time of the sons of Mosiah's mission to the Lamanites which ran from about 90-77 BC. So say round about 83 BC. This was some 130 years since the time of Mosiah I and some 500 years since the time when the parties of Lehi and Mulek first landed in the land of promise. Much study and reasoning has gone into this attempted relative mapping of the lands of the Book of Mormon so in this comparatively short presentation of this mapping much of that detail will not be reference other than to present a coherent map upon which to let play out the events of the times of Mosiah I, Benjamin, Mosiah II, Zeniff, Noah, Limhi, and Alma. Thus in a two columnar presentation a compilation map sided with description is here first presented.

  It ought to be noted that the sizes and shapes of the various lands and features are simplified relationary nature and not to be held as exact. From top to bottom there is the land north of the narrow neck of land which hisotrically was the lands of the Jaredites. It is called by the names of 'Mulek', for Mulek 'first landed' there, and Desolation per the desolation of the Jaredites. The major lands and sites south of the narrow neck of land are the 'lands of the nation of Zarahemla' and the 'lands of the nation of Nephi' all of which is called by the name of Lehi, for Lehi was brought to the land south.

Marked in red is the proposed route, landings and initial explorings of the people of Mulek. Likely brought by the Phoenicians who had been trading with the Jaredites at the port city of international trade build by king Lib (Ether 10:19-22) and thus indicated by the red letter 'L' as their 'first landing' site (Helaman 6:10; Alma 22:29-31). After the first landing and perhaps after finding Coriantumr at Lib, Mulek's ship then landed upon the north east shore of the land south likely near the mouth of the river they would name 'Sidon'. Sidon was a navigable river and they may have sailed into the central interior of the land where the colony city of Zarahemla was build for safety and security from being found by the 'world empire of king Nebuchadnezzar'.

As for Lehi's route, landing and exploration, it was possibly during a season of El Nino that brought them to where Joseph Smith stated they landed a 'little south of the isthmus of Darien' (TPJS p. 267). There they encamped for at least one growing season which produced a bountious crop and they named the land 'Bountiful' after the name of the land they had departed from in the east. From there they journeyed in the wilderness finding animals of every kind as some had wandered into the land for food (1 Nephi 18:25; Alma 22:31). The required journey south was likely along the west river valley through the 'forested wilderness' until they arrived at the land along the west sea coast of similar climate they were accustomed to like Jerusalem. They called that land the land of First Inheritance. Alma 22:28 states that the land of First Inheritance was west along the western seashore of the Land of Nephi.

Zeniff's people did not just want to return to the Land of Nephi, they wanted to dwell in the land of their 'fathers' first inheritence' (Mosiah 9:1; Alma 22:28) which was more like the lands of Jerusalem. The Lamanites under king Laman were upon the west seashore in the land of First Inheritance in the land and cities of Shemlon. They agreed to allow the Nephites of Zeniff to live in the land of Lehi-Nephi in the city of Lehi-Nehpi and Shilom, that was betwix the land of Nephi and the land of inheritance of Lehi thus 'Lehi-Nephi'. The city named Lehi-Nephi (NOT the city of Nephi) later was just called just Nephi which is misleading. It is important to understand Zeniff's people were confined to the western region of the over all land of Nephi and were not dealing with any of the Lamanites of the interior land of Nephi and of the east.

It is important to note that the Lamanites of this time and era lived in various groups, Shemlon along the west coast land of first inheritance and in the interior lands of Nephi. The Nephites of Zeniff, Noah and Limhi never do interact with the Nephites who had remained in the land of Nephi and/or had dissented to the Lamanites from king Benjamin's Zarahemla (Words of Mormon 1:16). Further this 'other' Lamanite group which contented with king Benjamin was located south of Zarahemla in the interior of the land and east and they never seem to have any record of connection with the Lamanites of the west in the Land of First Inheritance, Shemlon, who were dealing with the people of Zeniff, Noah and Limhi (See Comentary Mosiah 9).*
[* NOTE: A further matter which supports that the Lamanites of Shemlon of the land of the fathers' first inheritance were not the same Lamanite group who did war with king Benjamin in and land of Zarahemla and were driven out of that land, is found in the fact that the Lamanite army out of Shemlon who had attempted to follow the fleeing people of Limhi, whose people were headed for Zarahemla, had gotten themselves lost following Limhi's people to Zarahemla and needed the people of Alma to show them the way back to the land of Lehi-Nephi/Shemlon (Mosiah 23:30-36). This would be inconsistant with a Lamanite group who had been to Zarahemla and back when they had fought with king Benjamin in that land of Zarahemla. This also further corroborates the concept that the city and land of Lehi-Nephi so associated with the west coastal Lamanites of Shemlon was not the same as the interior Lamanite group and the city of Nephi which Nephi had built in the interior of the land of Nephi.]
  Jacob, the brother of Nephi, speaks of the Book of Mormon people being upon an 'isle of the sea' (2 Nephi 10:20). Certainly Jacob, who had been born in the wilderness of the journey between the valley of Lemuel and the first land of Bountiful would have become acustomed to journeying long distances and it is quite feasible that Jacob had traveled from sea west to sea east and round about to have come to the conclusion that they were indeed upon an isle of the sea. Or it could be just a manner of speech that all other lands other than that which had been divided from the land of Noah and 'Jerusalem' were considered as being islands of the sea. In the days of Alma chapter 22 the Lamanites had taken possession of the land of Nephi from the sea west to the sea east and even the more idle Lamanites who lived in tents had wandered in upon the wilderness sides of the national lands of Zarahemla round about until they came to the land of Bountiful which kept them from entering into the land northward.

Now the last date of record of the small plates of Nephi is given as being three hundred and twenty years (279 BC) since the time Lehi left Jerusalem (Omni 1:4). It was Amaron the son of Omni who recorded along with that statement that the more wicked part of the Nephites were destroyed presumably due to the wars with the Lamanites. And the next actual stated date of record does not appear in the Book of Mormon again until about the time of the deaths of Alma the Elder and king Mosiah II at the end of the book of Morsiah. Thus to an great extend the datings of this time fame of parallel history of kings Zeniff, Noah and Limhi in the land of Lehi-Nephi and that of kings Mosiah I, Benjamin, and Mosiah II are roughly calculated and somewhat inexact. But an attempt will be made to align the histories with each other with that stipulation in mind.

The People of Mosiah I

We begin whilst the people of the Nephites were still one. The kings of the Nephites had each asumed the name of Nephi upon becoming king. As Mosiah I does not have that distinction, it is presumed that he was not a king of the remaining Nephites but rather a prophet of God. By his day, while the more wicked part of the Nephites had been destroyed in by 279 BC, time had followed and again the Nephites were divided as to righteousness. Mosiah was called to warn the more righteous Nephites who would follow him to leave the land of Nephi and travel into the wilderness forest of the jungle lands of the mountains of of wild beasts to the north. As irony would have it, the departing place of resort of the people of Mosiah was of that of a hill just north of a city in the land north of the city Lehi-Nephi called Shilom. Later it would be upon that very hill that wick king Noah would build a 'watch tower' to view over the entire land south and east toward the seashore and the land of those Lamanites that lived there in the Land of Shemlon (Mosiah 11:13). The Nephites who remained in the land of Nephi would have had to madke peace with and join the Lamanites or be destroyed by them.

Now because this tower King Noah had built overlooked the land of Shilom and Lehi-Nephi to the south and all the way east to the land of the 'fathers' first inheritance of the west seacoast of the land of Shemlon it must be inferred that the interior of the Land of Nephi and east to the sea east was to the east of Lehi-Nephi and Shilom and that the Lamanites and other such Nephite dissenters to the Lamanites which lived there were not the Lamanite group with whom the people of Zeniff were dealing with. And it also highly is evidence the cities of Lehi-Nephi and Shilom were not the same as thos about the City of Nephi which Nephi had built. Thus, again, we conclude that the interior of the land and on to the east was not that portion of the land which Zeniff and his people ever did concern themselves about, and that it was this other Lamanite group to the interior and east which had their wars and dealings with King Benjamin and the land of Zarahemla.

Guided by the hand of the Lord, perhaps using the Liahona, for Mosiah's people had brought all of the records and such religious artifacts of the Nephites with them, Mosiah guided his people 'down north' into the central river Sidon valley where they found (discovered) the people of king Zarahemla. And as the language of the people of Zarahemla had become quite corrupted due to no extensive written records and also likely to its minging with perhaps the Phoenician sailors of various nations who may well have remained with the party of Mulek for security reasons; even after round about 380 - 400 years enough commonality remained to communicate that Zarahemla was a descendant of Mulek, son of king Zedekiah who had escaped and sailed with his party to this land for their refuge from the world empire of Nebuchadnezzar.

It is considered that the date of Mosiah's escape from the land of Nephi and becoming associated with the Mulekites was between 220-200 BC. The Mulekites would unite with the Nephites making the prophet leader Mosiah I their first king over the two joined people, as the Nephites took on the leading role of re-teaching the people the language according to the records which they had brought with them into the land of Zarahemla.

After some years of this union, certain Nephites, as well as some associated Mulekites desired to return/go to the land of the 'fathers' first inheritance' to live, perhaps becaue it had been touted as being the anointed land of promise of first inheritance and possibly because its climate was more like that land of Jerusalem they all had come out of historically. That comparision between a jungle forest land with wild beast surrounding and a more civilized land of cities and seashore may have been appealing to these peole who were most eager to return. And here we'll begin the parallel column comparisons.

abt 204-203 BC: Some of the people of the Nephites and their associates of the Mulekites began to consider going to the 'land of the fathers' first inheritance' and attempting to live there rather than to continue to live amid a forested jungle land of wild beast surrounding.
A Nephite of large stature and strength became their leader and he formed an army with which he was going to by agression attack and take the original land of promise and inheritance from the Lamanites, so that those who followed him could live there. In spying out the land, Zeniff, one of the members of the army saw what he determined to be a worthy life style of the Lamanites in the land of first inheritance and he desired not to destory the Lamanites.
A division occured among the Nephite army over this dispute and they fought among themselves with Zeniff's position prevailing but with only 50 remaining alive. Thus Zeniff returned to the land of Zarahemla but with the same desire to inhabit the land of first inheritance but with negociated agreement with the Lamanites.
About 202-200 BC: Zeniff encourages a large number of the Nephite and Mulekites of Zarahemla to return with him to the land of promise of the 'fathers' first inheritance'. It takes this large body of people under Zeniff's leadership to again return to and 'find' that land of promise of the 'fathers' first inheritance'. Once there Zeniff with a small group approaches the Lamanite king of the 'land of the fathers' first inheritence of Shemlon which would have been in the western region along the coast of the sea. This land was called the land of Shemlon and likely contained many villages and cities.
The king Laman agreed to allow Zeniff's people to occupy the city of Lehi-Nephi in the immediate east of Shemlon and the city of Shilom just north of the city of Lehi-Nephi which was also immediately east of the Lamanite greater land of Shemlon where the Lamanites were living 'down along the coastal area'. [Note this will be understood as when king noah build his tower it is able to over look all of the land implying that the greater lands of the Lamanites of Shemlon were of a lower elevation and most likely on down to the coastal sea. 		abt 204 BC: The larger contengency of Nephites and Mulekites go agout their daily lives which with the increase of population would entail spreading out into the Sidon valley with additional villages and lands likely Minon and perhaps Manti to the south with Manti marking a maintainable 'border' between the eventual intrusion of the Lamanites into the land of 'Zarahemla'. And also likely some unnamed cities and villages to the north in the more capital parts of the land and valley of Sidon (Helaman 1:27) and down to perhaps the sea fishing village of Mulek at the mouth of Sidon.
For reasons later more obvious, it is considered that the Mulekites and now even the additional Nephites of Mosiah I, will remain in the extensive Sidon valley from Manti to Mulek if you will, from the mountainous head waters of the southern outpost of Manti to the sea level fishing village(s) of Mulek (perhaps where Mulek's second landing site was) at the mouth of the great river and water storage and resource basin valley. From such added readings in the Book of Mormon it seems that the Sidon river consisted of at least three valley or land regions, the highland upper valley about Manti, the central and very large central valley about the city of Zarahemla and other such villages and 'cities' (Helman 1:27) and even a lower valley region which spreads out to sea upon a 'plains' area.
With a sizable portion of the population forming that 'first ill-fated army' and then a very large portion of the people leaving with Zeniff, the push to new lands and cities was likely able to be maintained and limited to the expanses of the Sidon Valley regions. Other regions in the side valley to the east called Gideon and the lands and cites of the parallel valley to the Sidon on the west would not need to be developed until when the people of Limhi and the people of Alma would return to live in the land of Zarahemla about 100 years later.
About 200-188 BC Zeniff and his people begin to establish themselves in the land of Lehi-Nephi and Shilom. Buildings are built, city walls are built and repaired. Lands were planted and prospered.
abt 187 BC:
In the 13th year of the reign of Zeniff a numerous army of Lamanites come upon the land of Shilom from the south where people were watering and feeding their flocks, and tilling their lands. The people flee to the city of Nephi (Lehi-Nephi).
Zeniff arms his people, aparently prepared in advance for just such an event, with bows, arrows, swords, cimeters, clubs, slings and all manner of weapons which they could invent. Zeniff leads his people against the Lamanites to battle. And in the strength of the Lord did in a day and a night did slay 3,043 Lamanites, driving them out of the land. (279 Nephites slain. [NOTE: There is next here a matter of possible variable interpretaton, for certainly though only of a couple of days, this event against the Lamanites was a matter of 'war'. But the record of Zeniff states that they did poscess and inherit the land for 22 years in one place and in another he reports 22 years of peace had passed in the land. George Reynolds, dispite the 2 day incident of 'war' counts this 22 years of Zeniffs reign as the time from when they first took possession of the land from 200 to 178 BC. Another interpretation might spread this out over the 12 years before the 'war incident' and add another 22 years to it making 34 years in the land. If that be the case then rather than beginning Zeniff's stay in the land at 200 BC it would seem appropriate to begin his stay in the land at about 212 BC. In either interpretation it is felt that the 178 BC date is the more correct one at this juncture and that any adjustment ought to be at the beginning end of the estimated datings.]
abt 178 BC King Laman dies and his son prepares for war against the Nephites. Zeniff had anticipate such an eventual occurance and had spies round about the land of Shemlon. Thus Zeniff 'in his old age' (Mosiah 10:10) protects and arms his people in the strength of the Lord and did slay the Lamanites with such a great slaughter that they did not number them. And they drove them out of their land.
abt 173 BC Alma the elder is born.

About 160 BC
Elder Reynolds gives Zeniff credit for a 40 year reign from 200 to 160 BC and thus is added another 18 years to the time line of Zeniff. And thus in his 'old-old age' Zeniff confers the kingdom upon his son named Noah.
[AGAIN: Because verse 10 states that Zeniff went to battle against the Lamanites in his old age, that battle which ended a 22 year peace, and verse 22 also states that Zeniff 'being old' did confer the kingdom upon one of his sons, though there is an 18 year gap between the 'old age' of the Lamanite battle and the 'being old' of the confering the kingdom that is the suggested dating of Elder Reynolds upon the matter. Again another interpretation may be made but . . . "] 		King Mosiah I ages and gives way to his son king Benjamin. The Lamanites of the interior of the land of Nephi have found and come in upon the people of the land of Zarahemla.
Between AD 401 and 421* (*Moroni 10:1)
* AD 401-421 Moroni produces the brief abridgment of the 24 plates of Ether called the the book of Ether. Moroni also addes some items reative to the church performances of baptism and the sacrement. He also addes some teaching and two letters he had received and kept all this time from his father Mormon (Moroni 7, 8, & 9). And then he wrote his own final farwell chapter of Moroni 10.
* AD 421 Then at this final date, Moroni, as directed of God, would have prepared the stone box and place those items in it as later to be 'found' by the prophet Joseph Smith.