A Comparative Book of Mormon Chronology - Traditional vs. Updated

by Don R. Hender

(Part I)
[601-559 BC —— 1 Nephi 1-2 Nephi 5]


There has been, since about 1890 to today, a traditionally accepted, though only 'suggested', Book of Mormon Chronology prepared by Book of Mormon scholar Elder George Reynolds of the Seventies. Studies in the Book of Mormon and in the corresponding Biblical timeline by author Don R. Hender has provided new insights to this suggested and traditionally accepted Chronology, which will be placed in parallel columns where the datings may significantly differ for ease of reference, comparision and consideration by interested readers and viewers. Some additional history from the Bible and from a Hebrew perspective will be added, which may well of be of some additional interest. The basic justification, beyond the obvious, is that we are told that the Bible and the Book of Mormon will become one in our hand as the two together will provide a more complete and full understanding of both gospel doctrine as well as other related events such as the shared time line between the two.

Elder Reynolds' approach seems to have been that of using the information as supplied from the Book of Mormon only. Since Nephi's record supplied only the date of Lehi departing from Jerusalem 600 years before the birth of Christ, a listing of an 8 year journey in the wilderness, and eventually the more specific dates named in 2 Nephi 5, Elder Reynolds did make some asumptions which today do not fit well with the actual Biblical sequence of related events between the two texts. As noted in the cross-reference footnotes added by Apostle Orson Pratt in the 1879 edition, the imprisonment of Jeremiah refered to by Nephi in 1 Nephi 7:14 is cross-referenced to the first imprisonment of Jeremiah under King Zedekiah recorded in Jeremiah 37:15. That imprisonment occured about the 8th year of Zedekiah's reign after the Jews had still failed to release their Hebrew servants according to the Covenant Law they had committed to at the time of Zedekiah's installation as King by Nebuchadnezzar (see timeline notes below in table).

Elder Reynolds had presumed that the 8 year wilderness journey listed in 1 Nephi 17:4 was from when Lehi departed from Jerusalem until Lehi's party finally journeyed to the land the called Bountiful (the first Bountiful) and he counted those 8 years from Lehi's 600 BC (Before Christ) departure date from Jerusalem. What is not seemingly obvious is that the 8 year journey cited by Nephi in 1 Nephi 17:4 was not that from Jerusalem to Bountiful but that wilderness journey from the valley of Lemuel to Bountiful. Nephi cannot be in two places at once at the same time. He cannot be returning from Jerusalem with the family of Ishmael and referencing the imprisonment of Jeremiah in 1 Nephi 7:14 and in the land of Bountiful. That would be Anachonistic and incorrect. Thus it is apparent that Lehi's party first had stayed in the valley of Lemuel for about 8 years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem to when Jeremiah was first imprisoned during the reign of King Zedekiah. And then Lehi's wilderness journey with the family of Ishmael from the valley of Lemuel to that first land they called Bountiful took an additional 8 years. The adjusted timeline below presents that in parallel with Elder Reynolds' traditional timeline perspective.

[Note: According to many Bible scholars King Nebuchadnezzar installed King Zedekiah in 597-598 BC. The correlated Book of Mormon given time frame is 601-600 BC that King Zedekiah was installed. With all the estimating and manners of counting and arriving with such dates, along with various 'time and year adjustments which have been performed, it is a readily understandable that the ancient Book of Mormon record and the more modern determined Biblical calculatons do not immediately coinscie. In fact being three years off between the two independantly kept and date determined records is quite in the ballpark range of acceptable estimated dates. It does not mean that one is right and the other is wrong, it only means that the process of concluding upon these 'suggested dates' over the span of thousands of years and varying calendars have an understandable likelihood of such a 'estimated and method of calculation diferential.]
[Also: It is thought and perceived that the Book of Mormon uses the Hebrew year of the beginning of the year being that of the month of Abib, varyingly placed in the Julian calendar months of March-April and coinciding with the beginning of the Passover feast week.]

Suggested Book of Mormon Chronology as Assessed by Elder George Reynolds, Adopted by Apostle James E. Talmage, Integrated First into the Footnotes and then into the Chapter summaries of the Book of Mormon and Are There in Use in the Book of Mormon Until This Day.

600 BC, Jerusalem
* First Nephi begins.
* First year of the reign of Zedekiah.
* Lehi prophesies to the Jews; they seek his life.
* Lehi and his family leave Jerusalem and travel in the wilderness near the Red Sea. After three days they arrive in the valley of Lemuel.

 

 

 

 
 



Reassessed Book of Mormon Chronology and Events as set on Biblical Stage of Jerusalem as determined and provided by Don R. Hender.

During 601 to 600 BC, Jerusalem - First Nephi begins.
* Nebuchadnezzar installs Zedekiah as King in place of Jehoiachin
* Inaugeration includes Temple Ceremony Covenants made between the Jews and Jehovah as well as with Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 34:18-21)
* Jews release Hebrew servants per the Covenant while influence of Nebuchadnezzar present (Jeremiah 34:8-10 & 12-15 & 18-21)
* After Nebuchadnezzar withdraws, the ruling Jewish Sarim determines the Covenant did not mean immediate release of Hebrew servants until a subsequent '7 year' duration. The Jews reclaim their servants under direction of King Zedekiah influenced by Sanhedrin Princes. (Jeremiah 34:11 & 16-17 & 18-21)
* Lehi troubled by these events seeks guidence from the Lord is seclusion of the wilderness and the Lord appears in pillar of fire
* Returning home, Lehi receives further visions
*
Lehi prophesies to the Jews that they must repent and obey God's Covenants or Jerusalem will be destroyed
* The Jewish leadership (Sanhedrin with Laban as chief captain) determine to
seek Lehi's life as Lehi 'opposes' the Sarim rule.
* God warns Lehi to depart into the wilderness with his family
*
Lehi prepares and then departs with family into the wilderness
* Lehi first travels known route to near Ezion-Geber/Elath for a period of a week or two
* Then Lehi diverts and
travels in the wilderness near the Red Sea for three days. Upon arrival Lehi builds an altar and offers sacrifices. In the valley of Lemuel they are three days journey from Elath and the Timnah mines works, the center of world shipping trade and metal works.

Like anyone who lives in a populated area, you just don't take one step out of town and consider yourself in the wilderness. Lehi, like any family going to a 'wilderness' site to camp out or whatever, would have traveled such know routes to where such wildernes would begin. That is, Lehi traveled a likely known route to that 'wilderness area' that he considered or was told to flee to. In this case Lehi either first went east by way of Jericho to the King's Highway and down toward Elath or he when the less traveled route south out of the land of Jerusalem, yet still following known roads and paths until he reached his 'objective wilderness', the wilderness along the eastern arm of the Red Sea. Thus just prior to entering the sea port and refining trade city of Elath, Lehi departed into the wilderness and traveled for three days into the wilderness traveling down along the Red Sea until he came to the valley he called Lemuel.

There is at least one canidate for the valley of Lemuel which has a year round flowing river of Laman about three days travel distance from Elath. Its immediate extended 'valley' is more like a gorge with very steep and high surrounding rocky 'mountainous' cliffs. There are also other possibilities as well with seasonal flowing rivers which today leave their bed dry in the dry season yet the course is still marked by the river's bed which does run [not flow] continuously into the Red Sea.

Between 600 and 592 BC, In the wilderness
* Lehi sends Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi back to Jerusalem for the brass plates.
* Laman seeks the brass plates from Laban. Laban says he will slay Laman, who flees.
* The brothers go the land of their inheritance and gather their gold, silver and precious things. They offer to buy the brass plates and are driven out by Laban, who keeps their treasure.
* Laman and Lemuel smite Sam and Nephi with a rod. An angel appears and tells them to return to Jerusalem.
* Nephi returns to Jerusalem and finds Laban "fallen to the earth". Nephi slays Laban and puts on his clothing. Nephi commands Zoram to get the brass plates.
* Nephi and his brothers take the brass plates to Lehi; Zoram agrees to accompany them.
* Lehi comforts Sariah, who had feared for her sons.
* Lehi sends Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi back to Jerusalem to persuade Ishmael and his family to join them.
[* About 593-592 BC, Jeremiah imprisoned in the dungeon prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe. - Jeremiah 37:15/1 Nephi 7:14]
* The sons of Lehi and the family of Ishmael leave Jerusalem. Laman and Lemuel and some of Ishmael's children rebel. Nephi persuades them to continue and they rejoin Lehi and Sariah.
* They gather seeds [of every kind] and grain.
* Lehi has a vision of the tree of life.
* Nephi also has a vision of the tree of life, and foresees many future events.
* Nephi's brothers complain that they can't understand the words of their father. Nephi expounds.
* The sons of Lehi and Zoram take the daughters of Ishmael to wife.
* Lehi discovers the Liahona.

Between 600 and 592 BC, In the Valley of Lemuel
* Young Nephi prays to the Lord and recieves confirming vision
* Nephi reaches age of recognized as 'a man in Israel'-bar mitzvah
*
Lehi sends his four sons back to Jerusalem for the brass plates
* Laman seeks the plates-Laban attempts to kill Laman who flees
* They go to their home to get their gold, silver and precious things to brass plates. Laban drives them out keeping goods.
* Laman and Lemuel smite Sam and Nephi with a rod. An angel appears to stop it and tells them to return to Jerusalem for plates.
* Nephi enters city, finds Laban "fallen to the earth" and slays him. He puts on Laban's clothes and commands Zoram to get the plates.
* The brothers take the plates to Lehi; Zoram accompanies them.
* Lehi comforts Sariah, who had feared for her sons.
* Lehi searches and studies the plates from beginning to end.

* Lehi sends Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi back to Jerusalem to persuade Ishmael and his family to join them.
* First seige of Jerusalem cut off as Babylonians leave to fight Egyptians. Jeremiah is imprisoned as noted by Lehi's sons' party.
* The sons of Lehi and the family of Ishmael leave Jerusalem. Laman and Lemuel and some of Ishmael's children rebel. Nephi references Jeremiah's imprisonment (Jer. 37:15) and persuades them to continue and Lehi.
*
Lehi obtains seeds of every kind via Elath's world trade center.
* Lehi has a vision of the tree of life.
* Nephi has vision of the tree of life, and foresees future events.
* Nephi's brothers complain that they can't understand the words of their father. Nephi expounds.
* Lehi's sons and Zoram court and marry daughters of Ishmael
* The morning after God's command to depart the valley, Lehi finds the Liahona just outside his tent door.

Lehi's family stays in the Valley of Lemuel for about 8 years as Nephi goes from being 'exceedingly young' to being a 'man'. They have a number of seasons to test out their 'seeds of every kind' likely obtained from the 'world trade center' of Elath. It is absurd to presume Lehi gathered seeds of every kind being confined to a sea side desert wilderness. Also, it likely that Elath is where Nephi obtains his lamenanted 'steel bow'. And it is further likely that Lehi's sons witnessed ship building and metal refining at Elath's shipyard and refinery. In the 'off growing seasons' the sons may have even worked in the shipyards and the refinery at Elath (It was only a tree day jorney away). They may have even worked on the foot bellowses of the smelting pits preparing themselves for the time when they would smelt ore and build their own ship.

[Special Note: The Bible chapters of Jeremiah are well known for being out of sequencial order particularly about the time of Jeremiah's imprisonment. Chapters 32 and 33 are so improperly placed as they give an account of Jeremiah in prison before he was ever first imprisoned during King Zedekiah's reign about 593-592 BC (Book of Mormon time), which event is recorded in Jeremiah 37:15. Some times there are even chapters and parts of chapters in the 'Zedekiah era' which are actually the history of Jehoiakim instead. The Sarim first imprisoned Jeremiah in niry dungeon of of Malchiah the son of Hammelech (Accounted in Jeremiah 37:15 and Jeremiah 38:4-6 then later because of the kindness of Ebedmelech the Ethiopeian's report (Jeremiah 38:7), the King removed Jeremiah out of the 'mire dungeon' and confined him in 'the court of the prison' associated with the King's own prison. Jeremiah's time there is accounded in Jeremiah 32 and 33, which chapters are so placed out of proper chronological order. Understanding that Lehi's party spent about 8 years in the Valley of Lemuel and then spent 8 years in their journey from that valley to the first land of Bountiful avoids an otherwise 'Book of Mormon Anachronism']

Now as noted previously, in 601 BC, when King Zedekiah was installed by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the people had met at the temple and entered into the temple comvenant to keep the law of Moses, the Law of the Lord God Jehovah and they swore alligence to King Nebuchadnezzar. Along with that covenant the Jewish released their Hebrew servants [slaves] as per the Law of Moses. When Nebuchadnezzar's presence withdrew, the ruling princes of the 'Sanhedrin' rather interpreted that the Jews did not need to release the Hebrew servants immediately, but rather they had 7 years from the date of entering into the covenant in which to comply. The Lord allowed them those seven years and then he sent Jeremiah to charge them of their obvious sin, for they had not release the Hebrew servants even after that 'additional' seven years (Jeremiah 34, particularly verses 8-10, 12-15 and 18-21). With that condemation which was given while the Babylonians were departed to fight the Egyptians, Jeremiah's mission and witness against Jerusalem was complete and Jeremiah sought to go home to the land of Benjamin where he lived. As he was leaveing the guards took Jeremiah into custody and thence was Jeremiah put into prison. This was when Nephi and his brothers were seeking to obtain the family of Ishmael. One perception of the Jews was that the Egyptians would resque them from the Babylonians. This was the brother's of Nephi had considered to be the case, but Nephi reminded them that 'even Jeremiah have they put into prison'. It would have been nice if Nephi's record gave more of the details but his small plate record was but a concise record of only that which was of a 'spiritual nature'. Nephi may have included these details upon his large plates in the 'book of Lehi', along with more of the details of Lehi's own early life under the righteous King Josiah.

Between 600 and 592 BC (continued)
* They depart the valley of Lemuel and travel south-southeast for four days. They pitch their tents and call the place Shazer.
* They continue their journey, following the directions of the Liahona.
* Nephi breaks his bow.
* They travel for many days, "traveling nearly the same course as in the beginning".
* Ishmael dies and is buried in the place called Nahom.
* Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael want to slay Lehi and Nephi. Nephi chastens them and they repent.
592 BC, Bountiful
* They arrive at the land Bountiful, near the sea which they call Irreantum.
Between 592 and 584 BC
* They depart the valley of Lemuel and travel south-southeast for four days. They pitch their tents and call the place Shazer.
* Following the Liahona's directions they continue their journey
* Nephi breaks his bow.
* They travel for many days, "traveling nearly the same course as in the beginning".
* Ishmael dies and is buried in the place called Nahom.
* Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael want to slay Lehi and Nephi. Nephi chastens them and they repent. About 584 BC, Bountiful
* They arrive at 'Bountiful', near the sea they call Irreantum
Nephi's small plates record is an abridgment containing that which is of the things of God. Thus days, weeks, months and even years can pass without any such notable relative events. Nephi's record does first establish their likely mode of travel, that is, they travel during each 'work week' but they always encamp to prepare for and hold to the things of keeping the Sabbath. Only such 'significant' events are recorded such as Ishmael's death and when Nephi broke his bow and even Lehi then complained. The Book of Mormon records that for 8 years they traveled in the wilderness, that is the wilderness from the Valley of Lemuel to that first land of Bountiful.

[Note: Upon arriving in the first land they called Bountiful, the Lord told Nephi to build a ship. They would have seen ships being built when visiting Elath and may have participated in such work in their off seasons of planting in the Valley of Lemuel. They would have also seen the smelting of ore and known its processes. Nephi does not ask the Lord how to do this, only where he could find 'ore'. The 1830s edition of the Book of Mormon states that Nephi made 'bellowses'. That is because the then known and used method of pit smelting was done with a number of bellows workers, each operating their own set of foot bellows to 'air' the central pit. So Nephi made several sets of foot bellows or 'bellowses'. Today's Book of Mormon has, according to 'proper English', changed 'bellowses to bellows' and the concept of Nephi making 'many bellowses' to read as though Nephi only made one bellows.]

About 591 BC, Bountiful
* Jacob and Joseph, "born in the wilderness", are first mentioned.
* Nephi is commanded to build a boat. His brothers murmur and complain, but he persuades them to assist and the boat is completed.
* Lehi and his family, Ishmael's family and Zoram embark for the promised land.
About 590 BC, on the sea
* Nephi's brothers and the sons of Ishmael 'make merry with much rudeness'. Nephi fears they will offend God and speaks to them "with much soberness". Laman and Lemuel bind Nephi. Storms arise, their compass ceases to work and they are "driven back upon the waters for the space of three days." On the fourth day, Nephi's brethren see that "the judgements of God were upon them" and they release Nephi.
* Nephi guides the ship "towards the promised land".
* After many days they arrive at the promised land. The land of Nephi
About 589 BC, in the promised land
* They find "beasts in the forest", "all manner of wild animals" and "ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper".
Between 584 to 580 BC, Bountiful to Bountiful and Beyond
* Jacob and Joseph, "born in the wilderness", are first mentioned.
* Nephi is commanded to build a ship. His brothers murmur and complain. He persuades them to assist. The ship is completed.
* Lehi and his family, Ishmael's family and Zoram embark for the promised land.
About 582 BC, on the sea
* Nephi's brothers and the sons of Ishmael "make themselves merry", "with much rudeness". Nephi fears they will offend God and speaks to them "with much soberness". Laman and Lemuel bind Nephi. Storms arise, their compass ceases to work and they are "driven back upon the waters for the space of three days." On the fourth day, Nephi's brethren see that "the judgements of God were upon them" and they release Nephi.
* Nephi guides the ship "towards the promised land".
* After many days they arrive at the promised land. The land of Nephi
About 580 BC, in the promised land
* They find "beasts in the forest", "all manner of wild animals" and "ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper".

Arrivals In The Land of Promise

According to the Times and Seasons, of which Joseph Smith was the editor, the course of Lehi's party to their landing site in the land of promise is stated to be, "...Lehi went down by the Red Sea to the great Southern Ocean, and crossed over to this landk and landed a little south of the Isthmus of Darien,..." (Times and Season, Joseph Smith Editor & page 267, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith). That general site of landing was where Lehi's party firts encamped and it was there at that second land they would also name Bountiful, the 'second' Bountiful, where they planted their first crops since departing across the oceans from the first Bountiful (Neal Maxwell, October 2, 1999, 10AM Session Conference Report). Those crops did grew exceedingly (1 Nephi 18:24), which did replenish their food supplies before they again began to journey in the wilderness of land of promise from that landing site southward as led by the Liahona. During that journey they did find in the 'forests' animals of every kind both wild and domestic which had some there for the want of food from the land of destrution of the Jaredites. Lehi's family were able to gather such animals and once again had 'heards' to manage. Further in their journey they eventually came to a land area more like that which they were use to rather than the jungled rain forests. There they also found all manner of ore, gold, silver and copper. It was in that region that they then perminantly intended to settle as that land was denoted in the Book of Mormon as the land of first inheritance'. (1 Nephi 18:25; Alma 22:31; Helaman 6:10)

Now about these same times the Lord also brought the people of Mulek to the land of promise. Mulek's party first landed in the land north likely about the location of that great 'trade city' of the Jaredites located by the narrow neck of land where they encountered not only a land of Desolation but also a sole wandering survivor of the Jaredite race named Coriantumr. It is likely that the Sidonians or Phonesians were well aware of the land of the Americas as there is evidence that they did trade with that land perhaps for gold but certainly by certain 'drugs' unique to the Americas. It would have been the furtherest distance from the treat of the then 'world dominating power' of King Nebuchadnezzar. Having seen the destruction upon the land north, Mulek's party, perhaps even guided by Coriantumr, again took sail south along the east coast down to the mouth of the great river they would name Sidon. It would appear to effect their security, they sailed half way up that river and first established themselves in the central heart of that land south, building a great city which would come to be named Zaraheml upon the west bank of the river Sidon in the center of that land. The exact dates and times of the Mulek landing in the north and settlement in the land south is know known other than that they would have been in that range from the time of the destrution of Jerusalem to about that same range of time when Lehi's party also came upon the land of promise. If concurrent in occupation upon the land, it would have been but the parallel river valleys which kept them apart and unaware of each other, as well as the fact that Lehi landed upon the west coast and journeyed south down the west valley to their land of first inheritence and Mulek landed and entered the land upon the east coast, sailing up the Sidon of the east parallel valley. [Note: It would have been the fact of these two parallel river valleys which kept King Limhi's party from destrovering Zarahemla, as they erroneously trace Lehi's journey in reverse taking the west river valley and not the east Sidon valley in error. And then they went up to that city of Lib and desolation where Mulek's party likely landed that west valley and not the east valley. Thus subsequently they journeyed on up was the south region of the land of Desolation, and there finding the 24 plates of Ether.]

[Further Note: King Nebuchadnezzar had taken as a part of his Kingdom the great international trade port of Elath, from which the ships of King Solomon did sail and spend 3 years upon the oceans in trade before returning back 'home' again. It is likely that Mulek, whose supposed mother had family connections with Sidon, did associate there and did sail from Sidon toward the furtherest distance known for safety, the trade lands of the Jaredites. Upon reaching that land, they found the Jaredite nation completely destroyed with only Coriantumr yet alive who spoke another language. They may have considered that the power of Nebuchadnezzar had also extended beyond the oceans. To be as safe of possible, Mulek's party appears to have taken refuge deep in the rain forest of the land southward, half way up the Sidon River to heart and center of that land. This they may well have done to obatin a degree of maximum security and protection from the reaches of Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar, whom they would have known had had all the sons of King Zedekiah killed before the eyes of King Zedekiah. That is except this one son, Mulek.]

[Thought Question: What are the changes, give all of the land of North America for Mulek's landing party to land in the same particular spot where Coriantumr had come to be at the time of that landing? What circumstance, what facts of logic, is there which brought them together precisely at that particular spot?
Answer: Could it be that the Phoenicians out of Sidon had selected to bring Mulek to as distant a land of which they knew of and exactly where in that land they had often landed to trade with the Jaredites there in Amereica. And that would be that 'great city' my the narrow neck of land, the City of Lib, where Coriantumr had returned all the way back south to search for any life left. But all was but desolation there which not only the party of Mulek found but also eventually the explorer of Limhi as well (Ether 10:19-22, Mosiah 8:7-18, & Alma 22:29-31).]
[Final Note and Fun Fact: When Ammon told the Limhi the name of this prophet and seer who could translate the record he first told him the name of King Benjamin, which was in the original 1830 Book of Mormon. Whem Ammon, the descendant of Zarahemla had left the land of Zarahemla, King Benjamin had bestowed the crown upon his son Mosiah but Benjamin retained being the prophet and seer and he lived for some 3 more years, thus being alive when Ammon had departed. Because of the alignment of Limhi with Mosiah, later version of the Book of Mormon to avoid confussion and an apparent but erroneous anachonism, the name Benjamin was changed to Mosiah, and it was Mosiah who Limhi and Ammon did bring the 24 plates back to. And it was Mosiah who eventually first translated them (Moroni also translating them again for his purpose of preparing the text of the book of Ether from them.]

Between 588 and 570 BC, the land of their first inheritance
* Second Nephi begins.
* Lehi blesses his sons.
* Lehi dies and is buried.
* Laman and Lemuel rebel against Nephi. The Lord warns Nephi to flee.

Between 579 and 578 BC, In the Coastal Land of First Inheritance
* Second Nephi begins.
* Lehi blesses his sons.
* Lehi dies and is buried.
* Laman and Lemuel rebel. The Lord warns Nephi to flee.

A number of Book of Mormon scholars down play the fact that when Nephi flees from the Land of First Inheritance and his brothers the Book of Mormon states that Nephi journeyed 'many days'. The will presume as few as 5 days, a week's time is all that it takes to be 'many days' and they further contrive to presume that Nephi 'wandered in the land' in his flight rather than to travel a more direct and immediate course in his flight for his life and that of the true believers in God. The even fail to mention that Nephi had access to and use of the Liahona. Certainly having been warned of God, God would have so directed Nephi and his followers by that source to secure their relative safety. The reason these scholar make these presumptions is to decrease the distances of the land so as to support there more 'limited land theories', which they chose to fit in a land size about the size of the single state of Utah so they can fit it all into their Meso-American prefered context.

Between 588 and 570 BC, the land of Nephi
* Nephi, Zoram, Sam and their families, Jacob, Joseph, Nephi's sisters and "all who would go with [him]", journey in the wilderness "for the space of many days".
* Nephi and his followers pitch their tents and call the place Nephi.
* Nephi makes swords for his people "lest by any means the people who were now called Lamanites should come upon us and destroy us".
* The Nephites build buildings. Nephi builds a temple.
* The Nephites want Nephi to be their king, but Nephi is "desirous that they should have no king".
* Nephi consecrates Jacob and Joseph as priests.
* The Nephites live "after the manner of happiness.
569 BC, the land of Nephi
* The secular history is kept on metal plates. Nephi makes a second set of plates to record "the things of God".
559 BC, the land of Nephi
* The Nephites "had already had wars and contentions with our brethren".

Between 578 and 559 BC, In the Land of Nephi
* Nephi, Zoram, Sam and their families, Jacob, Joseph, Nephi's sisters and "all who would go with [him]", journey in the wilderness "for the space of many days".
* Nephi and his followers pitch their tents and call the place Nephi.
* Nephi makes swords for his people lest by any means the people of Laman called Lamanites should come destroy them.
* The Nephites build buildings. Nephi builds a temple.
* The Nephites want Nephi to be their king, but Nephi is "desirous that they should have no king".
* Nephi consecrates Jacob and Joseph as priests.
* The Nephites live "after the manner of happiness.
About 569 BC, the land of Nephi
* The secular history is kept on 'large' plates. Nephi makes other 'small' plates to record "the things of God".
About 559 BC, the land of Nephi
* The Nephites had had wars and contentions with the Lamanites.
By the fifth chapter of 2 Nephi, where the Book of Mormon begins to give relative stated dates in reference to the departure from date from Jerusalem, there tends to end any major time diference until perhaps when one again needs to more maticulously set out the events of the life and times of Mormon and the extinction of the Nephites in Part 3 of this timeline preperation. In part 2 of this text rather than dwell on the time diferences, which basically are not, some effort of analysis will be undertaken in time and motion, or rather to say time and distances, as well as some site locations, which have been somewhat manipulated by subjective theorists.

In addition, it is of interest that once the people of Lehi land upon the shores of the land of promise, that a people who journyed over a thousand miles by land in less than two decades, and thousands and thousands of miles by sea are by the limited land theorist suddenly limited in their journeys and travels to but a land the size of the single state of Utah. Many such limited land models even eventually go so far as to place the 'hill of Cumorah' location relative to the narrow neck of land less distance than their prescribed narrow neck of land itself is wide. This point of interest will be gone into further in part three where the wars and times of extinction of the Nephites are considered.

Guide For Redating First Book of Mormon Chapters

1 Nephi 1 Between About 601-600 BC
1 Nephi 2 About 600-598 BC
1 Nephi 3 About 598-597 BC
1 Nephi 4 About 597-594 BC
1 Nephi 5 About 597-594 BC
1 Nephi 6 About 597-594 BC
1 Nephi 7 About 593-592 BC
1 Nephi 8 About 592 BC
1 Nephi 9 About 592 BC
1 Nephi 10 About 592 BC
1 Nephi 11 About 592 BC
1 Nephi 12 About 592 BC
1 Nephi 13 About 592 BC
1 Nephi 14 About 592 BC
1 Nephi 15 About 592 BC
1 Nephi 16 About 592-591 BC
1 Nephi 17 About 591-583 BC
1 Nephi 18 About 582-581 BC
1 Nephi 19 Between About 581-580 BC
1 Nephi 20 About 580 BC
1 Nephi 21 About 580 BC
1 Nephi 22 About 580 BC
2 Nephi 1 About 580 BC
2 Nephi 2 About 580 BC
2 Nephi 3 About 580 BC
2 Nephi 4 About 580 BC
2 Nephi 5 About 579-559 BC

Time and Date Misnomer

There is a 'misnomer' of being able to set, count and figure precise dates. Once generally accepted simple assumpton, which many people do and have taken exception to, is the very simple matter of when Christ was born and how dates are there from set, counted and figured. I was first taught that B.C. stood for Before Christ's Birth and erroneously that A.D. meant After Christ's Death. There is no 'Year 0' from which to properly count time 1, 2, 3. Christ was not born at year zero even in the simplest model, it must be counted as 1 A.D. Thus 2000 years since Christ IS NOT year 2000 but year 2001. And there is no general concensus that Jesus was born in 1 A.D., and that ranges from a number of years B.C. to a number of years A.D. and not at the '0' (zero) date of 1 A.D. The best that can be done is to view dates as correlating and sinqrenizing of events in harmony. When the various dates of nations are attempted to be calculated and harmonized, as often one year of one king's reign ends and is counted as is the same first year counted of the next king's reign. One nation's calendar is lunar, another is solar and year another does not count by days but rather by events either astrological or historical. Even the dates that are have been variously altared from time to time. So the Book of Mormon states that Lehi left Jerusalem 600 years before the birth of Jesus. Scholars count the same as 598-597 B.C. A few years diference. Really not too bad for how various dates have been kept and accounted for in all the variously different manners and ways. There is no anachronism in it and the best we can do is to sinqranize the the events of them both and count them the same.

Part 2