Book of Mormon Commentary - Alma 3

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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. [87 B.C.]
1 AND it came to pass that the Nephites who were not ^aslain 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.		1^a Alma 2:19; Alma 4:2
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 ^awaters of Sidon; and behold their bones are in the depths of the ^bsea^a, and they are many. 4 And the ^aAmlicites were distinguished from the Nephites, for they had ^bmarked themselves with red in their foreheads after the manner of the Lamanites; nevertheless they had not shorn their heads like unto the Lamanites.	3^a 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 there bones are in the depths of the sea This is the first direct Book of Mormon evidence of the greatness of the force and of the size of the River Sidon. Hundreds, even thousands upon thousands of bodies of the Lamanites and Amilicites were cast into the Sidon river at the mid-way, center or heart of the land location of the city of Zarahemla. From that interior land site, the thousands of the bodies of the Lamanites and Amilicites were swept on out to sea likely becoming a part of the depositing alluvial fan of the river's sedimentary build up located at it mouth where it dumps into the sea. Today that deposited sediment of the Magadalena river has spread out and even caused land build up at the river's spread out enlarged mouth region that would have been greatly enhanced at the time of all the destruction at the time of Christ's death the the destructive forces upon the land that filled the river's course at that time. Today the enormous 'debris field' region collects sediment deposit from four rivers where often the flow of the Magdalena floods the land and 'valleys' and even causes the other three rivers, including the Cauca, to flow backwards for a time. And today there is even an out of control 'invasive' population of hippopotamus flurishing having escaped from a 'drug lord's compound' of all things, living in those lower slow moving and spread out regions of the Magadalena today. During earlier the Book of Mormon times the bodies did not cummulate along the shores, upon the rocks and in the edies and shallows of the river to decay, but they were taken on down the river and swept out to sea. And while the bodies or the bones of those killed in the wilderness of Hermounts were found as devoured by the wild beast, no account is given that ever were the bodies of dead cast into the river did cause any such lasting problems of being found caught up down stream or along the banks of the river, but they were swept out to sea. This yields the image that the Sidon river is not a small river or even a slow meandering river but a great river in size, depth and current all the way out to sea. Other evidence will also support this conclusion that the Sidon was such a river even from its many tributary origins in the highlands of Manti. And as previously set forth, the size of Sidon does correlate with that of the Magdalena river of Columbia which was navigatible for a vast distance inland and suggests the possiblity that they who brought Mulek to America may have even sailed up the river to establish their great central city in the very interior and center of the land rather than upon some sea coast.	3^a Alma 2:15; Alma 4:4 ^b Alma 44:22 4^a Alma 2:11, 24 ^b Alma 3:13-19
5 Now the heads of the Lamanites were shorn; and they were ^anaked, save it were skin which was girded about their loins^a, 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^a, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a ^acurse 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 ^amark 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 ^amix and believe in incorrect ^btraditions which would prove their destruction. Skin of Darkness Scripture never was to be politically translated and marked to be 'politically correct'. Scripture but tells it like it is. In fact, if you take of your clothes but a pair of briefs all day long while living along the equator, a funny thing happens, your skin become perpetually and permanently sun tanned darked; the longer in the sun, the darker you will darken. Often God utilizes the natural means by which his curses and 'mirales' are brought about. While living in Hawaii for a season, I came very much aware of a number of 'white Europeans' who lived in Hawaii had become permanently 'dark skinned' from continued full exposure to the full sun on the beaches day in and day out. They were very often even darker skinned than their brother Hawaiians and Polynesian. That is the case of a person at a time. Eventually over time, a perpetual life style of exposing one's skin to the sun will begin to generate a natural mutation which is past on to one's children, that they are born an darker skinned from birth from this now family trait of being dark skinned. Thus the correlation between the dark skinned Afrians and the Lamanites is not exactly the same matter at all and it is NOT disriminatory in today's 'politially correctness' to call the Lamanites to have become darked skinned, as it was of a result of running around naked in the direct Ecuator sun dayin and dayout. Science today often warns against too much exposure to the sun and the skin damaging effects that it can have. The Lamanites seemed to have been their own culprit in this matter of running around naked in the direct skin darkinging sun day after day. And it would be a curse to run around naked all the time and certainly not worthy of God's approval. It is called 'melanin' skin adaptation.	5^a the heads of the Lamanites were shorn; and they were naked save it were shin which was girded about thier loins The image of the Lamanite is consistant throughout (Alma 43:20) the Book of Mormon from the earliest of times of Enos (Enos 1:20) the son of Jacob the brother of Nephi to the end of the Book of Mormon and down to the time of the pagan civilizations of the human sacrificing Mayan. 6^a the skin of the Lamanites were dark Now this mark of a dark skin was according to the hand of God. But there is also a possible natural cause to it. For the Lamanites were basically 'naked' and exposed to the sun all the day long. In Hawaii the result of such skin exposure is so seen upon many who are white Europeans, and that is that their skins are made dark like unto the Polynesians and it after so many years of exposure does become permenant upon them. That this did seem to genetically pass in the posterity of the Lamanites is the matter of God's hand upon them. But the mark was brought upon them by their own actions and perhaps as simple of an action of walking before the sun naked all the day long.	5^a Enos 1:20; Mosiah 10:8; Alma 43:20 (18-21) 6^a 2 Ne. 5:21; 2 Ne. 26:33; TG Curse 7^a Alma 12:23 8^a TG Marriage, Interfaith; TG Separation ^b Mosiah 10:12 (11-18); Alma 9:16 Mormon a Mayan Priest? In a recent promotion to solicite LDS travelors to Mesoamerica, an advertising newspaper declares that the prophet Mormon was a 'Mayan Priest'. It states that the Lamanites and Nephites were but the same people culturally and did share the same manner of dress. Now in all truth, can you see God's prophet dressed as a 'NAKED' Mayan priest?
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 ^atradition 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 ^bcalled the Nephites, or the people of Nephi, from that time forth— 12 And it is they who have kept the records which are ^atrue of their people, and also of the people of the Lamanites.		11^a Alma 17:9-11 ^b Alma 2:11 12^a Mosiah 1:6; Ether 4:11 (6-11)
13 Now we will return again to the Amlicites, for they also had a ^amark set upon them; yea, they set the mark upon themselves, yea, even a mark of red upon their foreheads. 14 Thus the word of God is fulfilled, for these are the words which he said to Nephi: Behold, the Lamanites have I cursed, and I will set a mark on them that they and their seed may be ^aseparated from thee and thy seed, from this time henceforth and forever, except they repent of their wickedness and ^bturn to me that I may have mercy upon them. 15 And again: I will set a mark upon him that mingleth his seed with thy brethren, that they may be cursed also. 16 And again: I will set a mark upon him that fighteth against thee and thy seed.		13^a Alma 3:4 14^a TG Separation ^b 2 Ne. 30:6 (4-7)
17 And again, I say he that departeth from thee shall no more be called thy seed; and I will bless thee, and whomsoever shall be called thy seed, henceforth and forever; and these were the promises of the Lord unto Nephi and to his seed. 18 Now the Amlicites knew not that they were fulfilling the words of God when they began to mark themselves in their foreheads; nevertheless they had come out in open ^arebellion against God; therefore it was expedient that the curse should fall upon them. 19 Now I would that ye should see that they brought upon themselves the ^acurse; and even so doth every man that is cursed bring upon himself his own condemnation.		18^a Josh. 22:18; 4 Ne. 1:38; TG Rebellion 19^a 2 Ne. 5:21-25; Alma 17:15
20 Now it came to pass that not many days after the battle which was fought in the land of Zarahemla, by the Lamanites and the Amlicites, that there was another army of the Lamanites came in upon the people of Nephi, in the ^asame place where the first army met the Amlicites. 21 And it came to pass that there was an army sent to drive them out of their land.		20^a Alma 2:24
22 Now Alma himself being afflicted with a ^awound did not go up to battle at this time against the Lamanites; 23 But he sent up a numerous army against them; and they went up and slew many of the Lamanites, and drove the remainder of them out of the borders of their land. 24 And then they returned again and began to establish peace in the land, being troubled no more for a time with their enemies.		22^a Alma 2:30 (29-30)
25 Now all these things were done, yea, all these wars and contentions were commenced and ended in the *fifth year of the reign of the judges. 26 And in one year were thousands and tens of thousands of souls sent to the eternal world, that they might reap their ^arewards according to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which they listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one. 27 For every man receiveth ^awages of him whom he listeth to ^bobey, and this according to the words of the spirit of prophecy; therefore let it be according to the truth. And thus endeth the fifth year of the reign of the judges.		25^* [87 B.C.] 26^a Ps. 7:16; TG Agency; TG Reward 27^a Mosiah 2:32 (32-33); Alma 5:42 (41-42); TG Wages ^b Rom. 6:16 (14-18); Hel. 14:31 (19-31)

* Verse 25 [87 B.C.].

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