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CHAPTER 50
Moroni fortifies the lands of the Nephites—They build many new
cities—Wars and destructions befell the Nephites in the days of their
wickedness and abomination— |
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72 B.C. |
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1 AND now it came to pass that Moroni did not stop making
preparations for war, or to defend his people against the Lamanites; for he
caused that his armies should commence in the
*commencement of the twentieth year of the reign
of the judges, that they should commence in digging up
aheaps of earth round about all the cities, throughout all
the land which was possessed by the Nephites.
2 And upon the top of these ridges of earth he caused that there should be timbers, yea, works of atimbers built up to the height of a man, round about the cities. 3 And he caused that upon those works of timbers there should be a frame of pickets built upon the timbers round about; and they were strong and high.
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1*
[72 B.C.] a Alma 48:8; Alma 49:4; Alma 52:6 2a Alma 53:4
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4 And he caused towers to be erected that overlooked those
works of picketsa, and he caused
places of security to be built upon those
atowersb, that the
stones and the arrows of the Lamanites could not hurt them.
5 And they were prepared that they could cast stones from the top thereof, according to their pleasure and their strength, and slay him who should attempt to approach near the walls of the city. 6 Thus Moroni did prepare strongholds against the coming of their enemies, round about every city in all the land.
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4a
2 Chr. 14:7-8
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Concerning the East Wilderness |
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7 And it came to pass that Moroni caused that his armies
should go forth into the east wilderness; yea, and they went forth and
drove all the Lamanites who were in the east wilderness into
their own landsa, which were
asouth of the land of Zarahemla.
8 And the land of aNephi did run in a straight course from the east sea to the westa. 9 And it came to pass that when Moroni had driven all the Lamanites out of the east wilderness, which was north of the lands of their own possessions, he caused that the inhabitants who were in the land of Zarahemla and in the land round about should go forth into the east wilderness, even to the borders by the seashore, and possess the land. 10 And he also placed armies on the south, in the borders of their possessions, and caused them to erect afortifications that they might secure their armies and their people from the hands of their enemies.
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| 8a the land of Nephi did run in a straight course from the east sea to the west Now one must consider two things to obtain the proper understanding of what is being stated here. The topic being spoken of is the status of the 'east wilderness' or the land east in respect to the land of the Lamanites. What is not being stated here is a straight line from sea to shining sea. The line being spoken of true enough begins upon the shores of the east sea, but the westward reaches of it ends upon the eastern cordilleras. Certainly at this juncture in time all of the land of the Zoramites in the southeast quarter of what use to be the national lands of Zarahemla was not a considered part of the land of the Lamanites. And the Nephites just did not merely give up all such corresponding Nephite lands to the west so the Lamanites could have a nice straight line running all the way from the sea east to the sea west. Logic and the facts of the matter defy any such interpretation. So first one must consider that it is only the land east which is being spoken of and second, that in the east the land of the Zoramites had become a part of the land of the Lamanites. And as one will further ascertain, that line was held by the Nephites by the line of defensive cities of Aaron on the west at the eastern foot of the eastern cordilleras to Nephihah in the midst of the plains which did graduate down to the shores of the sea and the defensive city of Moroni. |
7a
Alma 22:32 8a 2 Ne. 5:8; Omni 1:12, 27; Mosiah 7:6-7; Mosiah 9:1, 3-4, 14 10a Alma 49:13, 18-24; Alma 53:3-7
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Concerning the Southwest Border |
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11 And thus he cut off all the strongholds of the Lamanites in
the east wilderness, yea, and also on the
westa, fortifying the line between
the Nephites and the Lamanites, between the land of Zarahemla and the land of
Nephi, from the west sea, running by the head of the ariver
Sidon—the Nephites possessing all the land
bnorthward, yea, even all the land which was northward of
the land Bountiful, according to their pleasure.
12 Thus Moroni, with his armies, which did increase daily because of the assurance of protection which his works did bring forth unto them, did seek to cut off the strength and the power of the Lamanites from off the lands of their possessions, that they should have no power upon the lands of their possession.
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11a thus he cut off all the strongholds
of the Lamanties in the east wilderness, yea, and also on the west
This point of transition needs to be emphasized. The 'east wilderness' has
been previously spoken about and the details thereof. It is NOT
the same as the 'west', that being the 'southwestern quarter' of the land.
The 'and also' now jumps completely
away from the matter of the 'east wilderness' and speaks concerning the
separate matter of the land west. And as we will come to find, the matter of
the land west which borders upon the land of the Lamanites is from Manti in
the highland valley of the upper Sidon river to the west sea from that
location. And we will find that that line of defensive cities consisted of
Manti, Cumeni, Zeezrom, and Antiparah and thence to a 'city by the sea' which
goes unnamed, Judea being in the region but to the north of the southern line as perhaps was Zeezrom.
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11a
Alma 2:15;
Alma 22:29 b Morm 2:3
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Back Concerning East Coast |
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13 And it came to pass that the Nephites began the foundation of a
city, and they called the name of the city aMoroni; and it
was by the east sea; and it was on the south by the line of the
possessions of the Lamanitesa.
14 And they also began a foundation for a city between the city of Moroni and the city of Aarona, joining the borders of Aaron and Moroni; and they called the name of the city, or the land, aNephihah. 15 And they also began in that same year to build many cities on the north, one in a particular manner which they called aLehi, which was in the north by the borders of the seashorea. 16 And thus ended the twentieth year.
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13a it was on the south by the line
of the possession of the Lamanites Moroni is the first of the
new defensive cities which Captain Moroni does cause to be built. It was
on the southern border of the land of the Lamanites.
 15a Lehi, which was in the north by the borders of the seashore When the record begins to speak of the cities 'north' of this southern line of border defense, it first speaks of the city of Lehi, it being the first of the cities north along the sea shore, it being immediately north of the city of Moroni. |
13a
Alma 51:22-24;
Alma 62:32, 34; 3 Ne. 8:9 14a Alma 51:24-26; Alma 59:5; Alma 62:18 (14, 18, 26) 15a Alma 51:26 (24-26); Alma 62:30
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71 B.C. |
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17 And in these prosperous circumstances were the people of Nephi in
the *commencement of the twenty and first year
of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
18 And they did prosper aexceedingly, and they became exceedingly rich; yea, and they did multiply and wax strong in the land. 19 And thus we see how merciful and just are all the dealings of the Lord, to the fulfilling of all his words unto the children of men; yea, we can behold that his words are verified, even at this time, which he spake unto Lehi, saying: 20 Blessed art thou and thy children; and they shall be blessed, inasmuch as they shall keep my acommandments they shall prosper in the land. But remember, inasmuch as they will not keep my commandments they shall be bcut off from the presence of the Lord.
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17*
[71 B.C.] 18a Alma 1:29 20a Lev. 25:18-19; Ps. 1:3 (2-3); Alma 37:13; Alma 62:48 b Ps. 37:2; D&C 1:14
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21 And we see that these promises have been verified to the people of
Nephi; for it has been their quarrelings and their contentions, yea, their
murderings, and their plunderings, their idolatry, their whoredoms, and their
abominations, which were among
themselvesa, which
abrought upon them their wars and their destructions.
22 And those who were faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord were delivered at all times, whilst thousands of their wicked brethren have been consigned to bondage, or to perish by the sword, or to dwindle in unbelief, and mingle with the Lamanites. 23 But behold there never was a ahappier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni, yea, even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the reign of the judges.
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21a
Alma 41:10 23a 2 Ne. 5:27; Mosiah 2:41; 4 Ne. 1:16 (15-18)
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70 & 69 B.C. |
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24 And it came to pass that the twenty and second year of the
reign of the judges also ended in peace; yea, and also the twenty
and third year.
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68 B.C. |
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25 And it came to pass that in the
*commencement of the twenty and fourth year of
the reign of the judges, there would also have been peace among the people of
Nephi had it not been for a acontention which took
place among them concerning the land of bLehi, and the land
of cMoriantona,
which joined upon the borders of Lehi; both of which were on the borders by
the seashore.
26 For behold, the people who possessed the land of Morianton did claim a part of the land of Lehi; therefore there began to be a warm acontention between them, insomuch that the people of Morianton took up arms against their brethren, and they were determined by the sword to slay them. 27 But behold, the people who possessed the land of Lehi fled to the camp of Moroni, and appealed unto him for assistance; for behold they were not in the wrong.
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25a a contention which took place among them concerning the land of Lehi, and the land of Morianton Now this is the first contention among the Nephites themselves since that passage of four years from the time of Amalickiah's dissent as recorded in Alma 48:20. Thus the four years of the 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd years had passed without any internal strife. |
25*
[68 B.C.] a TG Condention b Hel. 6:10 c Alma 51:26 26a 3 Ne. 11:29
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Morianton's Intent to Possess Land Northward |
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28 And it came to pass that when the people of Morianton, who
were led by a man whose name was Morianton, found that the people
of Lehi had fled to the camp of Moroni, they were exceedingly
fearful lest the army of Moroni should come upon them and destroy
them.
29 Therefore, Morianton put it into their hearts that they should flee to the land which was northward, which was covered with alarge bodies of watera, and take possession of the land which was bnorthward.
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29a the land which was northward, which was covered with large bodies of water 'Was' used here might infer a past tense, meaning that the land northward of Chief Commander Moroni's day of 70 B.C. which was 'covered' by large bodies of water, was not so much covered by all those large bodies of water any longer in Mormon's day. And of course, modern archaeology, which contends against the Bible in the universal flood of Noah and the division of the land in the days of Peleg, certainly do not support such large bodies of water as the Book of Mormon records. Now, they do agree that the land of the earth was once all one land, and many other relevant items, but their time frame places such hundreds of thousands of years ago, outside of the history of man. And so is the time frame for such as the Amazon Sea, the great body of water that filled the Nevada Basin, the great Lake Bonneville and other such intermountain lakes as well as the possiblely of enclosed bodies of water in the gulf of Mexico regions. These were 'large bodies of water', not just a mere few swampy lakes at a minute spot on the eastern coast of Mesoamerica. These were large bodies of water which 'covered' the land northward. Apostle Legrand Richards in his book 'A Marvelous Work and a Wonder', page 74 recounts the Washoe Indian Legend which seem to record the terrible cataclysmic events upon the land northward, North America, at the time of the Savior's death as recorded in the Book of Mormon. That American Indian Legend is not substaniated by the learning and science of man. Neither are the events recorded in the Book of Mormon. The Indian legend tells of the sudden disappearance of one such large body of water within the time frame of the Indian people's passed down legendary accounts. Of course science does not accept this, as man was not even upon the scene when such events would have taken place according to science. But the records of men tell of it in Indian legends and in scriptural accounts. It happened! |
29a
Mosiah 8:8;
Hel. 3:4 (3-4) b Alma 22:31 (29-31); Alma 51:30
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Maid Servant Reveals Morianton's Plan |
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30 And behold, they would have carried this plan into effect,
(which would have been a cause to have been lamented) but behold,
Morianton being a man of much passion, therefore he was angry
with one of his maid servants, and he fell upon her and beat her
much.
31 And it came to pass that she fled, and came over to the camp of Moroni, and told Moroni all things concerning the matter, and also concerning their intentions to flee into the land northward. 32 Now behold, the people who were in the land Bountiful, or rather Moroni, feared that they would hearken to the words of Morianton and unite with his people, and thus he would obtain possession of those parts of the land, which would lay a foundation for serious consequences among the people of Nephi, yea, which aconsequences would lead to the overthrow of their bliberty.
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32a
TG
Contention;
TG
Division b TG Liberty
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Teancum Heads Off the People of Morianton |
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33 Therefore Moroni sent an army, with their camp, to head the
people of Morianton, to stop their flight into the land
northward.
34 And it came to pass that they did not ahead them until they had come to the borders of the land bDesolation; and there they did head them, by the narrow pass which led by the sea into the land northwarda, yea, by the sea, on the west and on the eastb.
 35 And it came to pass that the army which was sent by Moroni, which was led by a man whose name was Teancum, did meet the people of Morianton; and so stubborn were the people of Morianton, (being inspired by his wickedness and his aflattering words) that a battle commenced between them, in the which Teancum did bslay Morianton and defeat his army, and took them prisoners, and returned to the camp of Moroni. And thus ended the twenty and fourth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi. 36 And thus were the people of Morianton brought back. And upon their acovenanting to keep the peace they were restored to the land of Morianton, and a union took place between them and the people of Lehi; and they were also restored to their lands.
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34a the narrow pass which led by the
sea Many who read the Book of Mormon consider the 'narrow pass'
to reference a single pass of some type, an interior canyon passage through
mountainous terrain. That is their own presumption. What the Book of Mormon
states is that the 'narrow pass', also elsewhere referenced as the 'narrow
passage' (Mormon 2:29), 'led by the sea'. In the Northland of
New Zealand there is a long wide stretch of beach called 'Ninty Mile Beach'.
At high tide, the Ocean waters lap all the way in, covering the entire Beach
with water. At low tide, the beach widens and is passable by road vehicles
for nearly 60 miles, nearly to the north cape. The Isthmus of Darien's
entire interior region is of such a jungle rainforest terrain so impenetrable
that the international highway which was to be built through this isthmus
region could not be made and men cannot transverse it except with immense
difficulty though the natives who know its secrets do so regularly. Yet the
coastal beaches are passable in a similar way as is Ninty Mile Beach in New
Zealand.
34b yea, by the sea, on the west and on the east 'Yea! By the Sea!' The geography of the Isthmus region between Colombia and Panama is such that there are just such beach passages. As I recall, the western shoreline not only varies with the tide but also with the seasons of the year and is therefore less reliable and not as easily accessible. The eastern shoreline beach is bound by the near mountain jungle terrain which is very difficult to transverse. Except when the Ocean is at low tide, one needs not pass by way of the mountainous jungle terrain because of the 'narrow passage' upon the beach becomes readily accessible. (NOTE: The Book of Mormon does not use the word 'beach' in relationship to this narrow passage by the sea. While the word 'beach' does appear in translation of (Alma 51:32), where it redundantly states 'beach by the seashore', because certainly a beach is upon or by the seashore; the phrase 'by the seashore' seems to match the concept of 'by the sea' and beach as a mere redundant clarification of translation. Thus is left some question if there was such an independant concept of 'beach' available in the character symbols readily available in relation to the concept of 'narrow passage' to be used as 'beach' rather than 'by the sea' as both are redundantly used in the translation of Alma 51:32. A common relative Biblical reference would be the 'sands of the sea' which is awkward to associate with the concept of a passage way. 'By the sea' (also translated as 'by the seashore' when appropriate) might just be the best 'word symbol' reference to such a 'beach passage' that Mormon had to use due to the weakness of their written language in Reformed Egyptian characters or symbols.) |
34a
Hel. 1:28-30 b Alma 46:17; Morm. 3:5, 7 35a Mosiah 27:8; Hel. 1:7; Hel. 2:5 b Alma 51:29 36a 1 Ne. 4:37; Alma 44:15
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Chief Judge Nephihah Dies |
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37 And it came to pass that in the same year that the people of Nephi
had peace restored unto them, that Nephihah, the asecond
chief judge, died, having filled the judgment-seat with
bperfect uprightness before God.
38 Nevertheless, he had refused Alma to take possession of those arecords and those things which were esteemed by Alma and his fathers to be most sacred; therefore Alma had conferred bthem upon his son, Helaman. 39 Behold, it came to pass that the son of Nephihah was appointed to fill the judgment-seat, in the stead of his father; yea, he was appointed chief judge and agovernor over the people, with an boath and sacred ordinance to judge righteously, and to keep the peace and the cfreedom of the people, and to grant unto them their sacred privileges to worship the Lord their God, yea, to support and maintain the cause of God all his days, and to bring the wicked to justice according to their crime. 40 Now behold, his name was aPahoran. And Pahoran did fill the seat of his father, and did commence his reign in the end of the twenty and fourth year, over the people of Nephi.
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37a
Alma 4:17 (16-18) b TG Perfection 38a Alma 37:1-5; Alma 45:2-8 b 3 Ne. 1:2 39a Alma 60:1 b TG Oath; TG Ordinance c Alma 4:16-17; Hel. 1:5 (3-5, 13) 40a Alma 59:3; Alma 61:1; Hel. 1:2
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| * Verse 1 [72 B.C.]; Verse 17 [71 B.C.]; Verse 25 [68 B.C.]. | ||
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