Book of Mormon Commentary - Ether 15

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial] Commentary & Explanation Footnotes ~ References ~ JST

             CHAPTER 15
Millions of the Jaredites are slain in battle—Shiz and Coriantumnr assemble all the people to mortal combat—The Spirit of the Lord ceases to strive with them—The Jaredit nation is utterly destroyed—The Jaredite nation is utterly destroyed—Only Coriantumr remains.

1 AND it came to pass when Coriantumr had recovered of his wounds, he began to remember the ^awords which Ether had spoken unto him.
2 He saw that there had been slain by the sword already nearly ^atwo millions of his people, and he began to sorrow in his heart; yea, there had been slain two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children.
3 He began to repent of the evil which he had done^a; he began to remember the words which had been spoken by the mouth of all the prophets, and he saw them that they were fulfilled thus far, every whit; and his soul ^amourned and refused to be ^bcomforted.
3^a He began to repent of the evil which he had done How often does one 'begin to repent'? But repentance is a total process unto a newness of life and just beginning is not enough, for one must persist unto completion. Even when a repentance does eventually take effect there is no common guarantee that one will not fall back into sin. Therefore Coriantumr's beginning of repentance was not sufficent unto the forgiving of sin and coming unto a newness of life in Christ. And he would fall back and war and fight again and his repentance was not unto completion. 1^a Ether 13:20 (20-21)
2^a Ether 1:43
3^a TG Mourning
   ^b Gen. 37:35; Moses 7:44; TG Comfort

4 And it came to pass that he wrote an epistle unto Shiz, desiring him that he would spare the people, and he would give up the kingdom for the sake of the lives of the people.
5 And it came to pass that when Shiz had received his epistle he wrote an epistle unto Coriantumr, that if he would give himself up, that he might slay him with his own sword, that he would spare the lives of the people.

6 And it came to pass that the people repented not of their iniquity; and the people of Coriantumr were stirred up to anger against the people of Shiz; and the people of Shiz were stirred up to anger against the people of Coriantumr; wherefore, the people of Shiz did give battle unto the people of Coriantumr.
7 And when Coriantumr saw that he was about to fall he fled again before the people of Shiz.
8 And it came to pass that he came to the waters of Ripliancum, which, by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all; wherefore, when they came to these waters they pitched their tents; and Shiz also pitched his tents near unto them; and therefore on the morrow they did come to battle.

9 And it came to pass that they fought an exceedingly sore battle, in which Coriantumr was wounded again, and he fainted with the loss of blood.
10 And it came to pass that the armies of Coriantumr did press upon the armies of Shiz that they beat them, that they caused them to flee before them; and they did flee southward, and did pitch their tents in a place which was called Ogath.
11 And it came to pass that the army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was that same hill where my father Mormon did ^ahide up the records unto the Lord, which were sacred.
11^a Morm. 6:6

Four Year Intrim To Gahter Every Soul

12 And it came to pass that they did gather together all the people upon all the face of the land, who had not been slain, save it was Ether.
13 And it came to pass that Ether did ^abehold all the doings of the people; and he beheld that the people who were for Coriantumr were gathered together to the army of Coriantumr; and the people who were for Shiz were gathered together to the army of Shiz.
14 Wherefore, they were for the space of four years gathering together the people, that they might get all who were upon the face of the land, and that they might receive all the strength which it was possible that they could receive.
13^a Ether 13:14

Final Battle Day One

15 And it came to pass that when they were all gathered together, every one to the army which he would, with their wives and their children—both men women and children being armed with ^aweapons of war, having shields, and ^bbreastplates, and head-plates, and being clothed after the manner of war—they did march forth one against another to battle; and they fought all that day, and conquered not.
16 And it came to pass that when it was night they were weary, and retired to their camps; and after they had retired to their camps they took up a howling and a ^alamentation for the loss of the slain of their people; and so great were their cries, their howlings and lamentations, that they did rend the air exceedingly.
15^a Ether 10:27
     ^b Mosiah 8:10
16^a TG Mourning

Final Battle Day Two

17 And it came to pass that on the morrow they did go again to battle, and great and terrible was that day; nevertheless, they conquered not, and when the night came again they did rend the air with their cries, and their howlings, and their mournings, for the loss of the slain of their people.
18 And it came to pass that Coriantumr wrote again an epistle unto Shiz, desiring that he would not come again to battle, but that he would take the kingdom, and spare the lives of the people.

Final Battle Day Three

19 But {And} behold, the ^aSpirit of the Lord had ceased striving with them, and ^bSatan had full power over the ^chearts of the people; for they were given up unto the hardness of their hearts, and the blindness of their minds that they might be destroyed; wherefore they went again to battle.
20 And it came to pass that they fought all that day, and when the night came they slept upon their swords.
19^a TG God, Spirit of; TG Holy Ghost, Loss of
   ^b TG Devil
   ^c TG Hardheartedness

Final Battle Day Four

21 And on the morrow they fought even until the night came.
22 And when the night came they were ^adrunken with anger, even as a man who is drunken with wine; and they slept again upon their swords.
22^a Moro. 9:23

Final Battle Day Five

23 And on the morrow they fought again; and when the night came they had all fallen by the sword save it were fifty and two of the people of Coriantumr, and sixty and nine of the people of Shiz.

Final Battle Day Six

24 And it came to pass that they slept upon their swords that night, and on the morrow they fought again, and they contended in their might with their swords and with their shields, all that day.
25 And when the night came there were thirty and two of the people of Shiz, and twenty and seven of the people of Coriantumr.

Final Battle Day Seven - First Three Hours and Flight

26 And it came to pass that they ate and slept, and prepared for death on the morrow. And they were large and mighty men as to the strength of men.
27 And it came to pass that they fought for the space of three hours, and they fainted with the loss of blood.
28 And it came to pass that when the men of Coriantumr had received sufficient strength that they could walk, they were about to flee for their lives; but behold, Shiz arose, and also his men, and he swore in his wrath that he would slay Coriantumr or he would perish by the sword.

Final Battle Day Eight - Pursuit & Final Encounter

29 Wherefore, he did pursue them, and on the morrow he did overtake them^a; and they fought again with the sword. And it came to pass that when they had ^aall fallen by the sword, save it were Coriantumr and Shiz, behold Shiz had fainted with the loss of blood.
30 And it came to pass that when Coriantumr had leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote off the head of Shiz.
31 And it came to pass that after he had smitten off the head of Shiz, that Shiz raised upon his hands and ^afell; and after that he had struggled for breath, he died.
32 And it came to pass that ^aCoriantumr fell to the earth, and became as if he had no life.
29^a he did pursue them, and on the morrow he did again overtake them Now many quick read students of the Book of Mormon like to place the final wars of the Jaredites on that same scene and hill of Cumorah. We have already discussed that while the hill Ramah and Cumorah was the same, that the Jaridates did after their one time location of Ramah went forth of all their land gathering all the remaining people of the land unto the army of Shiz or to the army of Coriantumr. And this gathering lasted for four years. That they would have returned to the more remote norther location of Cumorah after this four year general gathering in the various lands of the Jaredites is not particularly reasonable nor does the Book of Mormon state that they did. What it does state in verse 15, it that after having so gathered all the remaining people after this four years, the did 'march forth' against each other. This does not paint a picture of a battle upon a hill. And this last pursuit which lasts over the space of a part of a day and night would further remove the last fighting from any such central location. 29^a Ether 13:21
31^a Judg. 5:27 (26-27)
32^a Omni 1:21 (20-22)

Ether Commanded to Leave Cave and Witness Destruction

33 And the Lord spake unto Ether, and said unto him: Go forth. And he went forth, and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled^a; and he ^afinished his ^brecord; (and the ^chundredth part I have not written) and he hid them in a manner that the people of Limhi did find them.
34 Now the last words which are written by ^aEther are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that I am ^bsaved in the kingdom of God. Amen.

15^a the Lord spake unto Ether, and said unto him: Go forth . And he went forth. and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled Ether had been encamped in his cave for all the years of the destruction, viewing the destruction by night visions from God. Now after all was done, the destruction was complete, the Lord commanded Ether to leave the cave he had made his home and 'Go Forth' and witness and for the first time see 'firsthand' if what the Lord had told him and showed him in his 'night visions' was not so. One argument that wieghs in that Ether never did travel all the way to the final battle site, where ever it may have been, is that he does not, according to Moroni, reconcile his account of the apparent death of Coriantumr despite the Lord's word that Coriantumr would not die by the sword. Ether and Corniantumr would not see each other again from that last time of warning. Corianturmr would live not knowing that Ether survived, and Ether would leave it to the hand of God as to the final fate of Coriantumr one way or the other, dead or alive and how. 33^a Ether 13:14
     ^b Mosiah 8:9; Mosiah 21:27; Mosiah 28:11;
       Alma 37:21-31; Ether 1:2 (1-5)
     ^c 3 Ne. 26:6; Ether 3:17
34^a Ether 1:6; Ether 11:23; Ether 12:2
     ^b Mosiah 13:9

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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 15 Millions of the Jaredites are slain in battle—Shiz and Coriantumnr assemble all the people to mortal combat—The Spirit of the Lord ceases to strive with them—The Jaredit nation is utterly destroyed—The Jaredite nation is utterly destroyed—Only Coriantumr remains.
1 AND it came to pass when Coriantumr had recovered of his wounds, he began to remember the ^awords which Ether had spoken unto him. 2 He saw that there had been slain by the sword already nearly ^atwo millions of his people, and he began to sorrow in his heart; yea, there had been slain two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children. 3 He began to repent of the evil which he had done^a; he began to remember the words which had been spoken by the mouth of all the prophets, and he saw them that they were fulfilled thus far, every whit; and his soul ^amourned and refused to be ^bcomforted.	3^a He began to repent of the evil which he had done How often does one 'begin to repent'? But repentance is a total process unto a newness of life and just beginning is not enough, for one must persist unto completion. Even when a repentance does eventually take effect there is no common guarantee that one will not fall back into sin. Therefore Coriantumr's beginning of repentance was not sufficent unto the forgiving of sin and coming unto a newness of life in Christ. And he would fall back and war and fight again and his repentance was not unto completion.	1^a Ether 13:20 (20-21) 2^a Ether 1:43 3^a TG Mourning ^b Gen. 37:35; Moses 7:44; TG Comfort
4 And it came to pass that he wrote an epistle unto Shiz, desiring him that he would spare the people, and he would give up the kingdom for the sake of the lives of the people. 5 And it came to pass that when Shiz had received his epistle he wrote an epistle unto Coriantumr, that if he would give himself up, that he might slay him with his own sword, that he would spare the lives of the people.
6 And it came to pass that the people repented not of their iniquity; and the people of Coriantumr were stirred up to anger against the people of Shiz; and the people of Shiz were stirred up to anger against the people of Coriantumr; wherefore, the people of Shiz did give battle unto the people of Coriantumr. 7 And when Coriantumr saw that he was about to fall he fled again before the people of Shiz. 8 And it came to pass that he came to the waters of Ripliancum, which, by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all; wherefore, when they came to these waters they pitched their tents; and Shiz also pitched his tents near unto them; and therefore on the morrow they did come to battle.
9 And it came to pass that they fought an exceedingly sore battle, in which Coriantumr was wounded again, and he fainted with the loss of blood. 10 And it came to pass that the armies of Coriantumr did press upon the armies of Shiz that they beat them, that they caused them to flee before them; and they did flee southward, and did pitch their tents in a place which was called Ogath. 11 And it came to pass that the army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was that same hill where my father Mormon did ^ahide up the records unto the Lord, which were sacred.		11^a Morm. 6:6
Four Year Intrim To Gahter Every Soul
12 And it came to pass that they did gather together all the people upon all the face of the land, who had not been slain, save it was Ether. 13 And it came to pass that Ether did ^abehold all the doings of the people; and he beheld that the people who were for Coriantumr were gathered together to the army of Coriantumr; and the people who were for Shiz were gathered together to the army of Shiz. 14 Wherefore, they were for the space of four years gathering together the people, that they might get all who were upon the face of the land, and that they might receive all the strength which it was possible that they could receive.		13^a Ether 13:14
Final Battle Day One
15 And it came to pass that when they were all gathered together, every one to the army which he would, with their wives and their children—both men women and children being armed with ^aweapons of war, having shields, and ^bbreastplates, and head-plates, and being clothed after the manner of war—they did march forth one against another to battle; and they fought all that day, and conquered not. 16 And it came to pass that when it was night they were weary, and retired to their camps; and after they had retired to their camps they took up a howling and a ^alamentation for the loss of the slain of their people; and so great were their cries, their howlings and lamentations, that they did rend the air exceedingly.		15^a Ether 10:27 ^b Mosiah 8:10 16^a TG Mourning
Final Battle Day Two
17 And it came to pass that on the morrow they did go again to battle, and great and terrible was that day; nevertheless, they conquered not, and when the night came again they did rend the air with their cries, and their howlings, and their mournings, for the loss of the slain of their people. 18 And it came to pass that Coriantumr wrote again an epistle unto Shiz, desiring that he would not come again to battle, but that he would take the kingdom, and spare the lives of the people.
Final Battle Day Three
19 But {And} behold, the ^aSpirit of the Lord had ceased striving with them, and ^bSatan had full power over the ^chearts of the people; for they were given up unto the hardness of their hearts, and the blindness of their minds that they might be destroyed; wherefore they went again to battle. 20 And it came to pass that they fought all that day, and when the night came they slept upon their swords.		19^a TG God, Spirit of; TG Holy Ghost, Loss of ^b TG Devil ^c TG Hardheartedness
Final Battle Day Four
21 And on the morrow they fought even until the night came. 22 And when the night came they were ^adrunken with anger, even as a man who is drunken with wine; and they slept again upon their swords.		22^a Moro. 9:23
Final Battle Day Five
23 And on the morrow they fought again; and when the night came they had all fallen by the sword save it were fifty and two of the people of Coriantumr, and sixty and nine of the people of Shiz.
Final Battle Day Six
24 And it came to pass that they slept upon their swords that night, and on the morrow they fought again, and they contended in their might with their swords and with their shields, all that day. 25 And when the night came there were thirty and two of the people of Shiz, and twenty and seven of the people of Coriantumr.
Final Battle Day Seven - First Three Hours and Flight
26 And it came to pass that they ate and slept, and prepared for death on the morrow. And they were large and mighty men as to the strength of men. 27 And it came to pass that they fought for the space of three hours, and they fainted with the loss of blood. 28 And it came to pass that when the men of Coriantumr had received sufficient strength that they could walk, they were about to flee for their lives; but behold, Shiz arose, and also his men, and he swore in his wrath that he would slay Coriantumr or he would perish by the sword.
Final Battle Day Eight - Pursuit & Final Encounter
29 Wherefore, he did pursue them, and on the morrow he did overtake them^a; and they fought again with the sword. And it came to pass that when they had ^aall fallen by the sword, save it were Coriantumr and Shiz, behold Shiz had fainted with the loss of blood. 30 And it came to pass that when Coriantumr had leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote off the head of Shiz. 31 And it came to pass that after he had smitten off the head of Shiz, that Shiz raised upon his hands and ^afell; and after that he had struggled for breath, he died. 32 And it came to pass that ^aCoriantumr fell to the earth, and became as if he had no life.	29^a he did pursue them, and on the morrow he did again overtake them Now many quick read students of the Book of Mormon like to place the final wars of the Jaredites on that same scene and hill of Cumorah. We have already discussed that while the hill Ramah and Cumorah was the same, that the Jaridates did after their one time location of Ramah went forth of all their land gathering all the remaining people of the land unto the army of Shiz or to the army of Coriantumr. And this gathering lasted for four years. That they would have returned to the more remote norther location of Cumorah after this four year general gathering in the various lands of the Jaredites is not particularly reasonable nor does the Book of Mormon state that they did. What it does state in verse 15, it that after having so gathered all the remaining people after this four years, the did 'march forth' against each other. This does not paint a picture of a battle upon a hill. And this last pursuit which lasts over the space of a part of a day and night would further remove the last fighting from any such central location.	29^a Ether 13:21 31^a Judg. 5:27 (26-27) 32^a Omni 1:21 (20-22)
Ether Commanded to Leave Cave and Witness Destruction
33 And the Lord spake unto Ether, and said unto him: Go forth. And he went forth, and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled^a; and he ^afinished his ^brecord; (and the ^chundredth part I have not written) and he hid them in a manner that the people of Limhi did find them. 34 Now the last words which are written by ^aEther are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that I am ^bsaved in the kingdom of God. Amen.	15^a the Lord spake unto Ether, and said unto him: Go forth . And he went forth. and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled Ether had been encamped in his cave for all the years of the destruction, viewing the destruction by night visions from God. Now after all was done, the destruction was complete, the Lord commanded Ether to leave the cave he had made his home and 'Go Forth' and witness and for the first time see 'firsthand' if what the Lord had told him and showed him in his 'night visions' was not so. One argument that wieghs in that Ether never did travel all the way to the final battle site, where ever it may have been, is that he does not, according to Moroni, reconcile his account of the apparent death of Coriantumr despite the Lord's word that Coriantumr would not die by the sword. Ether and Corniantumr would not see each other again from that last time of warning. Corianturmr would live not knowing that Ether survived, and Ether would leave it to the hand of God as to the final fate of Coriantumr one way or the other, dead or alive and how.	33^a Ether 13:14 ^b Mosiah 8:9; Mosiah 21:27; Mosiah 28:11; Alma 37:21-31; Ether 1:2 (1-5) ^c 3 Ne. 26:6; Ether 3:17 34^a Ether 1:6; Ether 11:23; Ether 12:2 ^b Mosiah 13:9