Book of Mormon Commentary - Ether 2

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 2 The Jaredites prepare for their journey to the promised land—It is a choice land whereon men must serve Christ or be swept off—The Lord talks to the brother of Jared for three hours—They build barges—The Lord asks the brother of Jared to propose how the barges shall be lighted.	The Jaredites, named after Jared the brother of Mahonri Moriancumr, prepare for their journey to the land of promise/covenant—God's decree is that it is a choice land whereon men must serve Christ/Jehovah or be swept off—The Lord talks to the brother of Mahonri Moriancumr for three hours—The Jaredites build barges—And the Lord asks Mahonri to suggest how the barges should be lighted.
1 AND it came to pass that Jared and his brother, and their families, and also the ^afriends of Jared and his brother and their families, went down into the valley which was northward^a, (and the name of the valley was ^bNimrod, being called after the mighty hunter) with their ^cflocks which they had gathered together, male and female, of every kind. 2 And they did also lay snares and catch ^afowls of the air; and they did also prepare a vessel, in which they did carry with them the fish of the waters^a. 3 And they did also carry with them deseret, which, by interpretation, is a honey bee; and thus they did carry with them ^aswarms of bees, and all manner of that which was upon the face of the land, ^bseeds of every kind.	1^a went down into the valley which was northward Now northward of the supposed site of the Tower of Babel is a wide range of possiblities, but considering it to be that valley which houses a large body of what upon which barges are needed for travel, we might well consider the 2^a they did also prepare a vessel, in which they did carry with them the fish of the waters Now one would wounder why the people of Jared would have to carry with them fish. But one must recall that the flood of Noah did cause sea water to cover the whole of the earth. And when the waters abated, only those lands where Noah's ark did land were farmed as to fresh water fish. The land of America, which had been separated from the land of Noah during the days of Peleg would still need to be restocked according to various varieties of fresh water fishes.	1^a Ether 1:36 ^b Gen. 10:8; 1 Chr. 1:10 ^c Ether 1:41; Ether 6:4; Ether 9:18 (18-19) 2^a Gen. 7:3 (1-3) 3^a 1 Ne. 17:5; 1 Ne. 18:6 ^b 1 Ne. 16:11
4 And it came to pass that when they had come down into the valley of Nimrod the Lord came down and talked with the brother of Jared; and he was in a ^acloud, and the brother of Jared saw him not. 5 And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should ^ago forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been^a. And it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a ^bcloud, and gave ^cdirections whither they should travel.	5^a into that quarter where there never had man been Now as to the exact meaning of this is may be considered. If man had never been there then it might be considered that even the people of Adam before the flood had not been there. Now it the peole of Adam were upon the face of all the earth, then it may be that this quarter of the land was so raised up after the flood. And if the poeple of Adam before the flood did not cover the face of all the earth, then this would be a part of the land upon which they did not so yet come. And then if this speaks only of man since the flood, then it is understood that the children of Noah had not yet come upon it. In any event, there were no other men found in this quarter in that time when Jared, his brother and their company did first come upon it, they being the first.	4^a Num. 11:25; D&C 34:7-9; JS-H 1:68-71 5^a Num. 9:17; Ether 1:42 ^b Ex. 13:21 ^c TG Guidance, Divine
6 And it came to pass that they did travel in the wilderness, and did ^abuild ^bbarges, in which they did cross many waters^a, being directed continually by the hand of the Lord. 7 And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the ^aland of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had ^bpreserved for a righteous people. 8 And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should ^aserve him, the true and only God, or they should be ^bswept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them.	6^a build barges, in which they did cross many waters Now this was no small task or matter, for the barges would have to be large to carry not only the people but also the herds and the fresh water fish which they were carrying with them.	6^a TG Skill ^b Gen. 6:14-15; Ether 2:16 7^a TG Promissed Lands ^b 1 Ne. 4:14 8^a Ether 13:2 ^b Jarom 1:3, 10; Alma 37:28; Ether 9:20
Moroni's Aside Unto the Gentiles Moroni steps back from giving his abridged account of the Jaredites at this particular point to give a brief narative concerning the 'Degrees of God', plural, concerning this land. He does so at the point where God Jehovah has sworn to the brother of Jared the 'promise', 'covenant' and/or 'curse' upon this land, that whoso should posses this land should serve him or they should be swept off (see verse 8 above and versed 9-12 below). That promise and/or curse was that which the wicked of the Jaredites had come under. It was also the same as the Book of Mormon people were under, particularly the Nephites. And it is still the same, as Moroni did see our day of the Gentiles, upon the land in our own time and day. And this last time, the sweeping off of the wicked will come at that time and day of his Second Coming.
9 And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be ^aswept off when the fulness of his ^bwrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ^cripened in iniquity. 10 For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be ^aswept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the ^bfulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are ^cswept off. 11 And this cometh unto you, O ye ^aGentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God—that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the ^bwrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.		9^a 2 Ne. 6:15 ^b TG God, Indignation of ^c Gen. 15:16; 1 Ne. 14:6 10^a Jarom 1:12 ^b 2 Ne. 28:16 ^c 1 Ne. 17:37 11^a 1 Ne. 14:6; 2 Ne. 28:32 ^b Alma 45:16 (10-14, 16); Morm. 1:17
The God of This Land Is Jesus Christ Jesus Christ, who we also know to be the same as Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament, is the God of this Land of Promises of the Americas. Which land is that choice land above all other lands which comes with a promise or covenant, which to the wicked is but a curse unto them. For being wicked they ARE NOT in service to the God of this land, and therefore they will suffer the wrath of God when the do come to the fulness of their wickedness. The Book of Mormon here warns that it happened to the wicked Jaredites, it happened to the wicked Nephites and it will happen to the wicked Gentitles of our day, whom Moroni hath seen us in our day upon the land. Further back we may also conclude upon it that is also happened to the wicked of the seed of Adam in the days of Noah, for so was the Garden of Eden near unto Adam Ondi-Aman where is was that Adam dwelt and held his great council during that end of his lifetime. The founders of this nation who came seeking the religious freedom to worship the God of the Bible understood this intuitively, that the God of this land was and would forever be Jesus Christ, who is the same as Jehovah. Their reference to Him as such was written into their national documents and in their hymns of praise. They named him in the stead of that earthly king under whose hand they had been subject to, naming Him instead to be 'Our God Our King'. Sadly today we have come to an era when many of this country have lost sight of who the God of this land is. They in many instances but mock that while our founders believed in Him, they do not and do not want to take his name upon them. As a God of Free Agentcy, this has always been a matter of choice, but with such choice comes the rewponsibility of consequence. And when the wicked have come into their fulness the God of this land will come in his wrath to destroy.
12 Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be ^afree from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but ^bserve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ^a, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written.	12^a who is Jesus Christ The Book of Mormon does teach us that he who is Jesus Christ is also He who is Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament and that very God who the Book of Mormon peoples did worship as God. This great land of the Americas has been preserved to be a choice land above all other lands, a land where God is King, and that in our day, the day of the Gentiles there shall stand no other King upon them.	12^a 2 Ne. 13:19; TG Liberty ^b Isa. 60:12
Moroni Returns to His Abridgment
13 And now I proceed with my record; for behold, it came to pass that the Lord did bring Jared and his brethren forth even to that great sea which divideth the lands. And as they came to the sea they pitched their tents; and they called the name of the place ^aMoriancumer; and they dwelt in tents, and dwelt in ^btents upon the seashore for the space of four years. 14 And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and ^atalked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and ^bchastened him because he remembered not to ^ccall upon the name of the Lord. 15 And the brother of Jared repented of the evil which he had done, and did call upon the name of the Lord for his brethren who were with him. And the Lord said unto him: I will forgive thee and thy brethren of their sins; but thou shalt not sin any more, for ye shall remember that my ^aSpirit will not always ^bstrive with man; wherefore, if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord^a. And these are my ^cthoughts upon the land which I shall give you for your inheritance; for it shall be a land ^dchoice above all other lands.	15^a if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord Now some seem to think that it is unfair to so cut a person off suddenly unto death and destruction. But consider that this life is but a test. And there comes a point when the whole point and ends of the test is complete when one has 'fully ripened in iniquity' to the point that they are forever bound by their sins in the life and repentance and progression to a higher sphere is no longer accessible. For they have 'failed' the test. And when one has failed and no chance is left unto passing the test in any degree, it is more merciful to them and just to the others who do suffer from them to end the test for that person, that they no longer 'suffer in their cumulative sins and failure' and remove them into the next phase which for them becomes the spirit prison from which until the final judgment for many there is no retrival.	13^a Alma 8:7; Ether 1:34 ^b Gen. 25:27; Hel. 3:9 14^a Ex. 25:22 ^b 1 Ne. 16:25; TG Chastening; TG Reproof ^c TG Prayer 15^a TG God, Spirit of ^b Gen. 6:3; 2 Ne. 26:11; Morm. 5:16; Moses 8:17 ^c TG Earth, Purpose of ^d Ether 9:20
16 And the Lord said: Go to work and build, after the manner of ^abarges which ye have hitherto built^a. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the ^binstructions of the Lord. And they were small, and they were light upon the water, even like unto the lightness of a fowl upon the water. 17 And they were built after a manner that they were exceedingly ^atight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; and the bottom thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish; and the ends thereof were peaked; and the top thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the length thereof was the length of a tree; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish.	16^a after the manner of the barges which ye have hither to built The barges previously built had to so carry all of the people, animals, bees, fishes and seeds which they did continue to carry with them. Thus it must be understood that the barges before were no simple structures but that which had to accomadate the whole of the which the people did carry forth with them from place to place. And each body of water would have another such set of barges built for such transportation. Thus was the task of travel for many years and much effort and work upon the part of the people of Jared.	16^a Ether 2:6 ^b Ex. 25:40; Prov. 16:9; 1 Ne. 17:51 (50-51) 17^a Ether 6:7
18 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me^a, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me. 19 And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish. 20 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.	18^a O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me When Mahonri Moriancumer states the word 'work', he sincerely means 'work'. For it was no small task to build eight submarine barges like unto the ones built along the way, except that these were tight unto a dish with sides and a top thereof to fully enclose each of the eight vessels, each being a large tree's length in size. These vessels were sturdy vessels which would have to survive the bounding of rough seas for a period of almost one year's time. Though the waters of the flood of Noah had abated from off the land, the seas were still tempest tossed, especially that great ocean which was still churning because of the residual continental drift and that great Atlantic volcanic ridge that did continue to push the lands apart removing the choice lands of Adam and the covenant apart from the wickedness of the people. And only those who would be brought by the hand of the Lord would again live upon that cursed and blessed land of Adam.
21 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did so, according as the Lord had commanded. 22 And he cried again unto the Lord saying: O Lord, behold I have done even as thou hast commanded me; and I have prepared the vessels for my people, and behold there is no light in them. Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness?
23 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have ^awindows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire. 24 For behold, ye shall be as a ^awhale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you^a. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the ^bwinds have gone forth ^cout of my mouth, and also the ^drains and the floods have I sent forth. 25 And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?	24^a the mountain waves shall dash upon you The whole of the sea journey of the people of Jared is a testimony as to the nature of the ocean during that day. It was not going to be a smooth sailing voyage such as was that of Columbus or the Vikings. They would be continually threatened and buried in the depths of the sea because of its roughness and 'mountain sized waves' would beat upon them, driving them down in to the depths thereof. The swellings and currents were extremely rough, else the Lord could have simply had them build a sailing vessel like unto that of Nephi. But it was because of the state of the oceans at that point in time with the continued aftermath of the dividing of the lands still much in effect upon the ocean which the people of Jared would cross.	23^a Gen. 6:16 24^a Gen. 1:21; Ether 6:10 ^b Ether 6:5 ^c Job 37:2-13 ^c Ps. 148:8; D&C 117:1

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