|
|
|
|
|
CHAPTER 4Nephite dissenters and the Lamanites join forces and take the land of Zarahemla—The Nephites' defeats come because of their wickedness—The Church dwindles and the become weak like the Lamanites. [Between 38 and 30 B.C.] |
|||
~ 38 B.C. ~ |
|||
|
1 AND it came to pass in the
*fifty and fourth year there were many dissensions in the
church, and there was also a acontention among the people,
insomuch that there was much bloodshed.
2 And the rebellious part were slain and driven out of the land, and they did go unto the king of the Lamanites. 3 And it came to pass that they did endeavor to stir up the Lamanites to awar against the Nephites; but behold, the Lamanites were bexceedingly afraid, insomuch that they would not hearken to the words of those dissenters.
|
1*
[38 B.C.] a 3 Ne. 11:29 3a Hel. 11:24 b Hel. 1:32 (30-33)
|
||
~ 36 & 35 & 34-32 B.C. ~ |
|||
|
4 But it came to pass in the fifty and sixth year of the reign of the
judges, there were adissenters who went up from the
Nephites unto the Lamanites; and they succeeded with those others in
bstirring them up to anger against the Nephites; and they
were all that year preparing for war.
5 And in the *fifty and seventh year they did come down against the Nephites to battle, and they did commence the work of death; yea, insomuch that in the fifty and eighth year of the reign of the judges they succeeded in obtaining apossession of the land of Zarahemla; yea, and also all the lands, even unto the land which was near the land Bountifula. 6 And the Nephites and the armies of Moronihah were driven even into the land of Bountifula;
|
5a even unto the land which was near the land of Bountiful Now mention of such lands and cities between Zarahemla and Bountiful have been made mention before. But here again is such evidence which does support that there were intervening lands between that of the local land of Zarahemla about the city of Zarahemla and the provincial land of Bountiful which spand from sea to sea and up into the narrow neck even unto the land Desolation (See Helaman 1:27). Those these intervening cities and lands go unnamed, it ought to substatiate that while the Book of Mormon mentions the 'fringe border cities' often due to their frequent encounters between the Lamanites and Nephites there at, there are many, many more cities and lands which comprise the nation of Zarahemla from Bountiful on the north to Manti on the south, most of which are in the central more capital parts of the land. 6a the armies of Moronihah were driven even into the land of Bountiful Thus the Nephites were backed up to the last most northern province of the national lands of Zarahemla. And this was the site of the narrow neck of land which held the narrow passes unto the land northward. Yet they were not yet to the land of Desolation, Bountiful being the last land of the Nephites of Zarahemla just prior to that land, Bountiful and Desolation sharing their northern and southern borders respectively. |
4a
Hel. 5:17 b Alma 63:14 5* [35 B.C.] a Hel. 5:16, 52
|
|
|
7 And there they did fortify against the Lamanites, from the west
sea, even unto the east; it being a aday's journey
for a Nephite, on the line which they had
fortifieda and stationed their
armies to defend their north country.
8 And thus those adissenters of the Nephites, with the help of a numerous army of the Lamanites, had obtained all the possession of the Nephites which was in the land southwarda. And all this was done in the fifty and eighth and ninth years of the reign of the judges. 9 And it came to pass in the sixtieth year of the reign of the judges, Moronihah did succeed with his armies in obtaining many parts of the land; yea, they regained many cities which had fallen into the hands of the Lamanites.
|
7a it being a day's journey for a
Nephite, on the line which they had fortified Now they would have
fortified from the west sea even unto the city of Bountiful which was near
the shore of the east sea. And it was this city of Bountiful which did guard
the
 8a had obtained all the possession of the Nephites which was in the land southward This seems to confirm that the Nephites were pushed back into the neck itself, occupying that stretch of land between the most narro base of the neck which was only one day's journey even unto the northern border between Desolation and Bountiful, which was a day and a half journey. This would have been from the city of Bountiful on the east which was near the east sea shore and guarded the southern entrance to that narrow passage on the east even unto the west sea, only one day's journey for a Nephite who knew well the course of the land to travel. |
7a
Alma 22:32 8a Hel. 1:15
|
|
~ 31 B.C. ~ |
|||
|
10 And it came to pass in the *sixty and first year
of the reign of the judges they succeeded in regaining even the half of all
their possessions.
11 Now this great loss of the Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, awould not have happened had it not been for their bwickedness and their abomination which was among them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of Goda.
|
11a who professed to belong to the church of God The sad truth is that the outward ordinances such as baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost in and of themselves do not guarantee a person sanctioned membership in God's earthly kingdom, his church, in the eyes of God. When one does not live a life in accord with the principles of the gospel, in the eyes of God they are merely 'professing membership' but not living according to the ways of the kingdom and therefore are not true members of the kingdom in the sight of God. |
10*
[31 B.C.] 11a D&C 82:10 b Mosiah 27:13
|
|
|
12 And it was because of the apride of their
hearts, because of their exceeding briches, yea, it was
because of their oppression to the cpoor, withholding their
food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting
their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a dmock of
that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation,
murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, rising up in
great contentions, and deserting away into the land of Nephi, among the
Lamanites—
13 And because of this their great wickedness, and their aboastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten, and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all their lands. 14 But behold, Moronihah did apreach many things unto the people because of their iniquity, and also bNephi and Lehi, who were the sons of Helaman, did preach many things unto the people, yea, and did prophesy many things unto them concerning their iniquities, and what should come unto them if they did not repent of their sins.
|
12a
Obad. 1:3-4;
2 Ne. 20:33;
D&C 101:42 b 1 Tim. 6:17; 2 Ne. 9:42; 3 Ne. 6:12 (10-16) c Ezek. 18:12; Zech. 7:10; D&C 42:30-39, 71) d TG Mocking; TG Sacrilege 13a Ezek. 35:13; TG Boasting; TG Trust Not in the Arm of Flesh 14a Hel. 5:17 (14-20) b Hel. 3:21
|
||
|
15 And it came to pass that they did repent, and inasmuch as
they did repent they did begin to prosper.
16 For when Moronihah saw that they did repent he did venture to alead them forth from place to place, and from city to city, even until they had regained the one-half of their property and the one-half of all their landsa. 17 And thus ended the sixty and first year of the reign of the judges.
|
16a they had regained the one-half of their property and the one-half of all their lands Now this one-half did not include the province of Zarahemla and the capitol city of the nations as Helaman 5:16 will so stipulate that it was inhabited by the Lamanites. This means that more Nephite lands and cities laid north of Zarahemla than did lay to the south of that Nephite heartland. And this central parts of the land are not well named and stipulated as seen in Helaman chapter one in the invasion lead by the descendant of Zarahemla, Coriantumr. |
16a
Alma 62:43
|
|
~ 30 B.C. ~ |
|||
|
18 And it came to pass in the *sixty and second
year of the reign of the judges, that Moronihah could obtain no more
possessions
over the Lamanites.
19 Therefore they did abandon their design to obtain the remainder of their lands, for so numerous were the Lamanites that it became impossible for the Nephites to obtain more power over them; therefore Moronihah did employ all his armies in maintaining those parts which he had taken.
|
18*
[30 B.C.]
|
||
|
20 And it came to pass, because of the greatness of the number
of the Lamanites the Nephites were in great fear, lest they
should be overpowered, and trodden down, and slain, and
destroyed.
21 Yea, they began to remember the aprophecies of Alma, and also the bwords of Mosiah; and they saw that they had been a cstiffnecked people, and that they had set at dnaught the commandments of God. 22 And that they had altered and trampled under their feet the alaws of Mosiah, or that which the Lord commanded him to give unto the people; and they saw that their laws had become corrupted, and that they had become a wicked people, insomuch that they were wicked even like unto the Lamanites.
|
21a
Alma 5:53 (1-62) b Mosiah 29:27 c TG Stiffneckedness d Prov. 1:25 22a Alma 1:1
|
||
|
23 And because of their iniquity the church had begun to
adwindle; and they began to disbelieve in the spirit of
prophecy and in the spirit of revelation; and the judgments of God did stare
them in the face.
24 And they saw that they had become aweak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not bdwell in cunholy dtemples—
|
23a
TG
Apostasy 24a Jer. 46:15-17; Mosiah 1:13 b TG Holy Ghost, Loss of c Mosiah 2:37; Alma 7:21; Alma 34:36 d TG Temple
|
||
|
25 Therefore the Lord did cease to preserve them by his miraculous
and matchless power, for they had fallen into a state of
aunbelief and awful wickedness; and they saw that the
Lamanites were exceedingly more numerous than they, and except they should
bcleave unto the Lord their God, they must unavoidably
perish.
26 For behold, they saw that the strength of the Lamanites was as great as their strength, even man for man. And thus had they fallen into this great transgression; yea, thus had they become aweak, because of their transgression, in the space of bnot many years.
|
25a
TG
Unbelief, Unbelierers b Josh. 23:8; Jacob 6:5; D&C 11:19 26a Ezek. 19:8 (6-9); TG Weak, Weaker b Alma 46:8; Hel. 6:32; Hel. 7:6; Hel. 11:26; Hel. 12:2
|
||
| * Verse 1 [38 B.C.]; Verse 5 [35 B.C.]; Verse 10 [31 B.C.]: Verse 18 [30 B.C.]. | |||
| This BM Book | Previous BM Chapter | Next BM Chapter | Commentary Page | Home Page |