Book of Mormon Commentary - Jarom 1

by Don R. Hender

THE BOOK OF JAROM
Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
             CHAPTER 1

The Nephites keep the law of Moses, look forward to the coming of Christ, and prosper in the land—Many prophets labor to keep them in the way of truth. [Between 420 and 361 B.C.]

420 B.C. ~ 179 Years Since Jerusalem

Lehi left Jerusalem 600 years before Christ. Enos, the son of Jacob, the son of Lehi was growing old and to the end of his days at this time. Though the record of Enos does not state such, Enos, after writing his last entry about 420 B.C., did convey the records over to his son Jarom. Jacob was born between 592 and 582 B.C., likely closer to 592, say 590 B.C. Enos, one of Jacob's sons could have been born any where from approximately 570 B.C. to 530 B.C. (giving a 40 year birthing span in the life of Jacob from about age 20), and thus Enos' son Jarom could have been born any where from 550 B.C. (20 years after approximate first birth) to 470 B.C. (giving a 20 year age plus 40 year birthing span after oldest birth), which yeilds a fair duration for Enos to be coming to the end of his life about 420 B.C. as stated at the end of the Book of Enos and then his turning the plates over to one of his sons Jarom.

1 NOW behold, I, Jarom, write a few words according to the commandment of my father, Enos, that our agenealogy may be kept.
2 And as athese plates are bsmall, and as these things are cwritten for the intent of the benefit of our brethren the dLamanites, wherefore, it must needs be that I write a little; but I shall not write the things of my prophesying, nor of my revelations. For what could I write more than my fathersa have written? For have not they revealed the plan of salvation?b I say unto you, Yea; and this sufficeth mec.

 2a my fathers Jarom's fathers who were the prophets of the record of nephi would have been Enos, Jacob and Lehi, a rather short list. Of course Abraham had referred to the 'fathers' as those all the way back to Adam (See Abraham chapter 1). There is also the possiblity that Jarom's actual list of fathers could have been longer and that the records were being passed form one recordkeeper unto his 'grand-son' and referring to him as his 'son' in the same since that Jarom states all of his grandfathers in the single word of fathers, so then also the 'father' might speak of all of his living posterity as being his 'sons' though some would be sons of sons.
 2b have not they revealed the plan of salvation? The 'Plan of Redemption' or the 'Plan of Salvation' is not addressed by name in the Bible. Though it is clear that the Church which Christ established did contain the fulness of the Plan of Salvation, it was not so clearly stated and revealed as it is in the Book of Mormon. And though, through latter-day additional scriptural revelation, it is also known that other such as Adam and Enoch had the fulness of the Gospel, it is not so recorded as such in the Old Testament which survived the compilation of the Jews.
 2c this sufficeth me Where in is the fulness of the gospel. Is not the fulness contained in the 'extension of the 'Doctrine of Christ' unto salvation in that the Holy Ghost, that spirit of revelation of prophecy does give to men whatsoever else is or will be needful all along that path to God without having to include the endless magitude of what that might be in a single limited human publication of man? Thus when we seem to 'belittle' some of these writers in the Book of Mormon for not writing more, one needs to consider what more could be said than to give a plain understanding to man of the gospel or Doctrine of Christ? And is that not sufficient considering the power of the Holy Ghost to so provide them all else that they need know and do unto salvation? 		 1a 1 Ne. 3:12; 1 Ne. 5:14
 2a Jacob 3:14 (13-14); Omni 1:1
   b 1 Ne. 6:3 (1-6); Jacob 7:27
   c TG Scriptures, Writing of
   d 2 Ne. 27:6; Morm. 5:12-13
3 Behold, it is expedient that much should be done among this people, because of the hardness of their hearts, and the deafness of their ears, and the blindness of their minds, and the astiffness of their necks; nevertheless, God is exceedingly merciful unto them, and has not as yet bswept them off from the face of the land.
4 And there are many among us who have many arevelations, for they are not all bstiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have ccommunion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faitha.

 4a communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith And this is what completes the 'fulness of the everlasting Gospel'. For it is not possible that any single textual reference could hold the whole of all the details concerning the Kingdom of God. Thus the completion of the Doctrine of Christ is that through the Holy Spirit, that is through the Holy Ghost is all things to be revealed which is required of man to perform and do which will bring them unto salvation and exaltation. And men receive these things according to their faith. It is the principle of continued revelation which the fallen churches of the world have turned their backs upon, declaring the cannon of God's word to be closed and denying the ministering of angels and the revelations of the Holy Spirit unto men. Thus they have damned themselves accordingly, that they recognize not the revelations of God, yet according to the contrivances of their own minds do they continue to corrupt and interpret God's Word according to their own mind and will; defining God to be whatsoever they imagine him to be and not what it is that he would reveal unto them that He Is.  3a Enos 1:22-23
   b Ether 2:8-10
 4a Alma 26:22; Hel. 11:23; D&C 107:19 (18-19)
   b TG Stiffneckedness
   c TG Holy Ghost; TG Revelation

399 B.C. ~ 200 Years Since Jerusalem

Just when Jarom began to write after his father Enos had given the records over into his hands is not given but the first four verses are descidedly written between 420 to 399 B.C. And verses 5 and 6 appear to be written right at the 399 B.C. year date. The Nephites have 'waxed strong in the land' and 'they were scattered upon much of the face of the land.' This would indicate that they are no longer centered in one population center round about a single city but they have began to extend their borders over the face of the land.

5 And now, behold, *two hundred years had passed away, and the people of Nephi had waxed strong in the landa. They observed to akeep the law of Moses and the bsabbath day holy unto the Lord. And they cprofaned not; neither did they dblaspheme. And the elaws of the land were exceedingly strict.
6 And they were scattered upon amuch of the face of the landa, and the Lamanites also. And they were exceedingly more bnumerous than were they of the Nephites; and they loved cmurder and would drink the dblood of beasts.

 5* [399 B.C.]
   a 2 Ne. 25:24; Mosiah 2:3;
     Alma 30:3; Alma 34:14 (13-14)
   b Ex. 35:2; TG Sabbath
   c TG Profanity
   d TG Blasphemy
   e Alma 1:1
 6a Hel. 11:20 (19-20)
   b Alma 2:27
   c Jacob 7:24; Enos 1:20; Alma 26:24 (23-25)
   d TG Blood, Eating of
7 And it came to pass that they came many times against us, the Nephites, to battle. But our akings and our bleaders were mighty men in the faith of the Lord; and they taught the people the ways of the Lord; wherefore, we withstood the Lamanites and swept them away out of cour landsa, and began to fortify our citiesb, or whatsoever place of our inheritance.
8 And we multiplied exceedingly, and spread upon the face of the landa, and became exceedingly rich in agold, and in silver, and in precious things, and in fine bworkmanship of wood, in buildings, and in cmachinery, and also in iron and copper, and brass and steel, making all manner of tools of every kind to till the ground, and dweapons of war—yea, the sharp pointed arrow, and the quiver, and the dart, and the javelin, and all preparations for war.
9 And thus being prepared to meet the Lamanites, they did not prosper against us. But the word of the Lord was verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: aInasmuch as ye will keep my commandments ye shall bprosper in the land.

 7b fortify our cities Jarom was the son of Enos, the son of Jacob, who was one of the younger sons of Lehi. And thus it was that after only four generations, in the days of Jarom, the great grandson of Lehi, that the Nephite population had increased to the point that they did not have just one or two cities, but a number of such cities. In considering the population growth, one must consider that Lehi fostered and/or fathered only 5 righteous families unto the Nephites, that is Sam, Nephi, Zoram, Jacob and Joseph. (Note: This ignores that Nephi's, Sam's and Zoram's children would be the same ages as Jacob and Joseph, which would actually mean that the families of the kings were in their next generation even further beyond that of Jarom, a descendant of Jacob, thus giving another half step generation of family production beyond the simple matter considered here. And as to the men who died in war, recall that the Jewish Law or the Law of Moses was for the brother to take the wife of his brother and raise up seed unto him. Now this would not be considered out and out taking of extra wives of one self, but the mere living the Law of Moses). But even just from those five founding fathers by the time of Jarom's sons and grandsons, the population had began to inhabit 'cities'. Now if each family had but 10 sons, this would be 50 such families in the next generation of Enos. And then if those 50 had 10 sons each, then the population of families would have been 500 families in the next generation of Jarom. And then if when Jarom is writing as an aged adult, then we are to the next generation with 5,000 families. Take those families to the level of having half their children, boys and girls to be 10 also, then the population would have reached 50,000 by the time Jarom was writing. Such a populous would well occuppy a number of aggriculturaly and hordiculturaly based cities spreading over the face of the land. But to presume this type of population explosion without a direct statement to such in the Book of Mormon would be but to assume too much. Thus Jarom proceeds next to make just such a statement.
 8a we multiplied exceedingly, and spread upon the face of the land What else does good gospel saint families do but to multiply and replenish the earth? The fact that the land was basically a land of limitless resources unto them as long as they were industrious to take advantage of such, and that besides the pestky Lamanites, their borders where unchallenged and unlimited as to their expansion, what could be but a better environment to foster a real population explosion? 		 7a 2 Ne. 5:18; 2 Ne. 6:2; Jacob 1:9, 11, 15;
     Mosiah 1:10
   b TG Leadership
   c W of M 1:14
 8a 2 Ne. 5:15
   b TG Art
   c TG Skill
   d 2 Ne. 5:14; Mosiah 8:10
 9a 2 Ne. 1:20; Omni 1:6
   b Josh. 1:7; Ps. 122:6

Ua Mau ke Ea o ka
'Aina i ka Pono 
 The Polynesian Hawaiian would say it this way meaning, "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness." The Book of Mormon people record it thus, "Inasmuch as ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land." ~ Jarom 1:9.
10 And it came to pass that the prophets of the Lord did threaten the people of Nephi, according to the word of God, that if they did not keep the commandments, but should fall into transgression, they should be adestroyed from off the face of the land.
11 Wherefore, the prophets, and the priests, and the ateachers, did labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to bdiligence; teaching the claw of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading them to dlook forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come eas though he already was. And after this manner did they teach them.
12 And it came to pass that by so doing they kept them from being adestroyed upon the face of the land; for they did bprick their hearts with the word, ccontinually stirring them up unto repentance.

 10a 1 Ne. 12:19-20; Omni 1:5
 11a TG Teacher
     b TG Diligence
     c Jacob 4:5; Alma 25:15-16
     d 2 Ne. 11:4; Ether 12:19 (18-19)
     e 2 Ne. 25:26; Mosiah 3:13; Mosiah 16:6
 12a Ether 2:10 (8-10)
     b Alma 31:5
     c Enos 1:23

~ 361 B.C. ~
238 Years Since Jerusalem

   Now again, life spans must be considered lengthy and the child bearing years extended for Jarom, the son of Enos, the son of Jacob, the son of Lehi to have reached this age of 361 B.C., over 238 years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem. We had previously presumed Jacob to still be bearing children into his sixties and that Enos might be considered born approximately 530 B.C. For Enos' son Jarom to reach 361 B.C. Enos too must have had a very lengthy life and likely an extended period of child bearing, thus bearing many, many sons and daughters over that spanse of time. We are into much speculation but the time between 530 and 360 is 170 years. Now, once again considering that Enos was still having children into his sixties, this would mean that his youngest sons, such as Jarom might not be born until about 470 B.C. This still means that Jarom would be will into his hundreds by the time of 360 B.C. But once agains, this precludes that the writings are not speaking of 'grand-sons' as though they are 'sons', which may or may not be the case.
   Since 400 B.C., the record indicates that many battles were fought with the Lamanites. And the Nephites did protect their 'lands', plural, indicating they had spread over the face of the land into various land groups with each having their centers around other 'cities' as the Nephites are stated to have 'fortified those cities' against the Lamanites. Three likely directions of spreading over the face of the land come immediately to mind, north, south and west. Though they could have expanded east, they would not have likely been able to expand very far to the east without encroching upon the lands of the Lamanites, which the history of the Nephites testify that they did not do. That is, the Nephites were not the agressers against the Lamanites, rather they would defend their lands but they did not seek to destory the Lamanites in the manner in which the Lamanites did seek to destory the Nephites.

13 And it came to pass that *two hundred and thirty and eight years had passed away—after the manner of wars, and acontentions, and dissensions, for the space of bmuch of the time.
14 And I, Jarom, do not write more, for the plates are asmall. But behold, my brethren, ye can go to the bother plates of Nephi; for behold, upon them the records of our wars are engraven, according to the writings of the ckings, or those which they caused to be written.
15 And I deliver these plates into the hands of my son Omni, that they may be kept according to the acommandments of my fathers.

 13* [361 B. C.]
     a TG Contention
     b Omni 1:3
 14a Jacob 4:1-2; Omni 1:30
     b Jacob 7:26-27; W of M 1:3
     c Omni 1:11; W of M 1:10
 15a Jacob 1:1-4; Omni 1:3
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