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CHAPTER 4
War and carnage continue—The wicked punish the wicked—Greater
wickedness prevails than ever before in all Israel—Women and children
are sacrificed to idols— |
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~ 363 A.D. ~ |
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1 AND now it came to pass that in the
*three hundred and sixty and third year the
Nephites did go up with their armies to abattle against the
Lamanites, out of the land Desolation.
2 And it came to pass that the armies of the Nephites were driven back again to the land of Desolation. And while they were yet weary, a fresh army of the Lamanites did come upon them; and they had a sore battle, insomuch that the Lamanites did take possession of the acity Desolation, and did slay many of the Nephites, and did take many prisoners. 3 And the remainder did flee and join the inhabitants of the city Teancum. Now the city Teancum lay in the borders by the seashore; and it was also near the city aDesolationa.
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3a the city of Teancum lay in the borders
by the seashore; and it was also near the city Desolation Now this
should establish a fairly clear picture of the relative geogrphic locations
of both the cities of Desolation and Teancum. In Mormon 3:8, we already have
record that the bodies of the Lamanites were cast into the sea, which would
indicate tht the city of defense, Desolation was near to the sea. Remember
that the Nepites burried the Lamanites bodies on the plains between Mulek
and Bountiful though the Lamanites had initially persued Teancum along the
sea shore. Thus logic would say that dead bodies of the enemy are desposed of
in the most convient manner, if near the sea cast them in, if not bury them.
Thus the city Desolation was by the sea guarding the most common narrow
passage from the land southward near the east seashore and the city Teancum
was 'near' by on the sea shore also.
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1a
* [A.D. 363] a 2 Ne. 1:12; Morm. 1:11 (11-19) 2a 3 Ne. 3:23; Morm. 3:7 3a Morm. 3:5
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4 And it was abecause the armies of the Nephites
went up unto the Lamanites that they began to be smitten; for were it
not for that, the Lamanites could have had no power over
thema.
5 But, behold, the judgments of God will overtake the awicked; and it is by the wicked that the wicked are bpunished; for it is the wicked that stir up the hearts of the children of men unto bloodshed.
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4a were it not for that, the Lamanites could have had no power over them Mormon had so secured the defense of the narrow neck and pass at the city of Desolation, the Nephites could have defended it indifinately except it were for the wicked indent of the Nephites to so up against the Lamanites in the now land of the Lamanites. |
4a
Morm. 3:10-11 5a Nahum 1:3 b 2 Pet. 2:12; D&C 63:33
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~ 364 A.D. ~ |
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6 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did make preparations
to come against the city Teancum.
7 And it came to pass in the three hundred and sixty and fourth year the Lamanites did come against the city Teancum, that they might take possession of the city Teancum also. 8 And it came to pass that they were repulsed and driven back by the Nephites. And when the Nephites saw that they had driven the Lamanites they did again aboast of their own strength; and they went forth in their own might, and took possession again of the city Desolation.
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8a
Morm. 3:9
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~ 366 A.D. ~ |
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9 And now all these things had been done, and there had been
thousands slain on both sides, both the Nephites and the Lamanites.
10 And it came to pass that the three hundred and sixty and sixth year had passed away, and the Lamanites came again upon the Nephites to battle; and yet the Nephites repented not of the evil they had done, but persisted in their wickedness continually. 11 And it is impossible for the tongue to describe, or for man to write a perfect description of the horrible scene of the blood and carnage which was among the people, both of the Nephites and of the Lamanites; and every heart was hardened, so that they adelighted in the shedding of blood continually. 12 And there never had been so great awickedness among all the children of Lehi, nor even among all the house of Israel, according to the words of the Lord, as was among this people.
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11a
Moro. 9:5, 23;
TG
Blood, Shedding of 12a Gen. 6:5-6; 3 Ne. 9:9; D&C 112:23; Moses 7:36-37; Moses 8:22, 28-30
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13 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did take possession of the
city Desolation, and this because their anumber did exceed
the number of the Nephites.
14 And they did also march forward against the city Teancum, and did drive the inhabitants forth out of her, and did take many prisoners both women and children, and did offer them up as asacrifices unto their idol gods. 15 And it came to pass that in the three hundred and sixty and seventh year, the Nephites being angry because the Lamanites had sacrificed their women and their childrena, that they did go against the Lamanites with exceedingly great anger, insomuch that they did beat again the Lamanites, and drive them out of their landsb.
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15a the Nephites being angry because the
Lamanites had sacrificed their women and their children Now it is
likely that the Nephites were aquainted with the fact that the Lamanties did
practice sacrifice of their enemy of war to their Lamanites Gods, at least
the male warriors of their enemy long prior to this first account. It would
have been the 'order of the warrior' which seems to have prevailed into the
later Lamanite corrupted pagan practices found upon the Americas when they
were later descovered by the Europeans. But the matter of so sacrificing
innocent women and children was what was new and disturbing to the Nephites
and it did anger them greatly. Further, one must consider that later in the
Nephite wars this was one of the governing reasons that the Nephites did arm
their women and children unto battle. For this would be the fate of all such
Nephites at the hands of the Lamanites, the Lamanites would be sacrifice all
the men, women and children of the Nephites to their idol Gods and spare none
alive.
15b out of their lands Of course at this date, this could only mean unto the southern border of Desolation, for they would not have gone beyond that. Remember this is Mormon writing the text and Mormon does no longer consider that which the treaty gave unto the Lamanites as Nephite land. Thus the Nephites at this time retook Teancum and Desolation and any other such located parts of the Nephite lands north of the narrow neck and pass. |
13a
Morm. 2:3;
Morm. 5:6 14a Jer. 19:5; Alma 17:15; Abr. 1:8 (6-14); TG Idolatry; TG Sacrifice
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~ 367 A.D. ~The Nephites now have a period of 7 years of peace, 368, 369, 370, 371, 372, 373 and 374 A.D. all passed away without war between the Lamanites and the Nephites. Yet there would have been first recovery from war and then an additional period of preparations, especially upon the part of the Lamanites who were now going to come against the Nephites in their greatest force ever. |
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Ten Years of Retreat from 375 to 384 A.D.From the narrow neck defensive city of Desolation in that immediate land of Desolation would the Lamanites attack and pursue the Nephites continually for the next ten years. It was a ten year continual retreat, which would leave a 'Trail of Blood' from the narrow neck to the land near Cummorah before Mormon would present his proposal to gather all the remain Nephites he could from 384 to 385 A.D. of that region to meet with the Lamanites upon the hills of Cumorah where there was a possibility of having a military advantage but without hope. |
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... From This Time Forth ... |
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16 And the Lamanites did not come again against the Nephites
until the three hundred and seventy and fifth year.
17 And in this year they did come down against the Nephites with all their powers; and they were not numbered because of the greatness of their number. 18 And afrom this time fortha did the Nephites gain no power over the Lamanites, but began to be swept off by them even as a dew before the sunb.
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18a from this time forth From
375 to and including 385, a period of 11 years with about 10 of which would
have been in a state of constant retreat, did the Lamanites persist against
the Nephites. What great distances can an ever retreating population
continually being threatened by slaughter and annihilation cover
over a period of 10 years? 4,000 to 3,000 miles seems a great distance to
cover, but that is only 400 to 300 miles a year or about a mile a day. From
the northern border to the southern border of Utah is about 400 miles. The
saints traveled over a thousand miles in just the summer season to journey
accross the plains each year. In fact according to LDS Church migration
records in 1851 my 2nd great grandfather's family traveling with a
'friegth train company' (not a rail trian but a wagon train) covered the
distance from outfitting post at Kanesville to the Salt Lake valley in 22
days (Departure: 3 August 1851 - Arrival 25 August 1851. People can
travel great distance in short times and the Nephites retreated over 10 years.
The mild seasons of most of the Nephite retreat would have allowed year
round travel. And those who could not retreat fast enough were swept off or
hewn down by total destruction; men, women and children. This was no civilized
warfare. This was a war unto extinction of one's hated enemy, genocide.
This was the hunter bent on total slaughter and annihilation of the Nephites,
every last single one of them, which according to the record of Moroni
continued even after Cumorah until he alone was left! This was the great
hatred inspired by Satan in the Lamanites against the Nephites. Is there
little wonder why Mormon refused to give us a more detailed account,
especially concerning the last years of the war's retreat unto Cumorah?
18b began to be swept off by them even as the dew before the sun By this juncture in time the Lamanites so out numbered the Nephites that it was a continuous losing battle which the Nephites would attempt against the Lamanites. And the Nephite retreat would be ever northward, as the Nephites would never again gain any ground against the invading Lamanites. At Boaz it would take the Lamanites a second attack, and at Jordan the Nephites would stand for a time in hope of protecting the Nephite Lands north of that defensive line of cities, but to no lasting avail as the march of the Lamanites was ever forward and onward north after the fleeing Nephites. |
18a
Morm. 3:3
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19 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did come down against the
acity Desolation; and there was an exceedingly sore
battle fought in the land
Desolationa, in the which they did
beat the Nephites.
20 And they fled again from before them, and they came to the city Boaza; and there they did stand against the Lamanites with exceeding boldness, insomuch that the Lamanites did not beat them until they had come again the second time. 21 And when they had come the second time, the Nephites were driven and slaughtered with an exceedingly great slaughter; their women and their achildren were again sacrificed unto idols.
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19a an exceedingly sore battle fought in
the land of Desolation Now it was not just the fall of the city
Desolation that Mormon is summarizing here. It is the destruction and fall
of the whole of the land of Desolation which would have included most likely
Teancum and various other surrounding towns and villages within the land.
This seems to be comfirmed in the next verse that it was a 'land' battle with
various stands and flights and not the mere falling of just the one city.
20a they fled again from before them, and they came to the city Boaz 'They fled again' presupposes that they had fled before. This does indicate that the retreat in the land of Desolation had resulted in 'multiple' flights from scenes of battle to scenes of battle. This is the nature of a highly condensed abridgement. When Mormon states they 'fled again' we must presuppose that they had fled before within Desolation before they finally left that land entirely and now have fled again to a city in at least the next land, the never before mentioned land and city of Boaz. One must take the time of consideration of what is being written and said in this highly condensed abridgment, else one is left unto multiple errors of the quick read of a highly condensed record that presupposes in error that all is being written, which it is not! |
19a
Morm. 3:7 21a 2 Kings 17:31; TG Idolatry
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22 And it came to pass that the Nephites did again flee from
before them, taking all the inhabitants with them, both in towns
and villages.
23 And now I, Mormon, seeing that the Lamanites were about to overthrow the landa, therefore I did go to the hill aShim, and did take up all the brecords which Ammaron had hid up unto the Lord. |
23a the Lamanites were about to overthrow the land Now this was not the whole of the land but the portion of the land where Mormon and the records of the Nephites were located. For surely the Lamanites had already overthrown the whole of the land of the once great nation of Zarahemla south of the narrow neck and they certainly had already overthrown such lands just to north of tha narrow neck such as Desolation, Teancum, Boaz and other such lower northern lands. And yet would Mormon join with the Nephites again to defend the land of the Nephites and he would form a temporary defense at the narrows of Jordan, thus protection the lands north of that location. So this reference in in reference to the more 'central' lands north where the records were kept. And Mormon's first priority was to secure those records from that land which was about to be in the process of being overthrown and to secure them, moving them much further north, most likely to that care of the church and the hands of his son Moroni who had been called to labor in the church in the land further to the north of the land of Shim and also of the land of Jordon and the various stronhold cities of that narrows region. |
23a
Morm. 1:3;
Ether 9:3 b W of M 1:3
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| * Verse 1 [A.D. 363]. | ||
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