General Comments on Alma 36-42 These chapters form Alma's closing remarks to his sons shortly before his departure from the land of Zarahemla (cf. 45:18) later that same year. It is plain from his own comments he is less than happy with the condition of the Nephites (cf. 29:1-8, 31:26-35), and Mormon portrays Alma as unhappy as well (cf. 35:15). Alma has spent a great deal of time trying to keep the Nephites on the right track, and has had mixed results. He apparently is so sick and tired of the Nephites he just leaves and heads off. But, before doing so he leaves his sons Helaman (ch. 36-37), Shiblon (ch. 38), and Corianton (ch. 39-42) with his final blessings. From these chapters it is safe to assume Alma only had three sons. As far as daughters, there is no mention of any. He obviously had a wife at some point, but there is no mention of her either. As his departure in 45:18 presents it as a solitary one we might assume he is a widower at that point. The complex and deliberate structure of these chapters and the utter lack of conversation between Alma and his sons point plainly to the text being three letters written to each of his sons and given to them prior to his departure from the land of Zarahemla. The letter would have then been scribed into the record, presumably by Shiblon as he inherited the plates from Alma. Or, perhaps Alma himself inscribed them prior to leaving. Comments on Alma 36 This chapter is a more verbose and more stylized recounting of the events detailed in Mosiah 27. This chapter is highly structured, there are microstructures within macrostructures. The structure is clearly deliberate on Alma's part as the account is a verbatim quotation of Alma from his own record (cf. 35:16), and not a stylized arrangement after the fact by Mormon. Given its complexity it is safe to assume this work took a considerable amount of time to compose and Alma invested a great deal of effort to do so. This is probably the best known chapter in the BofM when it comes to the subject of textual structure and Semitic poetical devices. It has been featured in numerous articles and even in the Ensign (October 1989, page 59). The primary subject of the chapter is Alma's conversion to the gospel. But, there are a number of sub-themes as well. One of the more obvious sub-themes is that of corporate versus individual salvation and how they interact. In v. 1-2 and 28-30 Alma emphasizes the importance of remembering Israel's history and all the Lord has done for his fathers. This is in accordance with the angel's admonition in Mos. 27:16 (also cp. 5:2-5 where Alma tells the Nephites at Zarahemla to do the same). His statements concerning remembering Israel's history bracket his recounting of his own conversion story (v. 3-28). What is the connection? As the Nephites are natural Israel (the descendants of Lehi through Manasseh, and the descendants of Mulek through Judah) the various covenants which apply to Israel apply to them as well. The various covenant blessings and curses in the Law (cf. Lev. 26, Deut. 28) all apply to them as well. And, as the nation of Israel is composed of many individuals, the Lord is bound to deal with individuals as well as nations. In this particular case, the Lord was very merciful to Alma in not destroying him outright, but rebuking him and giving him an opportunity to repent (v. 6-10). The result was that Alma repented (v. 11-22) and became zealous for the Lord (v. 23-27). And this follows the typical covenant curse pattern where the Lord chastens Israel until they repent. So, the large-scale corporate dealings of the Lord filter their way down to individuals. Also note the way Alma personalizes the typically corporate formula for being cut off or prospered in the land in v. 30. This admonition is most often used in a corporate sense (cf. 9:13, 1 Ne. 2:3-4, 2 Ne. 1:9, Jarom 1:9), but King Benjamin also personalizes it (cf. Mos. 1:7). For a similar discourse on applying the general covenants with Israel as a whole to a relatively small group, compare Limhi's comments in Mos. 7:17-33. Another sub-theme through this chapter is the Lord as Deliverer. The Lord delivered their fathers (v. 2, 28), he delivered the church from Alma's subversions (v. 6-9), he delivered Alma from death and hell (v. 15-19), and then delivered Alma from trials and tribulations (v. 27). The role of "Deliverer" here is defined as both physical and spiritual, as well as both corporate and individual. And, clearly, it necessarily implies the Lord is very active at both the corporate and individual levels. v3 "thou art in thy youth", Helaman is the oldest son, and since Corianton is at least post-puberty and Shiblon was born in between it is safe to assume Helaman is at least in the early 20's. v14 "I had murdered", speaking of causing spiritual death and not physical death, as is made plain when he says "or rather led them unto destruction". v22 The comments in this verse are similar to those in 19:33-34 where the people who had collapsed and then revived says they had seen and conversed with angels, apparently during this time the had physically collapsed. Here, Alma informs us he had physically collapsed as well, and after repenting he apparently sees into heaven. Taking these together it would appear when these people had collapsed their spirits had fled their bodies and gone into the presence of God and/or angels. v27 "supported under trials and troubles", such as those in ch. 9-14 as well as any other personal struggles. v28 "I know that he will raise me up at the last day, to dwell with him in glory", while this might be Alma hinting he has had his calling and election made sure, it could also simply be an expression of confidence in the Lord. Copyright © 2001 by S. Kurt Neumiller . All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form or by any means for commercial gain without the express written consent of the author. Digital or printed copies may be freely made and distributed for personal and public non-commercial use.