Comments on Alma 9 v1-7c Having been commanded by the Lord to do so, Alma preaches at the people of Ammonihah again. Their reaction is argue with him (v. 1). They appeal to popular voice in outnumbering Alma as they are a multitude and Alma is only one (v. 2, 6). They also reject his seemingly impossible predictions of their imminent destruction because their spiritual blindness has caused them to reject God (v. 3-5). The people then move to do Alma some kind of physical harm (v. 7a-c). v2, 6 "the testimony of one man...no more authority than one man", Alma appears to them to be a lone outsider in a hostile crowd of locals so they use popular opinion to ridicule him. The crowd never explicitly appeals to the legal requirement for more than one witness (cf. Deut. 19:15) but it may be implicit in their accusation, particularly in v. 6 when they ask him who is this God who has sent only one witness. If they are implicitly referring to this, then their argument in v. 6 is "Your God requires two or three witnesses and yet there is only you, so who are you and who is this God who contradicts Himself?" This would explain their surprise in 10:12 since their seemingly sophisticated argument was undone by another witness. v6 "Who is God[?]", we are informed the leadership of these people in general are after the faith of Nehor (cf. 14:16-18, cp. 1:3-4) and believe in the devil and presumably a God as well. But, it appears the people in general have secularized completely given this line of questioning. v7a-c Perhaps their intent was only to attempt to intimidate him with the threat of force, and they didn't actually follow through with it. Hence Alma's subsequent statement that he "stood with boldness". v7d-24 form an Alma's argument against the people at Ammonihah. It comes in three parts: 1) they have rejected the tradition of their father Lehi (v. 7d-13); 2) the Lamanites are cut off spiritually from the Lord because of the false traditions of their fathers Laman and Lemuel (v. 14-17); 3) the people at Ammonihah will be physically cut off from the land by the Lamanites because they rebel against the traditions of their father Lehi (v. 18-25). Alma's focus on their father Lehi suggests the present audience is largely descended from Lehi as opposed to being Mulekites. True, the Mulekites adopted the title of "Nephites" (cf. Mosiah 25:13), but this doesn't make them descendants of Lehi. By this time intermarriage surely would have blurred the lines between lineage from Judah and lineage from Joseph, particularly in Zarahemla where the Nephites were the immigrants and in the minority. Why then is Alma appealing so pointedly to father Lehi and not father Israel instead? As Amulek points out later (cf. 10:2-3) there are those among them who are taking particular note of their Nephite genealogy. We might speculate from this there is an underlying element of bigotry among the people at Ammonihah. Alma's presentation of the condition of the Lamanites (v. 15-17) and statements concerning the Lamanites being used by the Lord to destroy those at Ammonihah (v. 18) might be seen as a foil against bigotry. Also, Nephite bigotry against the Lamanites was a problem earlier (cf. Jacob 2:35-3:9, note the present contrasting of the Lamanites and people at Ammonihah is not all that dissimilar to Jacob's contrast), so it might a recurring cultural problem. And, finally, it is plain the people at Ammonihah are vicious religious bigots (cf. v. 7, 8:13, 14:7-8), what then would prevent them from being bigoted based upon other factors as well? If this is the case and the people at Ammonihah are bigots who are prideful over their untainted Nephite heritage, then Alma's argument against them in v. 7d-13 is scathing and their situation is particularly ironic. If these people take their Lehite lineage as a source of pride then why are they completely ignoring Lehi's teachings? This might explain why they were so angry and violent, because their hypocrisy was so gross and exposed in such a blatant manner. v7d-13 Alma stands against the threat of violence and continues preaching (v. 7). He asks them how it is they could have forgotten the traditions of their fathers and the commandments of God (v. 8) when He has done so much for their father Lehi in guiding him through the wilderness to this land (v. 9) as well as the generations in between in protecting the Nephites from the Lamanites (v. 10). Had in not been for God's mercy and patience with the Nephites they would have been destroyed a long time ago (v. 11). And now God commands them to repent or they will be destroyed (v. 12), just as He has warned many times that if they do not keep the commandments they will be cut off (v. 13). v14-17 Alma then uses the example of the Lamanites to show that they have been cut off from the Lord spiritually for failing to keep God's commandments, and thus His word is verified (v. 14). However, their condition is not as bad as the Nephite condition (v. 15) because God is merciful to them because their ignorance of His commandments is not deliberate since their first fathers Laman and Lemuel led them astray. So, the Lord will be merciful to them in their honest ignorance (v. 16), until at some point in the future they are taught the truth (v. 17). v18-24 While the Lamanites were spiritually cut off from the Lord, the Nephites will be physically cut off (i.e. destroyed) if they break the commandments. This is because the Nephites have been blessed so greatly (v. 20-22), their rebellion is therefore deliberate (v. 19, 23-24). And, the means of their being destroyed will be the Lamanites (v. 18). v25-30 God doesn't want to have to destroy this people, and that is why He has sent Alma to warn them to change their ways (v. 25). Alma tells them the time is not far off that the Messiah will come and the kingdom of Heaven will be established (v. 26). When the Messiah comes he will redeem those who are baptized through faith on his name (v. 27). So they need to repent and prepare for salvation. Otherwise they will end up damned (v. 28). v25-28 "Repent ye, for the kingdom is high at hand...captivation of the devil", this block of text is apparently a quotation or paraphrase of a message delivered to Alma by an angel per the angel comment in v. 25 and v. 29. v25 One would assume Alma is referring to more than the just the people at Ammonihah when he says the Lord sent His angel to "many of his people" since Alma has been traveling among the Nephites for some time now preaching repentance. v26 "not many days hence", it turns out to be some 82 years until Christ's birth and then another 34 before Christ visits the Americas and establishes a NT style church among the Nephites. That's not what we would consider "not many days hence". v31-34 What Alma says just makes the people more angry because they are so spiritually hardened (v. 31). When he tells them they are a spiritually lost people, they want to throw him in prison for it (v. 32), presumably to silence him. But, they didn't throw him into prison at that point (v. 33), because the Lord provided Amulek to preach to the people as an insider (v. 34). 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.