General Comments on Mosiah 7-8 With these chapters we discover the fate of a splinter group of Nephites that left the main body some 80 years ago to return to the first land the Nephites settled in after the split with Lamanites, cf. Omni 1:27-30. The events in these chapters overlap with those of ch. 21, the main difference being the point of view of the speaker. We learn in ch. 21 the remnants of the splinter group have turned righteous in their afflictions and are praying for delivery, cf. 21:14-15. This delivery manifests itself in the form of the search party from the main body of the Nephites. It is interesting to note in 7:1 that Mosiah sends out the search party apparently out of irritation at the people's persistence over the matter. When we compare this with 21:15 we begin to see the lack of inspiration on Mosiah's part and why there was a lack of inspiration. The remnants of the splinter group were slow to repent, so the Lord was slow to deliver them, so He didn't inspire Mosiah for the cause. In fact, the Lord might have de- inspired him for the cause to drag things out a bit longer for the unrepentant. One of the things unclear in the narrative is whether Benjamin has died yet when the Nephite search party goes out looking for the splinter group. Verse 6:4 tells us Mosiah took over as king, and 6:5 tells us Benjamin lived three years and then died. Verse 7:1 backtracks the chronology by saying that after three years of a peaceful reign he sends out the search party. Thus, the same year the search party was sent out king Benjamin died, but which came first? The 1st Edition BofM on 21:28 has Ammon, the leader of the search party, saying it was king Benjamin who had the gift from God to interpret engravings in a foreign language. However, the 1st Edition BofM on 25:5-8, as do subsequent editions, informs us it was Mosiah who read the engravings (and we would assume from 28:11-18 it was by the Urim and Thummim). If we review 1:15-16 where Benjamin charges Mosiah concerning the kingdom we see him turn over several artifacts. However, missing from this list of artifacts is the Urim and Thummim, which we learn from 28:11-18 he has subsequently acquired. We can safely concluded that Benjamin retained the Urim and Thummim until his death, acting as prophet for the people and therefore remaining in that office until death. This also sheds some light on what probably happened during the time the Nephite search party left and returned. If Benjamin retained the Urim and Thummim as the text suggests, then he would have been the one referenced as being the translator of foreign languages as Ammon did in the 1st Edition BofM. However, while the search party was separated from the main body of the Nephites, king Benjamin, who had abdicated the throne but not the Urim and Thummim, dies. When the search party returns with the remnants of the splinter group Mosiah has assumed the Urim and Thummim, and so he translates the found plates. Since the apparent discrepancy between Ammon's statement concerning who would translate the plates and who actually did translate the plates was not explained in the text, subsequent editions of the BofM on 21:28 were emended to say "Mosiah" instead of "Benjamin". Comments on Mosiah 7 v1-6 Three years into a peaceful reign as king the people start bugging him about the fate of a splinter group that left the Nephites some 80 years earlier, cf. Omni 1:27-30. This group returned back to the original land settled by Nephi after the split with Laman and Lemuel (v. 1). After sufficient nagging, Mosiah relents and sends a group of 16 strong men (v. 2) for a journey with little to guide them into potentially hostile territory occupied by the Lamanites (v. 4). The group is led by a Mulekite named Ammon, who is a descendant of Zarahemla (v. 3). After wandering for over a month, the group gets close to the land of Nephi, so they climb up on a hill to camp, and perhaps to better survey the land of Nephi as well (v. 5). Then Ammon and three others head down into the land of Nephi (v. 6). While the land is called "Nephi", it is occupied by the Lamanites. And, while the Nephites and Lamanites are not presently actively at war, the reason for the current cessation of hostilities was the Lamanites being routed badly by king Benjamin. How much time has elapsed since then isn't clear from the text, but it is less than one generation. This probably explains why sixteen "strong men" are sent, and why the bulk of the party is left on the hill while four go into the land of Nephi. If the four don't return, the others can go back and report. v1 "teasings", the Random House College Dictionary defines this as "to irritate or provoke with persistent petty distractions, trifling raillery, or other annoyance, often in sport." v2 "go up", the lands which the Lamanites occupied and the ancestral lands which Nephi first inhabited were apparently "up" (cf. 28:1-9) and the land of Zarahemla was apparently "down" (cf. Alma 27:7-9, Alma 57:28-30). This is probably irrespective of North and South and has to do with relative elevations as the phrase "go down" is elsewhere used both literally and figuratively in reference to descending, cp. 1 Ne. 18:6, 2 Ne. 4:5, Enos 1:26, Mosiah 2:28, Alma 47:11, 3 Ne. 11:23. The phrase "go up" is similarly used in this fashion. v3 "a descendant of Zarahemla", he was of Jewish extraction instead of Josephite extraction as were the Nephites. He appears to have been in some kind of military leadership role as a result of his stature and notable lineage. v5 According to 11:13 there was a "great tower" on the hill north of Shilom. Assuming this is the same hill then the great tower, or the ruins of it, are probably what initially attracted Ammon and the party to this hill. If it was the highest hill in the area it would have also given them a natural vantage point for observing the lands below, the city of Shilom and the city of Lehi-Nephi included. v6 Ammon takes three with him and leaves twelve behind. As they were venturing into potentially hostile territory it was wise of them to leave behind a group to return to the Nephites and report the four were lost, if the worst was to happen. v7-16 Ammon and the three others encounter the king of the people of Shilom and his guard and are taken captive (v. 7). They are left in prison for two days and then brought before the king for questioning (v. 8). The king announces he is the descendant of the leader of the Nephite splinter group and king of the people by their voice (v. 9). He commands Ammon and the others to explain why they were so bold as to approach the king and his guard (v. 10), and only for the purpose of answering this question were they kept alive (v. 11). Ammon bows before the king, and praises God that he hasn't been executed (v. 12). He then explains that he is in fact Ammon, a descendant of Zarahemla and is leader of a party sent out to find the Nephite splinter group, and had the king known this he wouldn't have treated them they way he had (v. 13). When the king hears what Ammon says he rejoices, because he thought the original group from where their splinter group had come were extinct. He decides that the next day he will gather all of his people together to hear what Ammon has to say (v. 14). He explains to Ammon that he and his people are in bondage to the Lamanites, and that they are willing to be slaves to the Nephites if they will deliver them out of bondage from the Lamanites (v. 15). King Limhi then instructs his guards to treat Ammon and the others with hospitality, and to bring in the other members of the search party as well so they can rest (v. 16). This forced interview between the king and Ammon appears to be the first point where each of them realize who the others are. Had Ammon known of suspected the king was grandson of Zeniff or had the king known Ammon was sent from the Nephites the two days in prison would not have occured. One would assume if Ammon thought this was the Nephite splinter group he would have spoken up even though they were in jail. Thus, in v. 9 when the king identifies himself and in v. 12 when Ammon identifies himself, it was probably a moment of considerable astonishment on both sides. v7 In 21:23 we are informed Limhi initially thought they were some of his father's priests, who had been raiding their goods. This seems odd though, as wouldn't Limhi have been able to recognize his father's own priests. Perhaps Limhi had little to do with them while they were there, as he himself was a just man, and so he avoided them. But it seems likely someone among them would have been able to recognize them as Noah's priests. It is also possible that after the initial contact and rush to judgement Limhi, if nobody recognized them as being Noah's priests they were then suspect of being Lamanite spies. But, if this is the case, Ammon and his cohorts would have been light- skinned, unlike the Lamanites in general (cf. 2 Ne. 5:21), so it However, we learn in WofM 1:16 there were many Nephites who defected to the Lamanites. Limhi wouldn't have deduced Ammon was from Zarahemla because they were under the impression the Nephites were extinct, cf. 21:26. One would assume all four of the party being light-skinned, and none of them being recognisable as priests of Noah was why they ended up left in prison for two days and then ultimately questioned. Ammon and his three cohorts didn't fit into either of the possibilities, and Limhi didn't consider them being from Zarahemla a possibility, so they had to be questioned. v12 "he went forth and bowed himself before the king", the king obviously considers Ammon and his cohorts to be hostile. If they were, then bowing before the king would be the last thing they would do as they would be defiant as prisoners of war. Thus, the gesture is intended to be a act of good faith to disarm the king's hostilities. v14 "my brethren...are yet alive", Limhi sent out his own search party to find the original Nephites, but they instead found a land that had the remnants of a dead and destroyed people, cf. 8:8-12, 21:25-26. Limhi apparently assumed that was the Nephites. v15 "deliver us out of bondage...we will be their slaves", the Semitic concept of "slavery" is different than the Western concept of "slavery". American slavery as practiced treated the person as the property of the owner. This is not the case in Semitic culture. In Semitic culture a "slave" would be more akin to an indentured servant in Western culture where the person is obligated to labor for another to dispose of some debt. Thus, what Limhi is probably suggesting is they will be indebted as servants to the Nephites if they deliver them from the Lamanites. Limhi is probably thinking along the lines of armed conflict, for which they would be indebted to the Nephite armies. But, it ends up they just abandon the land and retreat to Zarahemla, and we never hear anything about them being slaves to the Nephites as a result of it. v17-33 King Limhi has all of his people gather to the Temple so they can hear about the contact with people from the Nephites, and what the result of it is (v. 17). Limhi tells his people to rejoice because the time is at hand that they are to be delivered from the Lamanites (v. 18). He tells them it can be accomplished because the Lord has ever delivered Israel from their captors (v. 19), and will do the same for them because they have repented of their wickedness (v. 20). Limhi recounts their history leading up to their captivity to the Lamanites (v. 21-22), and confesses their condition is lamentable (v. 23). Even very lamentable, because of all of those who have died (v. 24) because of their wickedness and rebellion against the Lord (v. 25). They even murdered a prophet who told them of their wickedness (v. 26) and taught them concerning the true nature of the Lord's condescension into flesh (v. 27). Obviously, the result is the people were cursed by the Lord and are now slaves to the Lamanites (v. 28). Limhi then presents three proof texts indicating the Lord will punish those who rebel in wickedness (v. 29-31). The Lord will not support his people in wickedness, but will cause them to stumble and fall so they will be encouraged to repent (v. 29). If they choose to sow filthiness, they will reap what they deserve, which is destruction (v. 30-31). This is the covenant the Lord has made with Israel, and it is fulfilled in their very eyes (v. 32). But, if they return to the Lord and fully repent, then He will deliver them from this covenant curse of bondage to the Lamanites (v. 33). v17 "the temple", this is apparently the temple originally built by Nephi (cf. 2 Ne. 5:16), or at least one of the permutations of it. One would assume over time the Temple had been rebuilt and perhaps expanded since some 400 years had elapsed since the original construction. The splinter group returned to the land originally occupied by Nephi and his followers, cf. 9:6. They rebuilt the city and walls of Lehi-Nephi and Shilom (cf. 9:8). Later, King Noah added a palace and tower near the temple (cf. 11:12) and new buildings in the city Shilom and a tower to the north (cf. 11:13). This suggests the Temple was not a new construct, but one of the pre- existing ones as no mention is made of building a new Temple. v20 Limhi understands the nature of Israel's covenant with the Lord very well to be confessing their bondage to the Lamanites is a result of their own wickedness, cf. Lev. 26:25. He knows when they repent of their wickedness the Lord will again turn to the them and deliver them, cf. Lev. 26:36-45. Limhi also provides three quotes from the Lord substantiating the idea of covenant curses in v. 29-31. Limhi is clearly one who is familiar with the Scriptures, as well as being "a just man", cp. 19:17. v22 Being in bondage and not being able to eat your own produce are classic covenant curses, cp. Deut. 28:33, ct. Isa. 65:21-23. v29-31 Limhi presents three quotations of the Lord. Assuming they are quotes and not paraphrases, we don't presently have access to any of the texts he is quoting. The general ideas found in the three quotes are all found in the OT, compare v. 29 with Joshua 24:20 and Isa. 8:14, and compare verses 30 and 31 with Hosea 8:7, Hosea 13:3, Isa. 17:13, Ezek. 19:12. v30 "filthiness", this word in the KJV OT is generally used to describe the condition of the idolatrous heathen nations surrounding Israel. It is also used in reference to sexual immorality as well, and from the text it is plain king Noah and his priests engaged in this kind of behavior, cf. 11:14. "reap the chaff thereof in the whirlwind", chaff is the inedible and largely useless straw left over after the harvest. It is easily carried away by the whirlwind because it is light and insubstantial. The meaning is that if people pursue wickedness they are left with nothing substantial or nourishing when it comes to harvest. The things they have sought after and accumulated are easily blown away and they are left with nothing. Those who covet material things and crave self-indulgent acts can never get enough. So they are left with nothing but "poison" to their soul as they pursue things that are fleeting and insubstantial instead of things which are beneficial. v31 "the east wind", to the Semites the west wind brought rain and the east wind brought drought. To an agrarian culture drought meant starvation and death. v32 "the promise of the Lord is fulfilled", generally referring to the various covenant blessings and curses of Lev. 26 and Deut. 28. 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.