3 Nephi 6
Peace and Prosperity Are Restored
3 Nephi 6:1–3
1 And now it came to pass that the people of the Nephites did all return to their own lands in the twenty and sixth year, every man, with his family, his flocks and his herds, his horses and his cattle, and all things whatsoever did belong unto them.
2 And it came to pass that they had not eaten up all their provisions; therefore they did take with them all that they had not devoured, of all their grain of every kind, and their gold, and their silver, and all their precious things, and they did return to their own lands and their possessions, both on the north and on the south, both on the land northward and on the land southward.
3 And they granted unto those robbers who had entered into a covenant to keep the peace of the land, who were desirous to remain Lamanites, lands, according to their numbers, that they might have, with their labors, wherewith to subsist upon; and thus they did establish peace in all the land.
Comments
A straightforward reading of these verses would have the Nephites stay in the land Bountiful for four years after the war had ended in the twenty-second year (3 Nephi 5:7). This would not be the correct way to read these verses. Verses 2 and 3 repeat the basic information from 3 Nephi 5:4–6. What has happened in between is Mormon’s insertion of his own tasks and feelings. Those were an unplanned insertion into the text, and thus Mormon returns to his text with the process of repetitive resumption (see 1 Nephi 6, in volume 1, for more on repetitive resumption).
When the war ended, the Nephites returned to their homelands, and then Mormon’s count of years (3 Nephi 5:7 and 3 Nephi 6:1) takes place. We return the events of the text to the correct time period in the next verse.
3 Nephi 6:4–9
4 And they began again to prosper and to wax great; and the twenty and sixth and seventh years passed away, and there was great order in the land; and they had formed their laws according to equity and justice.
5 And now there was nothing in all the land to hinder the people from prospering continually, except they should fall into transgression.
6 And now it was Gidgiddoni, and the judge, Lachoneus, and those who had been appointed leaders, who had established this great peace in the land.
7 And it came to pass that there were many cities built anew, and there were many old cities repaired.
8 And there were many highways cast up, and many roads made, which led from city to city, and from land to land, and from place to place.
9 And thus passed away the twenty and eighth year, and the people had continual peace.
Comments
The righteousness of the people had allowed them to defeat the Gadiantons, recognizing that Yahweh was with them. The promise of the land protected them. When the war was over, they did not immediately forget their lessons, and continued to obey the commandments.
According to the promise of the land, they began to prosper. Their prosperity was manifest in the improvements in cities and in roads. This peace continued for two years from the date at the beginning of the chapter. However, as noted in the comments on verses 1–3 of this chapter, Mormon had repeated information that actually belonged in the twenty-second year. Therefore, this time of peace lasted, for the Nephites, a remarkable six years.
Wickedness Builds among the People
3 Nephi 6:10–12
10 But it came to pass in the twenty and ninth year there began to be some disputings among the people; and some were lifted up unto pride and boastings because of their exceedingly great riches, yea, even unto great persecutions;
11 For there were many merchants in the land, and also many lawyers, and many officers.
12 And the people began to be distinguished by ranks, according to their riches and their chances for learning; yea, some were ignorant because of their poverty, and others did receive great learning because of their riches.
Comments
Sadly, Nephite prosperity leads to pride. This began in the twenty-ninth year with disputing among the people. There are times when disputing means religious differences, but at other times, such as this one, the disputing is about social rank.
It is not a coincidence that the greater prosperity is accompanied by “many merchants in the land.” Trade and exchange of goods is how we mark our prosperity. If all have access to these things, then there are no social divisions. However, when circumstances allowed some Nephites to have increased access over others, that is when the Nephite pride-problem of thinking oneself better than another person came into play.
The fact that there were many lawyers and officers reflects an increasing complexity of life, and therefore greater opportunities to suggest that one’s social position might be superior based on communal perceptions of that position. Certainly, the mention of merchants, lawyers, and officers in verse 11 suggests that they were important people and were among those positions referenced in verse 12, when it says: “The people began to be distinguished by ranks, according to their riches and their chances for learning.”
The idea that only some were given the chance to learn fits in well with what is known for most ancient complex societies. Education was reserved for the higher social echelons. There was no such thing as universal education, or schools which all could attend.
3 Nephi 6:13–16
13 Some were lifted up in pride, and others were exceedingly humble; some did return railing for railing, while others would receive railing and persecution and all manner of afflictions, and would not turn and revile again, but were humble and penitent before God.
14 And thus there became a great inequality in all the land, insomuch that the church began to be broken up; yea, insomuch that in the thirtieth year the church was broken up in all the land save it were among a few of the Lamanites who were converted unto the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord.
15 Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this—Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world.
16 And thus Satan did lead away the hearts of the people to do all manner of iniquity; therefore they had enjoyed peace but a few years.
Comments
By this point in Mormon’s writings, we expect that righteous Nephites will have a short time of peace and then become prosperous and create a hierarchical society. That is the harbinger of this not going well for the Nephites. Although we expect it, it is always sad to see. In this case, it is even sadder because it followed the rather spectacular sign of the Messiah’s birth, and most recently, the miraculous salvation for the Gadianton robbers.
Nevertheless, there is again “a great inequality in all the land, insomuch that the church began to be broken up.” The idea of inequality does not immediately appear to suggest that the church should have been broken up, but social equality was one of the important Nephite ideals. When the majority began to favor inequality (obviously favored by those who could see themselves as better than others), a fundamental church teaching was no longer believed. That probably led to discarding other Nephite beliefs, and therefore, lack of belief broke up the church. While there were those who were “willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord,” those people were now in the minority. The majority did not feel inclined to keep the commandments of the Lord.
Mormon spends more time on this moral discussion of the effect of keeping and breaking the commandments than he typically does in narrative. He is not quoting a prophet here, but simply making his own conclusions known. Mormon knows what is coming, and he wants his readers to understand how it happened. Knowing how this event happened will also help understand the condition of the Nephites in Mormon’s day.
Prophets and Leaders Murdered in Secret
3 Nephi 6:17–20
17 And thus, in the commencement of the thirtieth year—the people having been delivered up for the space of a long time to be carried about by the temptations of the devil whithersoever he desired to carry them, and to do whatsoever iniquity he desired they should—and thus in the commencement of this, the thirtieth year, they were in a state of awful wickedness.
18 Now they did not sin ignorantly, for they knew the will of God concerning them, for it had been taught unto them; therefore they did wilfully rebel against God.
19 And now it was in the days of Lachoneus, the son of Lachoneus, for Lachoneus did fill the seat of his father and did govern the people that year.
20 And there began to be men inspired from heaven and sent forth, standing among the people in all the land, preaching and testifying boldly of the sins and iniquities of the people, and testifying unto them concerning the redemption which the Lord would make for his people, or in other words, the resurrection of Christ; and they did testify boldly of his death and sufferings.
Comments
Things are so bad among the Nephites that the majority “did wilfully rebel against God.” It was not because they had not been taught, but they chose to rebel against the commandments, indeed against the whole of Nephite religious and political thought.
Into such an atmosphere, God did not abandon his people, but sent prophets to them, “men inspired from heaven and sent forth.” That was the definition of the Old Testament prophets. These were not men of power or position, but rather of calling. It was their calling to “testify boldly.” This is the thirtieth year. It will be in the thirty-fourth year that the next signs of nature will be given of the Messiah’s death in the Old World.
3 Nephi 6:21–25
21 Now there were many of the people who were exceedingly angry because of those who testified of these things; and those who were angry were chiefly the chief judges, and they who had been high priests and lawyers; yea, all those who were lawyers were angry with those who testified of these things.
22 Now there was no lawyer nor judge nor high priest that could have power to condemn any one to death save their condemnation was signed by the governor of the land.
23 Now there were many of those who testified of the things pertaining to Christ who testified boldly, who were taken and put to death secretly by the judges, that the knowledge of their death came not unto the governor of the land until after their death.
24 Now behold, this was contrary to the laws of the land, that any man should be put to death except they had power from the governor of the land—
25 Therefore a complaint came up unto the land of Zarahemla, to the governor of the land, against these judges who had condemned the prophets of the Lord unto death, not according to the law.
Comments
Mormon explains that while the people might have forsaken Nephite religious ideals, they did still hold to the concept of the law. Rather than mob action, they reported the prophets to their chief judges. Nevertheless, as with the discomforting aspects of many of the Old Testament prophets, the people’s preferred solution was to silence them by putting them to death.
The Governor of the land retained that ability. We see in verse 21 that there are many chief judges, and that there is a Governor over all the land. At the beginning of the book of Alma, there was only the Chief Judge. That position appears to have become the Governor over all of the land, and it would be reasonable to assume that the individual cities and their associated land would also have chief judges.
The complaint comes to the Governor in Zarahemla. These prophets are to be tried according to the law.
3 Nephi 6:26–30
26 Now it came to pass that they were taken and brought up before the judge, to be judged of the crime which they had done, according to the law which had been given by the people.
27 Now it came to pass that those judges had many friends and kindreds; and the remainder, yea, even almost all the lawyers and the high priests, did gather themselves together, and unite with the kindreds of those judges who were to be tried according to the law.
28 And they did enter into a covenant one with another, yea, even into that covenant which was given by them of old, which covenant was given and administered by the devil, to combine against all righteousness.
29 Therefore they did combine against the people of the Lord, and enter into a covenant to destroy them, and to deliver those who were guilty of murder from the grasp of justice, which was about to be administered according to the law.
30 And they did set at defiance the law and the rights of their country; and they did covenant one with another to destroy the governor, and to establish a king over the land, that the land should no more be at liberty but should be subject unto kings.
Comments
Mormon uses this incident to discuss how the Gadianton ideas returned to the Nephites, even after defeating the Gadiantons, after declaring them gone, only eight years earlier. Those who want to quiet the prophets enter into covenants to make that happen, and also to find a way to “destroy the governor, and to establish a king over the land.”
This has long been the most pernicious of Nephite apostasies. In this case, however, the apostates do not leave to join the Lamanites. They take over from within.
This is not the end of a chapter in the 1830 edition.
