Alma 60
Moroni’s Letter to Pahoran
Alma 60:1–4
1 And it came to pass that he wrote again to the governor of the land, who was Pahoran, and these are the words which he wrote, saying: Behold, I direct mine epistle to Pahoran, in the city of Zarahemla, who is the chief judge and the governor over the land, and also to all those who have been chosen by this people to govern and manage the affairs of this war.
2 For behold, I have somewhat to say unto them by the way of condemnation; for behold, ye yourselves know that ye have been appointed to gather together men, and arm them with swords, and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war of every kind, and send forth against the Lamanites, in whatsoever parts they should come into our land.
3 And now behold, I say unto you that myself, and also my men, and also Helaman and his men, have suffered exceedingly great sufferings; yea, even hunger, thirst, and fatigue, and all manner of afflictions of every kind.
4 But behold, were this all we had suffered we would not murmur nor complain.
In Alma 59:3, Mormon recorded that Moroni had sent a letter to Pahoran. He didn’t give us the text of that letter. In Alma 60:1 (which was not a separate chapter in the 1830 edition), he writes another. This time, Mormon gives us the letter itself. The introduction to the letter is appropriately formal, worthy of a general addressing the political leader. However, it will soon turn to a more strident tone.
Mormon notes that as governor over all the land, it was his responsibility to support the armies. They had created the armies, and those armies had done well in difficult circumstances. Surely, when Pahoran read what we have as verse 4, that “were this all we had suffered we would not murmur nor complain,” Pahoran would have been warned that the rest of the letter would not refrain from murmuring and complaining.
Alma 60:5–8
5 But behold, great has been the slaughter among our people; yea, thousands have fallen by the sword, while it might have otherwise been if ye had rendered unto our armies sufficient strength and succor for them. Yea, great has been your neglect towards us.
6 And now behold, we desire to know the cause of this exceedingly great neglect; yea, we desire to know the cause of your thoughtless state.
7 Can you think to sit upon your thrones in a state of thoughtless stupor, while your enemies are spreading the work of death around you? Yea, while they are murdering thousands of your brethren—
8 Yea, even they who have looked up to you for protection, yea, have placed you in a situation that ye might have succored them, yea, ye might have sent armies unto them, to have strengthened them, and have saved thousands of them from falling by the sword.
Mormon underscores the fact that the Nephite armies are fighting, and dying, protecting the whole of the Nephite nation. That devotion to the cause of the nation is contrasted to what appears to be “this exceedingly great neglect.” Pahoran hasn’t responded to the pleas to do what a good governor should do. He should support the men in the field who are protecting them.
Mormon’s condemnation is extremely harsh in verse 8, where Mormon clearly states that while Pahoran had been enjoying the protection supplied by the armies, he has neglected his duty to support those very armies. Mormon is accusing Pahoran of the unnecessary deaths of “thousands of [his] brethren” through neglect.
Alma 60:9–10
9 But behold, this is not all—ye have withheld your provisions from them, insomuch that many have fought and bled out their lives because of their great desires which they had for the welfare of this people; yea, and this they have done when they were about to perish with hunger, because of your exceedingly great neglect towards them.
10 And now, my beloved brethren—for ye ought to be beloved; yea, and ye ought to have stirred yourselves more diligently for the welfare and the freedom of this people; but behold, ye have neglected them insomuch that the blood of thousands shall come upon your heads for vengeance; yea, for known unto God were all their cries, and all their sufferings—
Not only has Pahoran failed to send more men, but he has also failed to send the provisions needed to support those already in the field. His anger easily comes through, even when he attempts more formal prose: “my beloved brethren—for ye ought to be beloved.” The address as “beloved brethren” is part of polite speech, but Moroni cannot allow it to stand. It is an ideal that isn’t being fulfilled.
Yet again, in verse 10, Moroni declares that the responsibility for thousands of Nephite deaths lies firmly at Pahoran’s door. Moroni does not accuse Pahoran of direct evil, but rather “exceedingly great neglect.”
Alma 60:11
11 Behold, could ye suppose that ye could sit upon your thrones, and because of the exceeding goodness of God ye could do nothing and he would deliver you? Behold, if ye have supposed this ye have supposed in vain.
Although there is one Chief Judge over all the land, we have seen that each separate land associated with a city had their own Chief Judge for that city and its beholden lands. Thus, there are “thrones” because there is more than one judge. However, why use a term that is usually associated with the symbolic seat of a king? Part of the answer lies in the fact that there is only a partial difference between the monarchy and the Reign of the Judges. The positions of the judges are as hereditary as the right of kingship had been. Thus, the symbol of visible authority of the Chief Judge might not have been so different from that of the king.
Another possibility, if we see the Book of Mormon in a Mesoamerican setting, is that the seat of the ruler was also symbolic, even when it was not elaborate. The texts speak of the “seating” of a king, and in the case of the Nephites, would have been the seating of the judge. Thus, the seat would still be an important symbol of power, and as such be appropriately translated as throne, even though the idea of a throne might conjure more elaborate images than the Nephite reality most likely had been.
Alma 60:12–15
12 Do ye suppose that, because so many of your brethren have been killed it is because of their wickedness? I say unto you, if ye have supposed this ye have supposed in vain; for I say unto you, there are many who have fallen by the sword; and behold it is to your condemnation;
13 For the Lord suffereth the righteous to be slain that his justice and judgment may come upon the wicked; therefore ye need not suppose that the righteous are lost because they are slain; but behold, they do enter into the rest of the Lord their God.
14 And now behold, I say unto you, I fear exceedingly that the judgments of God will come upon this people, because of their exceeding slothfulness, yea, even the slothfulness of our government, and their exceedingly great neglect towards their brethren, yea, towards those who have been slain.
15 For were it not for the wickedness which first commenced at our head, we could have withstood our enemies that they could have gained no power over us.
The underlying theme of this part of Moroni’s argument is the covenant of the land. There is protection upon principles of righteousness. In the current war, there have been many Nephites who have died, and Moroni makes certain that he notes that they died defending Nephite ideals, and not because they were unrighteously violating them.
The blame is not that those brave men who died were not living up to their covenants, but rather that the very fact that the Nephites were engaged in this war was evidence that those who were “at our head” had brought the war upon the nation through their unrighteousness.
Moroni is placing Pahoran among those who are unrighteously causing the overall protection of the Lord to be withdrawn. This is Moroni’s message in verse 15.
Alma 60:16
16 Yea, had it not been for the war which broke out among ourselves; yea, were it not for these king-men, who caused so much bloodshed among ourselves; yea, at the time we were contending among ourselves, if we had united our strength as we hitherto have done; yea, had it not been for the desire of power and authority which those king-men had over us; had they been true to the cause of our freedom, and united with us, and gone forth against our enemies, instead of taking up their swords against us, which was the cause of so much bloodshed among ourselves; yea, if we had gone forth against them in the strength of the Lord, we should have dispersed our enemies, for it would have been done, according to the fulfilling of his word.
Having declared in the previous verses that this war was brought about by the unrighteous desires of leaders, Moroni gets very specific. He lays the fault at the feet of the kingmen. “[Had] it not been for the desire of power and authority which those king-men had over us,” Moroni felt that if “we had gone forth against them in the strength of the Lord, we should have dispersed our enemies.”
Moroni was more correct than he knew. He will not discover that until he reads the letter that Pahoran sends in response (chapter 61).
Alma 60:17–19
17 But behold, now the Lamanites are coming upon us, taking possession of our lands, and they are murdering our people with the sword, yea, our women and our children, and also carrying them away captive, causing them that they should suffer all manner of afflictions, and this because of the great wickedness of those who are seeking for power and authority, yea, even those king-men.
18 But why should I say much concerning this matter? For we know not but what ye yourselves are seeking for authority. We know not but what ye are also traitors to your country.
19 Or is it that ye have neglected us because ye are in the heart of our country and ye are surrounded by security, that ye do not cause food to be sent unto us, and also men to strengthen our armies?
The unrighteousness of some of the leaders allowed for the Lamanite aggression. Moroni is remembering that many of the kingmen were the judges, and the high-born among the people. As Moroni refocuses on the current needs, he wonders what might have caused the delays in sending reinforcements and provisions.
His first answer is that Pahoran and others are “traitors to [their] country.” That is harsh, and perhaps could only be said by a general with a large army behind him. Moroni backs away somewhat from calling Pahoran a traitor and suggests that perhaps it is only that he is so far from the conflict that he has simply forgotten the armies’ needs because he is not in need. It is still a condemnation, but not as severe as calling the political leader a traitor.
Alma 60:20–21
20 Have ye forgotten the commandments of the Lord your God? Yea, have ye forgotten the captivity of our fathers? Have ye forgotten the many times we have been delivered out of the hands of our enemies?
21 Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us?
An oversimplified reading of the question Moroni asks, “Have ye forgotten the captivity of our fathers?” would be that Yahweh’s miraculous deliverance in the past would similarly provide another miraculous delivery. That isn’t the lesson Moroni wants Pahoran to remember. While there were clear indications of a divine hand at play, the fathers had to do much to work out their own salvation, and they suffered much before the time of that salvation arrived.
Thus, Moroni sarcastically asks: “Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us?” Moroni is clearly indicating that having faith in God does not mean that we are not to act on our own, to the best of our ability.
Alma 60:22–24
22 Yea, will ye sit in idleness while ye are surrounded with thousands of those, yea, and tens of thousands, who do also sit in idleness, while there are thousands round about in the borders of the land who are falling by the sword, yea, wounded and bleeding?
23 Do ye suppose that God will look upon you as guiltless while ye sit still and behold these things? Behold I say unto you, Nay. Now I would that ye should remember that God has said that the inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed also.
24 And now, except ye do repent of that which ye have done, and begin to be up and doing, and send forth food and men unto us, and also unto Helaman, that he may support those parts of our country which he has regained, and that we may also recover the remainder of our possessions in these parts, behold it will be expedient that we contend no more with the Lamanites until we have first cleansed our inward vessel, yea, even the great head of our government.
Moroni continues the theme from verses 20–21. Even though God is powerful to save, we are to work towards our salvation. “God will [not] look upon you as guiltless while ye sit still and behold these things.”
Moroni will not sit back and only watch. If Pahoran does not act to supply the armies, Moroni will turn those armies against him, and use them to take away those in the government who are not sufficiently supporting the troops in the field.
There is an interesting phrase used in verses 23 and 24. Moroni speaks of cleansing the “inward vessel.” This may be an allusion to the concept of purity under the law of Moses. There have been debates about whether or not the cleanliness of the inside of a vessel could be contaminated from the outside of the same vessel. In this case, Moroni is suggesting that the inward vessel (the government in Zarahemla) is impure, and that the outer vessel (the armies), would be required to cleanse the inward vessel.
Alma 60:25–27
25 And except ye grant mine epistle, and come out and show unto me a true spirit of freedom, and strive to strengthen and fortify our armies, and grant unto them food for their support, behold I will leave a part of my freemen to maintain this part of our land, and I will leave the strength and the blessings of God upon them, that none other power can operate against them—
26 And this because of their exceeding faith, and their patience in their tribulations—
27 And I will come unto you, and if there be any among you that has a desire for freedom, yea, if there be even a spark of freedom remaining, behold I will stir up insurrections among you, even until those who have desires to usurp power and authority shall become extinct.
Moroni again indicates that unless he receives the needed men and provisions, that he will bring his armies against Pahoran. He has already provided the possible justification, which was his accusation that Pahoran might be a traitor. If that had been the case, then Moroni could be justified in removing him by force.
Moroni invokes the image he had used with his title of liberty, that of a desire for freedom. As discussed in connection to the title of liberty, the freedom and liberty Moroni is interested in is more heavily religious than political. Moroni doesn’t argue with the law, but rather uses the covenant of the land as the justification for desiring that the right things be done.
Alma 60:28–31
28 Yea, behold I do not fear your power nor your authority, but it is my God whom I fear; and it is according to his commandments that I do take my sword to defend the cause of my country, and it is because of your iniquity that we have suffered so much loss.
29 Behold it is time, yea, the time is now at hand, that except ye do bestir yourselves in the defence of your country and your little ones, the sword of justice doth hang over you; yea, and it shall fall upon you and visit you even to your utter destruction.
30 Behold, I wait for assistance from you; and, except ye do administer unto our relief, behold, I come unto you, even in the land of Zarahemla, and smite you with the sword, insomuch that ye can have no more power to impede the progress of this people in the cause of our freedom.
31 For behold, the Lord will not suffer that ye shall live and wax strong in your iniquities to destroy his righteous people.
Moroni insists that his interests are just, and not related to politics. He is after what is right, and his definition of what is right is the preservation of the liberty of the people. What he means by that, is the ability to live according to God’s covenants. Therefore, he says “it is my God whom I fear.” What Moroni is suggesting that he do would actually be considered a rebellion, or a coup. Nevertheless, Moroni considers only that it would preserve the ability to live according to God’s covenants.
Moroni is not currently ready to lead the armies. He has leveled the threat but awaits Pahoran’s answer before moving. This is not a hasty decision, but one that is firm and calculated. The idea that it is motivated by what Moroni considers to be a religious responsibility is underscored by his declaration in verse 31 that “the Lord will not suffer that ye shall live and wax strong in your iniquities to destroy his righteous people.” Moroni, in his righteous anger, will be God’s instrument to make sure that such a destruction will not happen.
Alma 60:32–36
32 Behold, can you suppose that the Lord will spare you and come out in judgment against the Lamanites, when it is the tradition of their fathers that has caused their hatred, yea, and it has been redoubled by those who have dissented from us, while your iniquity is for the cause of your love of glory and the vain things of the world?
33 Ye know that ye do transgress the laws of God, and ye do know that ye do trample them under your feet. Behold, the Lord saith unto me: If those whom ye have appointed your governors do not repent of their sins and iniquities, ye shall go up to battle against them.
34 And now behold, I, Moroni, am constrained, according to the covenant which I have made to keep the commandments of my God; therefore I would that ye should adhere to the word of God, and send speedily unto me of your provisions and of your men, and also to Helaman.
35 And behold, if ye will not do this I come unto you speedily; for behold, God will not suffer that we should perish with hunger; therefore he will give unto us of your food, even if it must be by the sword. Now see that ye fulfil the word of God.
36 Behold, I am Moroni, your chief captain. I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country. And thus I close mine epistle.
Moroni closes the letter with a final statement that the problem is one of covenant obligations to God. To be righteous, a Chief Judge must take care of his people. For Moroni, that is especially important in a time of war. Therefore, Moroni invokes God as the one who will mete out judgment on Pahoran, should he continue to shirk his responsibilities (Moroni does not yet know why Pahoran hasn’t fulfilled those responsibilities).
The closing of the letter closes this chapter. Pahoran’s response is in the next chapter.
