Mormon 1

Mormon 1

Mormon 1:1

1 And now I, Mormon, make a record of the things which I have both seen and heard, and call it the Book of Mormon.

Comments

Up to this point, Mormon has been abridging the large plates of Nephi, with additional material taken from a few select separate sources, most notably Alma₂’s personal record and Nephi₃’s personal record. Now, Mormon leaves behind his role as either official record keeper or abridger of records. This is his own record, viewing his own life in retrospect. While many of these events would have been recorded on the large plates that he also kept, this is a record written particularly for this project.

Nevertheless, when he says that he calls it “the Book of Mormon,” it would be more appropriate to keep book in lowercase, as “the book of Mormon.” This “record of the things which I have both seen and heard” is his personal book, not the larger work to which it is attached. This is his intended closing to his masterwork.

Mormon 1:2

2 And about the time that Ammaron hid up the records unto the Lord, he came unto me, (I being about ten years of age, and I began to be learned somewhat after the manner of the learning of my people) and Ammaron said unto me: I perceive that thou art a sober child, and art quick to observe;

Comments

In 4 Nephi 1:48–49 we learned that Ammaron hid up all the records in the Nephite year 320. Mormon tells us that it was about that time that Ammaron came to him. When Ammaron approached him, Mormon was 10 years old, therefore, he was born in the Nephite year 310 (or close thereto, depending upon how the months in the ten years lined up with the dates).

That Mormon was already being trained “after the manner of the learning of my people” at age ten suggests that he was in a royal family, though not necessarily the closest family to the ruler. We never see Mormon as the ruler of the nation, only as the General over all the armies.

Mormon 1:3–4

3 Therefore, when ye are about twenty and four years old I would that ye should remember the things that ye have observed concerning this people; and when ye are of that age go to the land Antum, unto a hill which shall be called Shim; and there have I deposited unto the Lord all the sacred engravings concerning this people.

4 And behold, ye shall take the plates of Nephi unto yourself, and the remainder shall ye leave in the place where they are; and ye shall engrave on the plates of Nephi all the things that ye have observed concerning this people.

Comments

Ammaron selects Mormon to be the official Nephite archivist, but with the understanding that the commission was as yet beyond the abilities of the ten-year-old Mormon. Therefore, Mormon was to continue his education with the knowledge that he would eventually be a record keeper. That knowledge doubtless guided the nature of his studies, and perhaps some of the types of lessons he chose to learn well.

When Mormon turned twenty-four, he was to retrieve all the records and begin the task of being the keeper of the large plates and the official historian writing upon those large plates. As with previous archivists, Ammaron tells Mormon the type of information the large plates are to contain: “ye shall engrave on the plates of Nephi all the things that ye have observed concerning this people.”

War Begins between the Nephites and Lamanites

Mormon 1:5–9

5 And I, Mormon, being a descendant of Nephi, (and my father’s name was Mormon) I remembered the things which Ammaron commanded me.

6 And it came to pass that I, being eleven years old, was carried by my father into the land southward, even to the land of Zarahemla.

7 The whole face of the land had become covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous almost, as it were the sand of the sea.

8 And it came to pass in this year there began to be a war between the Nephites, who consisted of the Nephites and the Jacobites and the Josephites and the Zoramites; and this war was between the Nephites, and the Lamanites and the Lemuelites and the Ishmaelites.

9 Now the Lamanites and the Lemuelites and the Ishmaelites were called Lamanites, and the two parties were Nephites and Lamanites.

Comments

Mormon gives us a little more biographical information. He is named after his father, and he is “a descendant of Nephi.” It is assumed that he meant Nephi₁, son of Lehi₁. However, he does not say so, and it is possible that he meant the Nephi₃, son of Nephi₂, who was a disciple of Christ. Mormon was also a disciple (the Book of Mormon term for apostle), and that would make a connection to the more recent Nephi₃ an intriguing possibility. Coming nearly a thousand years after Nephi₁, it would be impossible to have a completely accurate genealogy, and would indicate a general connection rather than a literal direct descendent.

Mormon is taken south to Zarahemla. Zarahemla had been rebuilt after having been burned in the destruction preceding Christ’s appearance in Bountiful. It would appear that the center of Nephite government had been relocated to the more northern lands (and probably Bountiful). Thus Mormon₁ (his father), took Mormon₂ south. The reason appears to be a war between Nephites and Lamanites. It would appear that both Mormon and his father were part of a warrior culture, if not a warrior caste. His father would likely be in charge of at least some of the armies. Mormon (the son) would later also assume command.

Importantly, we have the definitions of Nephite and Lamanite again according to the traditional tribal affiliations. These were reconstituted after there were no such divisions. See the commentary for 4 Nephi 1:38.

Mormon 1:10–12

10 And it came to pass that the war began to be among them in the borders of Zarahemla, by the waters of Sidon.

11 And it came to pass that the Nephites had gathered together a great number of men, even to exceed the number of thirty thousand. And it came to pass that they did have in this same year a number of battles, in which the Nephites did beat the Lamanites and did slay many of them.

12 And it came to pass that the Lamanites withdrew their design, and there was peace settled in the land; and peace did remain for the space of about four years, that there was no bloodshed.

Comments

The “war began to be among them in the borders of Zarahemla, by the waters of Sidon.” This would be upriver from Zarahemla proper, and closer to the location of Manti (if that city still stood—that would be the most typical approach point of the Lamanites from the south. The geography dictated that it was the natural entry point, and that has not changed in the over three hundred years since the last reported war.

At this point, we will begin to see more strength numbers listed for military units. Mormon was a military man, and also a military historian. Thus, the sizes of the armies were important to him. Nevertheless, this was an era where tallying large numbers would have been difficult and there was no science of calculating population numbers. Thus, we will see numbers, but as with most ancient records, the large numbers may not have represented the actual number, which was likely smaller.

As with other times in the past, the Nephites are victorious, and the Lamanites retreat. There is peace for four years, which is one of the longer periods of peace (excluding the two hundred years of peace as mentioned in 4 Nephi 1, of course).

Mormon Is Forbidden to Preach

Mormon 1:13–14

13 But wickedness did prevail upon the face of the whole land, insomuch that the Lord did take away his beloved disciples, and the work of miracles and of healing did cease because of the iniquity of the people.

14 And there were no gifts from the Lord, and the Holy Ghost did not come upon any, because of their wickedness and unbelief.

Comments

The wickedness that began just two hundred years after Christ’s birth was intensifying. The Nephite victories were beginning to be based on their own strength, and not upon their reliance upon the Lord or the promise of protection.

They were sufficiently wicked that the Three Nephites were taken from them. Mormon had chronicled, in 4 Nephi 1:30–33, the poor treatment the Three had received. The Lord removed them, and with the increased wickedness, there was insufficient righteousness to be able to command miracles.

It was a serious time, so much so that “the Holy Ghost did not come upon any.” There were no new converts. There was no gift of the Holy Ghost because the people were insufficiently righteous to qualify to receive it. Mormon is telling the end-story of his people, and the beginning of the end was when they rejected the gospel and therefore the covenant of the land.

Mormon 1:15–17

15 And I, being fifteen years of age and being somewhat of a sober mind, therefore I was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus.

16 And I did endeavor to preach unto this people, but my mouth was shut, and I was forbidden that I should preach unto them; for behold they had wilfully rebelled against their God; and the beloved disciples were taken away out of the land, because of their iniquity.

17 But I did remain among them, but I was forbidden to preach unto them, because of the hardness of their hearts; and because of the hardness of their hearts the land was cursed for their sake.

Comments

Even in an unrighteous world, not all people are unrighteous. They may be in the minority, but their faith is still beneficial to them. In Mormon’s case, his faith was strong enough that he “was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus.” That was powerful faith, and undoubtedly part of his call as a disciple (apostle).

As with other disciples who had testimonies of Jesus Christ, Mormon wanted to preach, but his “mouth was shut, and [he] was forbidden” to preach. The key to the Nephite wickedness was that “they had wilfully rebelled against their God.”

Mormon 1:18–19

18 And these Gadianton robbers, who were among the Lamanites, did infest the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof began to hide up their treasures in the earth; and they became slippery, because the Lord had cursed the land, that they could not hold them, nor retain them again.

19 And it came to pass that there were sorceries, and witchcrafts, and magics; and the power of the evil one was wrought upon all the face of the land, even unto the fulfilling of all the words of Abinadi, and also Samuel the Lamanite.

Comments

At the beginning of this chapter, Mormon and his father go south to fight against the Lamanites and are victorious. After describing how wicked the Nephites have become, Mormon notes that there were also many Gadianton robbers who “did infest the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof began to hide up their treasures in the earth.”

In 4 Nephi 1:46, Mormon had noted that the Gadiantons had made a reappearance, and “gold and silver did they lay up in store in abundance, and did traffic in all manner of traffic.” That desire for the gold and silver apparently led to some attempting to hide their own wealth so that the Gadiantons could not have access to it.

In a Mesoamerican context, these Gadiantons would probably be the people of Teotihuacan. During this time period they were a very powerful city and people, and they were actively expanding their trade routes into the areas where we believe the Nephites would have been, as well as further south into Lamanite territory. This would be the reason that 4 Nephi 1:46 spoke of them as “[trafficking] in all manner of traffic.”

The “sorceries, and witchcrafts, and magics” of verse 19 plausibly refer to the foreign religion that was infesting the land along with the Gadiantons who would have brought that religion.

This is not the end of a chapter in the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon.