Moroni 1

Moroni 1

Moroni Continues to Write

Moroni 1:1–4

1 Now I, Moroni, after having made an end of abridging the account of the people of Jared, I had supposed not to have written more, but I have not as yet perished; and I make not myself known to the Lamanites lest they should destroy me.

2 For behold, their wars are exceedingly fierce among themselves; and because of their hatred they put to death every Nephite that will not deny the Christ.

3 And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ; wherefore, I wander whithersoever I can for the safety of mine own life.

4 Wherefore, I write a few more things, contrary to that which I had supposed; for I had supposed not to have written any more; but I write a few more things, that perhaps they may be of worth unto my brethren, the Lamanites, in some future day, according to the will of the Lord.

Comments

The book of Moroni is the only book of more than one chapter that did not have its chapters altered in the 1879 edition. Thus, these four verses were a chapter to themselves when Moroni wrote them.

They are very clearly written after Moroni finished the editing of the book of Ether, as he states in verse 1. It is also an admission that Moroni’s assigned writing tasks were completed. He has finished his father’s (Mormon’s) record and made sure that his father’s desire concerning the record of Ether was fulfilled.

Moroni’s brief explanation of what his life was like is a vision of loneliness and constant danger. We cannot tell, from this short description, where he is at the time of this writing. He speaks of Lamanites trying to destroy him, but since the term Lamanite was a generic term for “not-Nephite,” that doesn’t help us know whether he stayed near his ancestral lands or had traveled to a different place.

What he does say is that he has time to think, and having thought on his mission and the future of the record he was preserving, his thoughts turned to the future. The book of Moroni is almost entirely focused on the person, and then the people, who would receive the record of his father, to which he had added the book of Ether.