Rest and Repentance in Alma 12–13

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Abstract

The themes of “rest” and “repentance” turn up together in Alma 12–13. The manner of their implementation suggests that they were produced by an author familiar with biblical Hebrew and with the flood accounts in Genesis and the Book of Moses.

Noah, Rest, and Repentance

In the book of Genesis, the concept of “rest” (nwḥ) is found in connection with the story of the Flood. For instance, in Genesis 8 we read that “the ark rested in the seventh month” (v. 4) but “the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot” (v. 9). As noted by Matthew Bowen, these descriptions seem to be intentionally playing off the name Noah, which for early Hebrews would have connoted “[divine] rest.”¹

The theme of rest is even more pronounced in the Book of Moses.² After seeing in vision the impending flood and the Lord’s salvation through Noah (Moses 7:42–54), Enoch heard the earth cry out, “When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?” (v. 48). This concern about the earth and its inhabitants finding “rest” is repeated four more times throughout the chapter (Moses 7:54, 58, 61, 64), associated in each instance with some type of calamity.³

In addition to the association between Noah and “rest” (in connection with the Hebrew root nwḥ), the accounts in Genesis and Moses 7–8 also connect Noah with a similar sounding Hebrew term (nḥm), which, among other ideas, evokes the concept of “repentance.”⁴

As recorded in Moses 8:17, “the Lord said unto Noah: … if men do not repent, I will send in the floods upon them.” Several verses later, “Noah called upon the children of men that they should repent; but they hearkened not unto his words” (v. 20). Later still, “Noah continued his preaching unto the people, saying: … Believe and repent of your sins” (vv. 23–24). This theme is especially pronounced in Genesis 6:6–7 and Moses 8:25–26, in which forms of the word repent surround the Lord’s warning of destruction:⁵

Genesis 6:6–7	Moses 8:25–26
And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.	And it repented Noah, and his heart was pained that the Lord had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at the heart. And the Lord said: I will destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Noah that I have created them, and that I have made them;

Based on these and other passages, it is apparent that the themes of “rest” (nwḥ) and “repentance” (nḥm)—two words that in Hebrew sound similar to one another and to the name Noah—are integral to the flood story, as presented in Genesis 6–8 and Moses 7–8.⁶ With this backdrop in mind, it is noteworthy that these same terms show up together in the story of Alma and Amulek as they preached to the people of Ammonihah—a story in which a people, like those in the days of Noah, were completely destroyed after rejecting a prophetic warning.

Repentance and a Flood-Like Warning in Alma 9

Alma’s first mention of repentance provides substantial support for this proposed relationship. In Alma 9:12 he presents a three-fold exhortation for repentance followed by a close restatement of the warning given by the Lord to the people in Noah’s day, as found in Genesis 6 and Moses 8.⁷ (Here and in several instances below, “repentance” will be highlighted in red while “rest” and “Noah” will be highlighted in blue for easier identification.)

Genesis 6:6–7	Moses 8:25–26	Alma 9:12
And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.	And it repented Noah, and his heart was pained that the Lord had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at the heart. And the Lord said: I will destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Noah that I have created them, and that I have made them;	Behold, now I say unto you that he commandeth you to repent; and except ye repent, ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. But behold, this is not all—he has commanded you to repent, or he will utterly destroy you from off the face of the earth.”

Lest one assume this is merely a coincidence, in the aftermath of the city’s destruction Mormon stated that “every living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed” (Alma 16:9).⁸ This once again closely captures the language of destruction from the story of the flood: “every living substance was destroyed” (Genesis 7:23).

Repentance and Noah in Alma 10

The next line of evidence comes from the way that Amulek inserts a reference to Noah and the flood in an extended alternate structure.⁹ This structure is then itself embedded in a chiasm in which the outer elements involve repentance (Alma 10:20–23):¹⁰

Repent ye, repent,

for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Yea, well doth he cry, by the voice of his angels that: I will come down among my people, with equity and justice in my hands.

Yea, and I say unto you that if it were not for the prayers of the righteous, who are now in the land,

that ye would even now be visited with utter destruction;

yet it would not be by flood, as were the people in the days of Noah,

but it would be by famine,

and by pestilence,

and the sword.

But it is by the prayers of the righteous

that ye are spared;

now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you;

then ye shall be smitten by famine,

and by pestilence,

and by the sword;

and the time is soon at hand

except ye repent.

At first glance, elements Cc and Cc* may seem unconnected. However, these ideas correspond fittingly once they are read in light of Moses 7:50–51:¹¹

Moses 7:50–51

Alma 10:20–23

I ask thee, O Lord … that thou wilt have mercy upon Noah and his seed, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods.

And the Lord could not withhold; and he covenanted with Enoch, and sware unto him with an oath, that he would stay the floods.

Cc: yet it would not be by flood, as were the people in the days of Noah,

Cc*: now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you

The Lord’s unwillingness to “stay his hand” in Cc* seems like it is intentionally playing off of the Lord’s prior promise to “stay the floods” in Moses 7:51. In other words, even though the Lord promised to “stay the floods,” he was nevertheless not going to “stay his hand”—meaning that he would find a different method of utter destruction for the people of Ammonihah. If this connection is valid—and multiple lines of evidence suggest that it is¹²—then it is rather remarkable. This is because it would mean that the pairing of Cc and Cc* depends on a text that Joseph Smith didn’t dictate until nearly a year later!¹³

In the broader analysis, these verses, with their discussion of Noah and the flood bounded by a message of “repentance,” provide yet another clue that the theme of repentance isn’t being integrated haphazardly by the author.

Repentance and Rest in Alma 12

In Alma 12 “repent” and “rest” are featured as key terms in three back-to-back parallel structures in Alma 12:33–37:¹⁴

Structure 1

A	If ye will repent,
	B	and harden not your hearts,
		C	then will I have mercy upon you,
			D	through mine Only Begotten Son;
A*	Therefore, whosoever repenteth,
	B*	and hardeneth not his heart,
		C*	he shall have claim on mercy
			D*	through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins;

Structure 2

A	and these shall enter into my rest.
	B	And whosoever will harden his heart
	B*	and will do iniquity,
A*	behold, I swear in my wrath that he shall not enter into my rest.

Structure 3

A	a	And now, my brethren, behold I say unto you,
		b	that if ye will harden your hearts ye shall not enter into the rest of the Lord;
			c	therefore your iniquity provoketh him
				d	that he sendeth down his wrath upon you
					e	as in the first provocation,
	B	a	yea, according to his word
			b	in the last provocation
				c	as well as the first, to the everlasting destruction of your souls;
	B*	a	therefore, according to his word,
			b	unto the last death,
				c	as well as the first.
A*	a	And now, my brethren, seeing we know these things, and they are true,
		b	let us repent, and harden not our hearts,
			c	that we provoke not the Lord our God
				d	to pull down his wrath upon us
					e	in these his second commandments which he has given unto us;

but let us enter into the rest of God, which is prepared according to his word.

As can be seen, “repent” is the key term for elements A/A* in Structure 1, while “rest” is the key term for elements A/A* in Structure 2. The way they appear one right after another invites a connection: Those who repent will enter into the Lord’s rest, while those who don’t will not be able to enter therein.

These key terms then surface again in elements Ab/Ab* of Structure 3. Whether or not they were meant to be linked together here is uncertain, but the pairing is certainly inviting. Structure 3 is then followed with a final statement about entering into the “rest of God.” While this doesn’t appear to be a formal part of Structure 3, notice that its phrasing (“let us x”) pairs it with the word “repent” which was just given in Ab* (Alma 12:37):

let us repent, and harden not our hearts …

let us enter into the rest of God

Rest and Repentance in Alma 13

In the next chapter, the association between rest and repentance resurfaces. First, entering the “rest” of the Lord is once again presented in the outer layers of a chiasm (Alma 13:12, 16):¹⁵

A	… and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.
	B	Now these ordinances were given after this manner, that thereby the people might look forward on the Son of God,
		C	it being a type of his order,
		C	or it being his order,
	B	and this that they might look forward to him for a remission of their sins,
A	that they might enter into the rest of the Lord.

This is then followed closely by “rest” and “repentance” showing up in close proximity in a non-poetic passage: “I would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest” (Alma 13:13). At the conclusion of the chapter, Alma pairs these concepts together one final time, as he mentions the need to have “the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest. And may the Lord grant unto you repentance, that ye may not bring down his wrath upon you” (vv. 29–30).

Conclusion

The close and recurring association between “rest” and “repentance” in Alma 12–13 is unique in ancient scripture.¹⁶ It is therefore telling that they turn up in a narrative that frequently alludes to the story of the flood, in which “rest” and “repentance” are prominent themes and linguistically connect to the name Noah.

Alma teaching the people of Ammonihah. Image via churchofjesuschrist.org.

It isn’t just a matter of allusion though. Part of the brilliance of their integration involves the manner in which these terms are woven into poetic structures that in some cases build upon and relate to one another. The fact that they sometimes function as key terms in parallel elements further emphasizes their thematic relevance.

When seen in this light, “rest” and “repentance” appear to have been repeatedly and creatively paired together in Alma 12–13 by an author who was familiar with biblical Hebrew and with the doctrinal themes present in Genesis 6–8 and Moses 7–8. While this type of textual and linguistic knowledge makes sense for the Book of Mormon’s internally designated authors, it is harder to ascribe to Joseph Smith, who had little formal schooling and no training in Hebrew in 1829.

Matthew Bowen, “‘This Son Shall Comfort Us’: An Onomastic Tale of Two Noahs,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 23 (2017): 263–298.

Terrence L. Szink, “The Vision of Enoch: Structure of a Masterpiece,” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Restoration Scripture 17, nos. 1–2 (2008): 13‒14, 18.

BibleGenesis 6–9Book of MormonAlma 9:12Alma 10:20–23Alma 12:30–37Alma 13:13–16Alma 13:29–30Alma 16:9

Bible

Book of Mormon

¹ See Matthew Bowen, “‘This Son Shall Comfort Us’: An Onomastic Tale of Two Noahs,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 23 (2017): 264.
² See Bowen, “‘This Son Shall Comfort Us’,” 263–273.
³ First “rest” is evoked in response to the flood in Noah’s day (v. 48), and then for the destruction surrounding the death of Christ (vv. 54–58), and finally in relation to the “great tribulations” of the last days (v. 64–66). It is clearly the impending flood, however, that is the impetus for Enoch’s dialogue with the Lord and the visions that follow.
⁴ The term can also mean “to ‘regret’ or ‘be sorry; ‘console oneself,’ or ‘comfort’ someone.” Bowen, “‘This Son Shall Comfort Us’,” 264. For further exploration of this term’s thematic relevance in Genesis and the Book of Moses, see pp. 274–279.
⁵ According to Bowen, “one of the interesting emendations or restorations that the JST Genesis version of the Noah story offers is a shift from the Lord as the focus of the verb nḥm (‘repent,’ ‘regret’) to Noah himself.”
Bowen, “‘This Son Shall Comfort Us’,” 278.
⁶ For a much more in-depth demonstration of the presence of these themes, see Bowen, “‘This Son Shall Comfort Us’,” 264–279.
⁷ The warning is also articulated in Alma 9:11, 24.
⁸ It is possible that the phrase “every living soul” utilizes the Hebrew term nephesh, which can refer to sentient human and animal life and would therefore be a fitting allusion to the Genesis account (especially Genesis 9:10–16) in which both men and beasts were destroyed. Interestingly, the same phrase is used multiple times in 2 Enoch (see 2 Enoch J61:2; 2 Enoch A61:1–2). As found in the 2 Enoch material preserved in the Merilo Pravendo manuscripts, the phrase provides a clear reference to animal life: “Concerning this there will not be judgment for every living soul, but for man alone.” See F. I. Anderson, trans., “Appendix: 2 Enoch in Merilo Pravendo,” in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Volume 1: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments, ed. James H. Charlesworth (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1983), 218n.h2. The translator of the passage notes that this phrase is a Hebraism and that Genesis 9 (which repeatedly refers to “every living creature”) could be behind the interpretation.
⁹ See Evidence Central, “Book of Mormon Evidence: Alternate Parallelisms,” Evidence# 0281, December 7, 2021, online at evidencecentral.org.
¹⁰ This structure is adapted from and expands upon the one presented in Donald W. Parry, Poetic Parallelisms in the Book of Mormon: The Complete Text Reformatted (Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2007), 251–252. For more information about chiasmus, see Evidence Central, “Book of Mormon Evidence: Chiasmus (Overview),” Evidence# 0006, September 19, 2020, online at evidencecentral.org.
¹¹ The passages in Alma 10 also relate to Genesis 9:8–17, although with less specificity.
¹² The account in Genesis 9 doesn’t use the word “stay” or a synonymous concept (such as “restrained,” “shut up,” or “stopped”) when referencing the flood. Nor do any other scriptural passages, although Ezekiel 31:11 does mention “stay” in relation to water. Other verses which talk about the Lord shutting the windows of heaven (i.e., holding back the rain) such as Deuteronomy 11:17; 1 Kings 8:35; 2 Chronicles 6:26; 7:13; Luke 4:25; Revelation 11:6 may also be relevant, yet none of them specifically mention the flood in Noah’s day either. Thus, the mention of “stay his hand” in Alma 10:22–23 seems especially likely to be an allusion to “stay the floods” in Moses 7:50–51. The case for intentionality is significantly bolstered by the following factors: (1) both passages specifically reference Noah by name and (2) both mention or allude to the Lord’s covenant to not destroy the world by flood. Such specificity is hard to ignore, and there is ample reason to believe that Book of Mormon prophets had a text in their possession which very much resembles the Book of Moses. See Jeff Lindsay and Noel B. Reynolds “‘Strong Like unto Moses’: The Case for Ancient Roots in the Book of Moses Based on Book of Mormon Usage of Related Content Apparently from the Brass Plates,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 44 (2021): 1–92. Other nearby textual clues lend further support for this proposed relationship. For instance, in Alma 10:22–23 Amulek twice mentions that the “prayers of the righteous” were preserving the people, and in Cc* he specifically states that if the wicked were to “cast out the righteous from among you” then they would face destruction. On 13 occasions, forms of the word “righteous” are likewise mentioned in Moses 7, and it was only after the righteous were removed from the wicked (either by being taken up into heaven or saved in the ark) that the flood was unleashed upon the residue of the people (Moses 7:16–43). In Cc* Amulek also mentions the Lord’s “fierce anger” in connection with the flood: “then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you.” While this is not an uncommon phrase in the Old Testament, the only other instance where “fierce anger” is used in connection with the flood is Moses 7:34: “in my hot displeasure will I send in the floods upon them, for my fierce anger is kindled against them.” These additional parallels with Moses 7 are either absent or comparatively obscure in the corresponding flood account in Genesis.
¹³ Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon between April and June of 1829 but didn’t start his inspired translation of the Bible, of which the Book of Moses is an extensive extract, until June of 1830. See https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/visions-of-moses-june-1830-moses-1/1.
¹⁴ Structure 1 and Structure 2 are adapted from and expand upon the parallelisms proposed in Parry, Poetic Parallelisms in the Book of Mormon: The Complete Text Reformatted, 258. Structure 3 has been proposed by Evidence Central staff.
¹⁵ This structure is achieved by situating verse 16 immediately after verse 12. This irregular ordering is justified due to an apparent scribal error in the underlying text. See Grant R. Hardy, “New Light: The Book of Mormon as a Written (Literary) Artifact,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 12, no. 2 (2003): 107–109, 118.
¹⁶ This evaluation is based on a word search utilizing WordCruncher which identified all instances of these terms that were separated by less than 1000 words. Only one other ancient text showed any correspondence within these parameters: 3 Nephi 27:19–20. However, the intertextuality between these verses and Alma 13:10–12 is so strong (featuring six parallel words and phrases in a short span of verses) that Christ may have been intentionally alluding back to Alma’s prior statements. These relationships are presented in the following chart (shared elements color-coded for easier identification):
Alma 13:10–12
3 Nephi 27:19–20
10 and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish;
11 Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb.
12 Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.
19 And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.
20 Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.

Linguistics

Book of Mormon

Evidence #403 | May 2, 2023

Rest and Repentance in Alma 12–13