Help with Mosiah

[Addz25]

I'm reading The Book of Mosiah right now, (just finished chapter 22) and I'm a little confused. Who is writing the book? Is it Mormon? And which ones are the jaredite plates? Is there a summary available somewhere? Thanks.

[Dravin]

This help any?

Brief Explanation

[Justice]

You're going to have to go slow:

Starting in chapter 9 of Mosiah you will see this:

The Record of Zeniff—An account of his people, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until the time that they were delivered out of the hands of the Lamanites. Comprising chapters 9 to 22 inclusive.

Zeniff was the man who led the expedition to find the land of their fathers, or the land of Nephi.

After the people of Nephi, under the direction of King Mosiah the first, left the land of their fathers (or the land of Nephi), they found and were united with the land or city of Zarahemla. It was here they found the people who left the old world from the tower of babel (not the jaredites) who didn't bring scriptures with them and who had all but lost their language. It was here that Mosiah taught the people of Zarahemla his language and was made king.

This is what is spoken of here:

Omni:

27 And now I would speak somewhat concerning a certain number who went up into the wilderness to return to the land of Nephi; for there was a large number who were desirous to possess the land of their inheritance.

28 Wherefore, they went up into the wilderness. And their leader being a strong and mighty man, and a stiffnecked man, wherefore he caused a contention among them; and they were all slain, save fifty, in the wilderness, and they returned again to the land of Zarahemla.

29 And it came to pass that they also took others to a considerable number, and took their journey again into the wilderness.

This second group was led by Zeniff. After all that happens from Mosiah 9 to 22, you will see that they went to Zarahemla and were united with the people of Zarahemla, who then were led by king Mosiah, the grandson of the king Mosiah who was first made king there.

King Benjamin was the son of king Mosiah the first, and the father of king Mosiah the second.

This is briefly explained in chapter 7 by Ammon, who tells of what he found when he found the people of Limhi (who was a decendant of Zeniff).

Then, in chapter 23, the record of Alma is inserted, which picks up from when those people were freed from the Lamanites, and journey to the land of Zarahemla, and meet up with them.

Alma (Sr) was part of the history of these people who had journeyed from Zarahemla to find the land of their fathers. When they make it to Zarahemla, Alma is put in charge of the church by king Mosiah.

I hope this isn't too confusing, but if you go slow I think it'll come to you. Pay close attention to those headings I posted before chapters 9 and 23. You'll get it.

These records (of Zeniff and Alma) were added to the Large Plates of Nephi because the Small PLates were not being written in anymore. Amaleki (the person writing in Omni that I posted) gave the Small Plates to king Benjamin after they were in Zarahemla.

Edited July 29, 2010 by Justice

[Addz25]

Thanks guys!

@Justice it is quite confusing but you definitely helped, and I'll take your advice and go slow. Thanks again

[Hemidakota]

I'm reading The Book of Mosiah right now, (just finished chapter 22) and I'm a little confused. Who is writing the book? Is it Mormon? And which ones are the jaredite plates? Is there a summary available somewhere? Thanks.

Beside Justice input, it is nothing more than Mormon narration (third person voice) of the records or plates of handed down. As Daniel Ludlow stated and summarizes the changes of 'voices' between the books.

“Note that the main story in the book of Mosiah is told in the third person rather than in the first person as was the custom in the earlier books of the Book of Mormon. The reason for this is that someone else is now telling the story, and that ‘someone else’ is Mormon. With the beginning of the book of Mosiah we start our study of Mormon’s abridgment of various books that had been written on the large plates of Nephi. (3 Nephi 5:8–12.) The book of Mosiah and the five books that follow—Alma, Helaman, 3 Nephi, 4 Nephi, and Mormon—were all abridged or condensed by Mormon from the large plates of Nephi, and these abridged versions were written by Mormon on the plates that bear his name, the plates of Mormon” (Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, p.173)

To aid you in the future, use church resources online or simply download it in a PDF format at this weblink: Book of Mormon Student Manual

[Justice]

Omni:

15 Behold, it came to pass that Mosiah discovered that the people of Zarahemla came out from Jerusalem at the time that Zedekiah, king of Judah, was carried away captive into Babylon.

and

20 And it came to pass in the days of Mosiah, there was a large stone brought unto him with engravings on it; and he did interpret the engravings by the gift and power of God.

21 And they gave an account of one Coriantumr, and the slain of his people. And Coriantumr was discovered by the people of Zarahemla; and he dwelt with them for the space of nine moons.

22 It also spake a few words concerning his fathers. And his first parents came out from the tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people; and the severity of the Lord fell upon them according to his judgments, which are just; and their bones lay scattered in the land northward.

I noticed today while reading, and remembered what I typed here, that the people of Zarahemla weren't the ones who came from the tower of Babel. The people of Zarahemla left Jerusalem nearly the same time Lehi did.

It was the stone that was found that spoke of the Jaredites that I should have linked to a people coming from the tower.

Sorry.

[Hemidakota]

Mulekites...

There is a hill nearby what some scholars claimed was the final battle of the Nephites and the Jaredites. I won't go into the exact location fearing, someone will remove it but it depicts a final act of honor among a great people who fought against their own brothers. The stone is still there to this day. This maybe the same type of stone that Zarehemla found.

Edited August 2, 2010 by Hemidakota

[Justice]

I've seen something very similar and had similar thoughts.

One thing that's interesting is that horses are mentioned in Ether (the Jaredite record) and the markings on the rocks I've seen have horses on them.

Most think horses didn't arrive here until the Spaniards brought them. These rocks and the record of Ether both say otherwise.