Words of Mormon

[Nathan6329]

Just out of curiousity...

Why does Words of Mormon come before all the books that had happened prior to him writing that part of the book?

I haven't read the Book of Mormon in a long time and I am reading it in order and I just finished that book but I don't understand why it was before other events which had happened.

[pam]

The small plates were more about the spiritual matters of the people, words of the prophets etc. The large plates dealt more with the history of the people.

The Words of Mormon is an insert connecting the words engraved on the small plates with Mormon's abridgement of the large plates with his own commentaries.

Edited January 23, 2011 by pam

[beefche]

Remember that the Book of Mormon is an abridgement done by Mormon (and some others). In other words, it's like you, Nathan, reading a bunch of books and then summarizing them all into one book. You take To Kill a Mockingbird, use actual quotations from that book, then use Sense and Sensibility, taking actual quotes from that book, etc. and putting them all into one concise book. And while you are doing that, you stick in some of your own words to tie them together or fill in some parts to explain something.

So, Words of Mormon is the part where Mormon, the abridger or summarizer, is putting in some of his own words. You will see Mormon doing that in the midst of some of the books. If I remember correctly, parts of the Book of Alma has Alma or Amulek speaking and then it suddenly switches and you can tell someone else is "speaking". Oftentimes it was Mormon explaining something.

[pam]

haha Thanks Beefche for explaining much better what I was trying to say.

[Justice]

I've talked about this before, but I love the subject so I don't mind doing it again. I know there are some that disagree with parts of what I believe in this area, but I'm going to be careful to only paraphrase my understanding of scriptures and then post the scripture so you have the reference.

If you want the very short answer, jump straight ahead to the bold paragraph.

Mormon 6: 6 tells us that Mormon is growing old in years, and he knows the battle about to take place on Cumorah will be the last struggle of the Nephites. He also knows that Moroni will survive the rest, or most of the rest. As you know, Mormon was commanded to not let any of the records which had been passed into his hands to fall into the possession of the Lamanites, because they would be destroyed. With these two pieces of knowledge, Mormon abridged the Large Plates of Nephi from Lehi to 4th Nephi so he could give them to Moroni. This was done by commandment, but also so Moroni would have the scriptures to read, while preserving all the original plates by burying them.

So, Mormon tells us he is almost finished with his abridgement and is about to give it to his son, Moroni.

6 And it came to pass that when we had gathered in all our people in one to the land of Cumorah, behold I, Mormon, began to be old; and knowing it to be the last struggle of my people, and having been commanded of the Lord that I should not suffer the records which had been handed down by our fathers, which were sacred, to fall into the hands of the Lamanites, (for the Lamanites would destroy them) therefore I made this record out of the plates of Nephi, and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were these few plates which I gave unto my son Moroni.

Make sense?

Apparently, he said he buried them, but hadn't sealed the door yet, or just made the place where he was going to bury them. Because near the end of this great and last battle, he writes more. So, let's move to Words of Mormon to see what he wrote, and why he placed it before the writings of King Benjamin:

Words of Mormon:

1And now I, Mormon, being about to deliver up the record which I have been making into the hands of my son Moroni, behold I have witnessed almost all the destruction of my people, the Nephites.

2And it is many hundred years after the coming of Christ that I deliver these records into the hands of my son; and it supposeth me that he will witness the entire destruction of my people. But may God grant that he may survive them, that he may write somewhat concerning them, and somewhat concerning Christ, that perhaps some day it may profit them.

OK, now for the why:

The record he had been making was from the Large Plates of Nephi, which as you know, was more of a secular record up until King Benjamin wrote in them (the Large Plates). The Large Plates were passed down from king to king until King Benjamin received them. The Small Plates were passed from prophet to prophet until Amaleki gave them to king Benjamin, that's why they were of a more spiritual nature.

Jacob 1:

1 For behold, it came to pass that fifty and five years had passed away from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem; wherefore, Nephi gave me, Jacob, a commandment concerning the small plates, upon which these things are engraven.

2 And he gave me, Jacob, a commandment that I should write upon these plates a few of the things which I considered to be most precious; that I should not touch, save it were lightly, concerning the history of this people which are called the people of Nephi.

3 For he said that the history of his people should be engraven upon his other plates, and that I should preserve these plates and hand them down unto my seed, from generation to generation.

4 And if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people.

Amaleki was the last of the prophets to write on the Small Plates of Nephi (end of Omni).

Omni:

24 And behold, I have seen, in the days of king Benjamin, a serious war and much bloodshed between the Nephites and the Lamanites. But behold, the Nephites did obtain much advantage over them; yea, insomuch that king Benjamin did drive them out of the land of Zarahemla.

25 And it came to pass that I began to be old; and, having no seed, and knowing king Benjamin to be a just man before the Lord, wherefore, I shall deliver up these plates unto him...

So, Amaleki gave the small plates to king Benjamin, who already had possession of the Large Plates. At that point the Small Plates were full.

Omni:

30 And I, Amaleki, ... am about to lie down in my grave; and these plates are full. And I make an end of my speaking.

Mormon doesn't even know the Small Plates existed, as he says he didn't even find them until he was about to give Moroni his abridgement of the Large Plates:

Words of Mormon:

3 And now, I speak somewhat concerning that which I have written; for after I had made an abridgment from the plates of Nephi, down to the reign of this king Benjamin, of whom Amaleki spake, I searched among the records which had been delivered into my hands, and I found these plates, which contained this small account of the prophets, from Jacob down to the reign of this king Benjamin, and also many of the words of Nephi.

He is now writing in the Small Plates of Nephi which was the record held by the prophets. Amaleki said they were full, but my guess is that Mormon used one of the plates he made and added it on to the back of the Small Plates (it's the only thing that makes sense).

If you read this verse closely, it sounds like he added Words of Mormon during the middle of making his abrdgement of the large Plates, before he abridged king Bejamin's words. But, with what we already know about what he previously worte in Mormon 6, that doesn't make sense.

I belive what he was saying:

after I had made an abridgment from the plates of Nephi, down to the reign of this king Benjamin

..is that "even though I had already made an abridgment of this time period." What he goes on to say is that he found the Small Plates, which he liked more than the record of the Large Plates, and his abridgement of it, over that time period, from Nephi to King Benjamin. More evidence is that we know that Mormon's abridgement also contained the Book of Lehi.

D&C section 10 heading:

...Herein the Lord informs Joseph of alterations made by wicked men in the 116 manuscript pages from the translation of the book of Lehi, in the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Lehi was the 116 lost manuscript pages.

So, if you go on to read the rest of the Words of Mormon you will see that it is Mormon's attempt to bridge any gap that may exist between the Small Plates record and the Large Plates record when making the transition between the two from Amaleki to king Benjamin.

Also, I propose that the wording suggests that Mormon did not include both his abridgement of the Large Plates from Nephi to king Benjaim AND the Small Plates record that covered that same time period. If read closely you will see that he is describing "choosing" or "preferring" one over the other. I believe he removed his Large Abridgement record that covered the same time period as the Small Plates.

He removed his abridgement from Nephi to king Benjamin, leaving Lehi, because Nephi did not include a book of Lehi in the Small Plates. This also explains how we have some of Lehi's writings in our Book of Mormon today since the Book of Lehi was lost. It is reasonable to assume that, since Nephi made a Book of Lehi in the Large Plates, that he did not repeat any of his father's teachings or visions (like the tree of life) in any of his own (Nephi) writings in the Large Paltes.

Had Mormon not made this switch, we would have lost Lehi's writings.

Nephi did write some of his father's prophecies and vision on the Small Plates because he did not make a Book of Lehi on the small plates.

Also, read anywhere in the Book of Mormon from Nephi to Amaleki (Omni) and you will see first person writing. Mormon did not abridge the Small Plates. Now, compare that to Mosiah through 4th Nephi, where Mormon did abridge. The only first person writing is when Mormon interjects something, or when Mormon actually quotes what someone said.

The Small plates start: "I, Nephi..."

The Large Plates start: "And now there was no more contention in all the land of Zarahemla, among all the people who belonged to king Benjamin,"

Very different writing styles.

There is a lot more to this topic, but I've already babbled on long enough. I hope you take the time to read around the passages I posted and think about what must have been going on at the time. There really is enough written for us to piece together a clear picture of what happened.

Edited January 23, 2011 by Justice

[spamlds]

Everything you read from 1 Nephi until you get to Words of Mormon comes from the small plates of Nephi. Everything from Words of Mormon to the Book of Ether is Mormon's abridgment of the Nephite records. Moroni translated abridgment of the Book of Ether and put in in the record and then added his own book.

Words of Mormon is an "editorial note" to advise the reader of the transition from the primary document of the small plates, to Mormon's own abridgment.

[Justice]

I know what I wrote is long, but I really wish you would read it slowly and try to understand as you go.

I think you would find it intersting if you could follow along.

[Blackmarch]

Just out of curiousity...

Why does Words of Mormon come before all the books that had happened prior to him writing that part of the book?

I haven't read the Book of Mormon in a long time and I am reading it in order and I just finished that book but I don't understand why it was before other events which had happened.

Mainly to note when the record switches from the small plates to his abridgement of the rest of the history.