The most annotated verses

[askandanswer]

In a sacrament meeting with Elder Nattress from our Area Presidency last week, he said that the church keeps track of which scriptures from the church’s website have the most annotations. In case you are wondering, the top five, from least to most are:

Moroni 10:3

Moroni 10:4

Ether 12:27

1^st Nephi 3:7

I can’t actually remember the most annotated scripture, but I think it might have been somewhere in Helaman and I think it was something about being able to do all things through Christ.

[Traveler]

I believe it is sad that Moroni 10:3 and 4 are so referenced when I believe that the rest of the Chapter (10) is the intended focus of Moroni's last words to our generation.  In the remaining part of the chapter Moroni uses the word "exhort" several time - for what I believe to be the more important point of the focus of the Chapter.   I believe that the intended focus is pointed to our generation and specifically to the Latter-day Saints.

 

The Traveler

[askandanswer]

I've been doing some reading in Helaman and found the most annotated verse in the Book of Mormon, according to Elder Nattress, who got his information from whichever part of church administration that keeps track of these things:

Helaman 5:12

12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the ^arock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your ^bfoundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty ^cstorm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

[caspianrex]

On 3/1/2022 at 12:47 AM, Traveler said:

I believe it is sad that Moroni 10:3 and 4 are so referenced when I believe that the rest of the Chapter (10) is the intended focus of Moroni's last words to our generation.  In the remaining part of the chapter Moroni uses the word "exhort" several time - for what I believe to be the more important point of the focus of the Chapter.   I believe that the intended focus is pointed to our generation and specifically to the Latter-day Saints.

 

The Traveler

Meanwhile, it is not too surprising that those verses from Moroni are at the top of the list. After all, when the missionaries talk to a non-LDS person (like myself), what's one of the first passages they are going to ask me to look up when they hand me my free copy of the BoM? So if I visit the church's Scriptures website, that's probably going to be one of the first passages I go to as well.

I would be willing to bet that, for "mainstream" Christians who are just beginning to read the Bible, John 3:16 is at the top of the heap for the same reason. And I have the same concerns with that text (and people ignoring the larger context) that @Traveler mentions above.

[Traveler]

3 hours ago, caspianrex said:

Meanwhile, it is not too surprising that those verses from Moroni are at the top of the list. After all, when the missionaries talk to a non-LDS person (like myself), what's one of the first passages they are going to ask me to look up when they hand me my free copy of the BoM? So if I visit the church's Scriptures website, that's probably going to be one of the first passages I go to as well.

I would be willing to bet that, for "mainstream" Christians who are just beginning to read the Bible, John 3:16 is at the top of the heap for the same reason. And I have the same concerns with that text (and people ignoring the larger context) that @Traveler mentions above.

You are spot on with your input.  When a person begins such studies that such scriptures are "milk" needed to nourish their new born spirituality.  However, when one becomes a Saint of G-d to shine a light into this world of darkness they will need the meat of revelation to sustain them.  I appreciate your input and reminder that we all are in need of individual care - which is the essence of Moroni 10.

 

The Traveler