| Book of Mormon |
Annotations |
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Chapter 2
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1 And it came to pass that thus passed away the ninety and
fifth year also, and the people began to forget those signs and wonders which
they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a
wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and
blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and
seen—
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2 Imagining up some vain thing in their hearts, that it
was wrought by men and by the power of the devil, to lead away and deceive
the hearts of the people; and thus did Satan get possession of the hearts of
the people again, insomuch that he did blind their eyes and lead them away to
believe that the doctrine of Christ was a foolish and a vain thing.
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3 And it came to pass that the people began to wax strong
in wickedness and abominations; and they did not believe that there should be
any more signs or wonders given; and Satan did go about, leading away the
hearts of the people, tempting them and causing them that they should do
great wickedness in the land.
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4 And thus did pass away the ninety and sixth year; and
also the ninety and seventh year; and also the ninety and eighth year; and
also the ninety and ninth year;
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5 And also an hundred years had passed away since the days
of Mosiah, who was king over the people of the Nephites.
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6 And six hundred and nine years had passed away since
Lehi left Jerusalem.
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7 And nine years had passed away from the time when the
sign was given, which was spoken of by the prophets, that Christ should come
into the world.
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8 Now the Nephites began to reckon their time from this
period when the sign was given, or from the coming of Christ; therefore, nine
years had passed away.
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9 And Nephi, who was the father of Nephi, who had the
charge of the records, did not return to the land of Zarahemla, and could
nowhere be found in all the land.
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10 And it came to pass that the people did still remain in
wickedness, notwithstanding the much preaching and prophesying which was sent
among them; and thus passed away the tenth year also; and the eleventh year
also passed away in iniquity.
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11 And it came to pass in the thirteenth year there began
to be wars and contentions throughout all the land; for the Gadianton robbers
had become so numerous, and did slay so many of the people, and did lay waste
so many cities, and did spread so much death and carnage throughout the land,
that it became expedient that all the people, both the Nephites and the
Lamanites, should take up arms against them.
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12 Therefore, all the Lamanites who had become converted
unto the Lord did unite with their brethren, the Nephites, and were
compelled, for the safety of their lives and their women and their children,
to take up arms against those Gadianton robbers, yea, and also to maintain
their rights, and the privileges of their church and of their worship, and
their freedom and their liberty.
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13 And it came to pass that before this thirteenth year
had passed away the Nephites were threatened with utter destruction because
of this war, which had become exceedingly sore.
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14 And it came to pass that those Lamanites who had united
with the Nephites were numbered among the Nephites;
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15 And their curse was taken from them, and their skin
became white like unto the Nephites;
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3 Ne 2:15-16
“I saw a striking contrast in the progress of the Indian people today ...
they are fast becoming a white and delightsome people.... For years they have
been growing delightsome, and they are now becoming white and delightsome, as
they were promised.... The children in the home placement program in Utah are
often lighter than their brothers and sisters in the hogans on the
reservation”
(Statement made by Elder Kimball in the October 1960 General Conference;
ellipses as found at FAIR).
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16 And their young men and their daughters became
exceedingly fair, and they were numbered among the Nephites, and were called
Nephites. And thus ended the thirteenth year.
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Annotation for 3 Ne 2:15-16 above
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17 And it came to pass in the commencement of the
fourteenth year, the war between the robbers and the people of Nephi did
continue and did become exceedingly sore; nevertheless, the people of Nephi
did gain some advantage of the robbers, insomuch that they did drive them
back out of their lands into the mountains and into their secret places.
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18 And thus ended the fourteenth year. And in the
fifteenth year they did come forth against the people of Nephi; and because
of the wickedness of the people of Nephi, and their many contentions and
dissensions, the Gadianton robbers did gain many advantages over them.
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19 And thus ended the fifteenth year, and thus were the
people in a state of many afflictions; and the sword of destruction
did hang over them, insomuch that they were about to be smitten down by it,
and this because of their iniquity.
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The only pre-Columbian weapon I can find that was similar
to a sword was the macuahuitl which was made with a plank of wood similar in
shape to a cricket bat with obsidian blades mounted on the edges. It is
similar enough to a sword that it is often referred to as the Aztec sword.
However, the macuahuitl does not seem to fit the Book of
Mormon time frame. “Some groups of Central Mexico, principally in the
transition between the Early and the Late Post-Classic, probably
developed this weapon” (emphasis added, Dr. Marco Antonio Cervera Obregón,
“The macuahuitl: an innovative weapon of the Late Post-Classic in
Mesoamerica”, Arms & Armour, Vol.3, Nov. 2, 2006, p. 146, article from a research journal).
The Post-Classic period is between 900 CE and the Spanish conquest.
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