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Annotations |
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Chapter 8
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1 And it came to pass that after king Limhi had made an
end of speaking to his people, for he spake many things unto them and only a
few of them have I written in this book, he told his people all the things
concerning their brethren who were in the land of Zarahemla.
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2 And he caused that Ammon should stand up before the
multitude, and rehearse unto them all that had happened unto their brethren
from the time that Zeniff went up out of the land even until the time that he
himself came up out of the land.
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3 And he also rehearsed unto them the last words which
king Benjamin had taught them, and explained them to the people of king
Limhi, so that they might understand all the words which he spake.
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4 And it came to pass that after he had done all this,
that king Limhi dismissed the multitude, and caused that they should return
every one unto his own house.
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5 And it came to pass that he caused that the plates which
contained the record of his people from the time that they left the land of
Zarahemla, should be brought before Ammon, that he might read them.
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6 Now, as soon as Ammon had read the record, the king
inquired of him to know if he could interpret languages, and Ammon told him
that he could not.
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7 And the king said unto him: Being grieved for the
afflictions of my people, I caused that forty and three of my people should
take a journey into the wilderness, that thereby they might find the land of
Zarahemla, that we might appeal unto our brethren to deliver us out of
bondage.
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8 And they were lost in the wilderness for the space of
many days, yet they were diligent, and found not the land of Zarahemla but
returned to this land, having traveled in a land among many waters, having
discovered a land which was covered with bones of men, and of beasts, and was
also covered with ruins of buildings of every kind, having discovered a land
which had been peopled with a people who were as numerous as the hosts of
Israel.
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9 And for a testimony that the things that they had said
are true they have brought twenty-four plates which are filled with
engravings, and they are of pure gold.
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10 And behold, also, they have brought breastplates, which
are large, and they are of brass and of copper, and are perfectly sound.
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11 And again, they have brought swords, the hilts
thereof have perished, and the blades thereof were cankered with rust;
and there is no one in the land that is able to interpret the language or the
engravings that are on the plates. Therefore I said unto thee: Canst thou
translate?
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Rust indicates these swords were made from iron, but there
was no iron smelting in the pre-Columbian Americas. It is possible that
“rust” in this case just means corrosion. Corrosion could occur with copper
or other metals used in pre-Columbian Americas.
However, 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.
And, 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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12 And I say unto thee again: Knowest thou of any one that
can translate? For I am desirous that these records should be translated into
our language; for, perhaps, they will give us a knowledge of a remnant of the
people who have been destroyed, from whence these records came; or, perhaps,
they will give us a knowledge of this very people who have been destroyed;
and I am desirous to know the cause of their destruction.
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13 Now Ammon said unto him: I can assuredly tell thee, O
king, of a man that can translate the records; for he has wherewith that he
can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a
gift from God. And the things are called interpreters, and no man can
look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought
not and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the
same is called seer.
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Mosiah 8:13-17
“Whosoever is commanded to look in them [interpreters], the same is called a
seer.”
(see also Mosiah 28:13-16)
Each year the LDS Church sustains 15 seers (unless one or more of the apostle
vacancies is temporarily vacant, in which case the number of seers sustained
would be 15 minus the number of vacancies).
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14 And behold, the king of the people who are in the land
of Zarahemla is the man that is commanded to do these things, and who has
this high gift from God.
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Annotation for Mosiah 8:13-17 above
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15 And the king said that a seer is greater than a
prophet.
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Annotation for Mosiah 8:13-17 above
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16 And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a
prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he
should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great
power given him from God.
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Annotation for Mosiah 8:13-17 above
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17 But a seer can know of things which are past, and also
of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or,
rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to
light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also
things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known.
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Annotation for Mosiah 8:13-17 above
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18 Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith,
might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his
fellow beings.
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19 And now, when Ammon had made an end of speaking these
words the king rejoiced exceedingly, and gave thanks to God, saying: Doubtless
a great mystery is contained within these plates, and these interpreters were
doubtless prepared for the purpose of unfolding all such mysteries to the
children of men.
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Doubtless that a great mystery is also had on the
remaining papyrus pieces the Church owns, either from the claimed Book of
Abraham or the claimed Book of Joseph. Why have the current seers not
provided an interpretation of the papyrus writings?
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20 O how marvelous are the works of the Lord, and how long
doth he suffer with his people; yea, and how blind and impenetrable are the
understandings of the children of men; for they will not seek wisdom, neither
do they desire that she should rule over them!
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21 Yea, they are as a wild flock which fleeth from the
shepherd, and scattereth, and are driven, and are devoured by the beasts of
the forest.
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