Imagine if you were responsible for a sacred record created by your ancestors. Your duty is to protect it and to add to it. The earlier keepers of the record have filled many of the pages with miraculous stories and powerful spiritual experiences. What would you write?
This week, we are studying the words of the last seven authors in the small plates of Nephi. Here’s a list of those authors, with a brief overview of what they chose to write in the brief space available to them:
- Enos shared a personal spiritual experience and briefly described his ministry (Enos 1).
- Jarom described the prosperity of his people and lamented that they needed constant reminders from their leaders to stay righteous (Jarom 1).
- Omni characterized himself as a “wicked man,” and indicated that his people had seasons of peace and seasons of war (Omni 1:1-3).
- Amaron reports that many wicked Nephites had died, but that the Lord “did spare the righteous that they should not perish” (Omni 1:4-8).
- Chemish emphasized the importance of fulfilling their duty by keeping records (Omni 1:9).
- Abinadom reported that there continued to be wars and that he was unaware of any new revelation or prophecy (Omni 1:10-11).
- Amaleki wrote about the migration of his people to Zarahemla, the discovery of the Jaredite record, and the return of a group of people to the land of their inheritance. He also urged his readers to come unto Christ (Omni 1:12-30).
Before continuing with his abridgment of the large plates, Mormon inserted a brief editorial note, in which he explained why he included the small plates (Words of Mormon 1).
Blog posts about the last seven authors of the small plates
- The Nurture and Admonition of the Lord – Enos 1:1
- My Soul Hungered – Enos 1:3-4
- Thy Fathers Have Also Required of Me This Thing – Enos 1:16-18
- They Did Prick Their Hearts – Jarom 1:11-12
- According to the Commandment of My Father – Jarom 1:1, 15
- I of Myself Am a Wicked Man – Omni 1:2
- They Had Brought No Records with Them – Omni 1:17-19
- Offer Your Whole Souls – Omni 1:26
- What Does It Mean to “Come Unto Christ?”
- What Do We Know About the Jaredite Plates?
- What Are the Purposes of Fasting?
Blog posts about Words of Mormon
- He Worketh in Me – Words of Mormon 1:7
- For Other Wise Purposes – 1 Nephi 19:1-3, Words of Mormon 1:7
- Out of Which My People…Shall Be Judged – Words of Mormon 1:11
- What Is the Book of Lehi?
Blog Posts: March 24-31
Wrestling, Struggling, Laboring – Enos 1:2, 10-12
The Bible Dictionary says, “Prayer is a form of work.” I’ve been thinking today about the level of effort that we can and should put into our communication with God. Enos describes all three parts of his prayer in terms of hard work: He had a “wrestle…before God” when he pleaded for a remission of…
“At the Present Our Strugglings Were Vain” – Enos 1:20
Enos wanted to preach the gospel to the Lamanites. Who were they? His cousins. They were descendants of his father’s older brothers, Laman and Lemuel, and of his father’s sisters who had married the sons of Ishmael. They were family, and Enos wanted to help them live more happily. They had no interest in his…
“I Did Pour Out My Whole Soul” – Enos 1:9
“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him” (Psalm 62:8). After Enos prayed for his own soul and received forgiveness from God, his thoughts turned to his people. He says, “I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them” (Enos 1:9). What does it mean to pour…
“There Was Nothing Short of These Things…” – Enos 1:23
“He’s a hard worker, and he will follow the rules—as long as you remind him constantly and give him occasional severe warnings.” That’s not exactly a resounding endorsement, but it’s pretty much the characterization of the Nephites provided by Enos and by his son Jarom. I love very long sentences with a punchline at the…
“Fasting and Praying” – Omni 1:26
I’ve been thinking about fasting today, partly because President Nelson has invited us to participate in a worldwide fast this weekend and to pray for “relief from the physical, emotional, and economic effects” of COVID-19. I was drawn to the following plea from Amaleki, the last writer in the small plates of Nephi: Come unto…
“I Do Not Know All Things” – Words of Mormon 1:7
When Nephi was asked a difficult question, he responded first with something he knew—”I know that [God] loveth his children”—but then followed up with an acknowledgement of his limitations—”nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things” (1 Nephi 11:17). When Ammon asked King Lamoni if he believed in God, Lamoni answered, “I do…
How Were the Small Plates of Nephi Preserved for So Long?
Nephi created two sets of plates. One set contained a record of the history of his people (the large plates) and the other set contained a record of his ministry (the small plates) (1 Nephi 6:3-6, 1 Nephi 9:2-4). Before Nephi’s death, he delivered the small plates to his younger brother Jacob, with instructions to…
“Their Language Had Become Corrupted” – Omni 1:17
My nephew, who is currently serving as a missionary in Idaho, wrote today about Omni 1:17. In this verse, the prophet Amaleki describes the state of a group of people called the Mulekites when King Mosiah and his people found them. The Mulekites had left Jerusalem at about the same time that Lehi and his…
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