Alma 25 | |
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6 For many of them, after having suffered much loss and so many afflictions, began to be stirred up in remembrance of the words which Aaron and his brethren had preached to them in their land; therefore they began to disbelieve the traditions of their fathers, and to believe in the Lord, and that he gave great power unto the Nephites; and thus there were many of them converted in the wilderness. | 6 |
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12 And he said unto the priests of Noah that their seed should cause many to be put to death, in the like manner as he was, and that they should be scattered abroad and slain, even as a sheep having no shepherd is driven and slain by wild beasts; and now behold, these words were verified, for they were driven by the Lamanites, and they were hunted, and they were smitten. | AnachronismAnachronism - Sheep 121 There were no domesticated sheep in pre-Columbian America. It’s possible that the author could glean such similes from the brass plates, but it is an unlikely comparison given that more than 500 years have passed since these people allegedly left Jerusalem. A much more likely comparison would be to a llama or turkey. |
13 And it came to pass that when the Lamanites saw that they could not overpower the Nephites they returned again to their own land; and many of them came over to dwell in the land of Ishmael and the land of Nephi, and did join themselves to the people of God, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi. | 13 1 As in Alma 24:16-17, these verses tell of many more converts who buried their weapons of war. It doesn’t say this included swords, but given the context of the rest of the book’s references to steel swords, it would seem unlikely that this particular group wouldn’t have many steel swords. For the sake of discussion, let’s assume they did have these weapons. Consider how unlikely it would be for them to bury any metal weapon, even those made of steel. Consider the resources required to gather ore, transport it to the smelting facility, and then smelt it. These weapons could be made into many other useful tools like knives, farming instruments, nails or other pieces to secure wooden joints, leather working tools, etc. What a colossal waste. Is it likely that they would just bury such a valuable resource? Later these converts supported the Nephites to defend against the Lamanites. Why put the weapons in the ground when they could be used by the Nephites? |
14 1 Alma 25:13-14
As in Alma 24:16-17, these verses tell of many more converts who buried their weapons of war. It doesn’t say this included swords, but given the context of the rest of the book’s references to steel swords, it would seem unlikely that this particular group wouldn’t have many steel swords.
For the sake of discussion, let’s assume they did have these weapons. Consider how unlikely it would be for them to bury any metal weapon, even those made of steel. Consider the resources required to gather ore, transport it to the smelting facility, and then smelt it. These weapons could be made into many other useful tools like knives, farming instruments, nails or other pieces to secure wooden joints, leather working tools, etc. What a colossal waste. Is it likely that they would just bury such a valuable resource? Later these converts supported the Nephites to defend against the Lamanites. Why put the weapons in the ground when they could be used by the Nephites? | |
15 Yea, and they did keep the law of Moses; for it was expedient that they should keep the law of Moses as yet, for it was not all fulfilled. But notwithstanding the law of Moses, they did look forward to the coming of Christ, considering that the law of Moses was a type of his coming, and believing that they must keep those outward performances until the time that he should be revealed unto them. | 15 |
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