Helaman 5

 
1 And it came to pass that in this same year, behold, Nephi delivered up the judgment-seat to a man whose name was Cezoram.
1
2 For as their laws and their governments were established by the voice of the people, and they who chose evil were more numerous than they who chose good, therefore they were ripening for destruction, for the laws had become corrupted.
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3 Yea, and this was not all; they were a stiffnecked people, insomuch that they could not be governed by the law nor justice, save it were to their destruction.
3
4 And it came to pass that Nephi had become weary because of their iniquity; and he yielded up the judgment-seat, and took it upon him to preach the word of God all the remainder of his days, and his brother Lehi also, all the remainder of his days;
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5 For they remembered the words which their father Helaman spake unto them. And these are the words which he spake:
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6 Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.
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7 Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them.
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8 And now my sons, behold I have somewhat more to desire of you, which desire is, that ye may not do these things that ye may boast, but that ye may do these things to lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven, yea, which is eternal, and which fadeth not away; yea, that ye may have that precious gift of eternal life, which we have reason to suppose hath been given to our fathers.
Textual Parallels
8
1

The phrase "somewhat more" seems like such a generic phrase that it would be found multiple times in the bible. Yet it is only found once within the KJV bible, in 2 Corinthians 10:8. Strangely enough, that same verse also contains a reference to boasting, but stranger still is the fact that almost an exact match “that I may boast” is found one chapter later in 2 Corinthians 11:16 (the phrase "may boast" is unique in the KJV bible).

A search for "lay up," "laid up," and "layeth up" results in only 2 verses that also contain the word “heaven.” These are the exact phrase match in Matthew 6:20 and a somewhat similar match in Colossians 1:5. You might think that this particular similarity is okay because Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount to the Nephites, but verse 8 is supposed to be a quote from Helaman’s lesson given to his sons about 60 years before Jesus arrived in the Americas.

There are 6 variations on the phrase “fadeth not away” found within the KJV bible. Obviously, the exact phrase "fadeth not away" is the closest result and only occurs in two places within the KJV bible, in 1 Peter 1:4 and 1 Peter 5:4. It seems like a phrase that is highly specific to use by the author, Peter, but somehow it is also being used by Helaman.

The phrase "full of glory" seems like it would be a common biblical phrase, but it occurs only once within the KJV bible, in 1 Peter 1:8. And both this verse and Helaman 5:8 are also accompanied by the phrase “with joy unspeakable” although the variation in Helaman has a few filler words providing separation.

Likewise, a person might suppose that the phrase “the salvation of their souls” occurs frequently in the bible, but they would be wrong. A search of salvation+soul+souls gives 1 very close match with “the salvation of your souls” in 1 Peter 1:9 and 4 other matches containing both “salvation” and “soul(s)” within the same verse (Psalms 62:1, Psalms 119:81, Psalms 35:9, and Psalms 35:3). Note that these latter 4 matches have much greater separation of the words and are not strong matches. It's strange that so much of Helaman 5:8,11,44 is found within the New Testament, especially in 1 Peter 1:4,7-9.

-auricularis_posterior
1
The phrase "[somewhat more](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22somewhat+more%22)" seems like such a generic phrase that it would be found multiple times in the bible. Yet it is only found once within the KJV bible, in 2 Corinthians 10:8. Strangely enough, that same verse also contains a reference to boasting, but stranger still is the fact that almost an exact match “that I may boast” is found one chapter later in 2 Corinthians 11:16 (the phrase "[may boast](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22may+boast%22)" is unique in the KJV bible). A search for "[lay up](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22lay+up+%22)," "[laid up](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22laid+up+%22)," and "[layeth up](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22layeth+up+%22)" results in only 2 verses that also contain the word “heaven.” These are the exact phrase match in Matthew 6:20 and a somewhat similar match in Colossians 1:5. You might think that this particular similarity is okay because Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount to the Nephites, but verse 8 is supposed to be a quote from Helaman’s lesson given to his sons about 60 years before Jesus arrived in the Americas. There are 6 variations on the phrase “fadeth not away” found within the KJV bible. Obviously, the exact phrase "[fadeth not away](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22fadeth+not+away%22)" is the closest result and only occurs in two places within the KJV bible, in 1 Peter 1:4 and 1 Peter 5:4. It seems like a phrase that is highly specific to use by the author, Peter, but somehow it is also being used by Helaman. The phrase "[full of glory](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22fadeth+not+away%22)" seems like it would be a common biblical phrase, but it occurs only once within the KJV bible, in 1 Peter 1:8. And both this verse and Helaman 5:8 are also accompanied by the phrase “with joy unspeakable” although the variation in Helaman has a few filler words providing separation. Likewise, a person might suppose that the phrase “the salvation of their souls” occurs frequently in the bible, but they would be wrong. A search of [salvation+soul+souls](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=salvation+soul+souls) gives 1 very close match with “the salvation of your souls” in 1 Peter 1:9 and 4 other matches containing both “salvation” and “soul(s)” within the same verse (Psalms 62:1, Psalms 119:81, Psalms 35:9, and Psalms 35:3). Note that these latter 4 matches have much greater separation of the words and are not strong matches. It's strange that so much of Helaman 5:8,11,44 is found within the New Testament, especially in 1 Peter 1:4,7-9.
9 O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world.
9
10 And remember also the words which Amulek spake unto Zeezrom, in the city of Ammonihah; for he said unto him that the Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but that he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins.
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11 And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls.
11
1
The phrase "[somewhat more](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22somewhat+more%22)" seems like such a generic phrase that it would be found multiple times in the bible. Yet it is only found once within the KJV bible, in 2 Corinthians 10:8. Strangely enough, that same verse also contains a reference to boasting, but stranger still is the fact that almost an exact match “that I may boast” is found one chapter later in 2 Corinthians 11:16 (the phrase "[may boast](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22may+boast%22)" is unique in the KJV bible). A search for "[lay up](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22lay+up+%22)," "[laid up](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22laid+up+%22)," and "[layeth up](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22layeth+up+%22)" results in only 2 verses that also contain the word “heaven.” These are the exact phrase match in Matthew 6:20 and a somewhat similar match in Colossians 1:5. You might think that this particular similarity is okay because Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount to the Nephites, but verse 8 is supposed to be a quote from Helaman’s lesson given to his sons about 60 years before Jesus arrived in the Americas. There are 6 variations on the phrase “fadeth not away” found within the KJV bible. Obviously, the exact phrase "[fadeth not away](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22fadeth+not+away%22)" is the closest result and only occurs in two places within the KJV bible, in 1 Peter 1:4 and 1 Peter 5:4. It seems like a phrase that is highly specific to use by the author, Peter, but somehow it is also being used by Helaman. The phrase "[full of glory](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22fadeth+not+away%22)" seems like it would be a common biblical phrase, but it occurs only once within the KJV bible, in 1 Peter 1:8. And both this verse and Helaman 5:8 are also accompanied by the phrase “with joy unspeakable” although the variation in Helaman has a few filler words providing separation. Likewise, a person might suppose that the phrase “the salvation of their souls” occurs frequently in the bible, but they would be wrong. A search of [salvation+soul+souls](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=salvation+soul+souls) gives 1 very close match with “the salvation of your souls” in 1 Peter 1:9 and 4 other matches containing both “salvation” and “soul(s)” within the same verse (Psalms 62:1, Psalms 119:81, Psalms 35:9, and Psalms 35:3). Note that these latter 4 matches have much greater separation of the words and are not strong matches. It's strange that so much of Helaman 5:8,11,44 is found within the New Testament, especially in 1 Peter 1:4,7-9.
12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm 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.
Endless/Eternal Punishment
12
1

According to D&C 19:6-12 the words “endless” and “eternal” do not mean without end when it comes to “endless torment” or “eternal damnation”. These verses in the D&C explain that these words are used because, “it is more express than other scriptures, that it might work upon the hearts of the children of men.” When people read these words in the Book of Mormon, how do they likely understand the words “endless” and “eternal”? Is this honest communication if D&C 19 reveals the actual meaning of these words?

-a-bom
13 And it came to pass that these were the words which Helaman taught to his sons; yea, he did teach them many things which are not written, and also many things which are written.
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14 And they did remember his words; and therefore they went forth, keeping the commandments of God, to teach the word of God among all the people of Nephi, beginning at the city Bountiful;
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15 And from thenceforth to the city of Gid; and from the city of Gid to the city of Mulek;
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16 And even from one city to another, until they had gone forth among all the people of Nephi who were in the land southward; and from thence into the land of Zarahemla, among the Lamanites.
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17 And it came to pass that they did preach with great power, insomuch that they did confound many of those dissenters who had gone over from the Nephites, insomuch that they came forth and did confess their sins and were baptized unto repentance, and immediately returned to the Nephites to endeavor to repair unto them the wrongs which they had done.
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18 And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi did preach unto the Lamanites with such great power and authority, for they had power and authority given unto them that they might speak, and they also had what they should speak given unto them--
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19 Therefore they did speak unto the great astonishment of the Lamanites, to the convincing them, insomuch that there were eight thousand of the Lamanites who were in the land of Zarahemla and round about baptized unto repentance, and were convinced of the wickedness of the traditions of their fathers.
19
1

I think it’s interesting that modern prophets can’t seem to do this. In fact, when their hand is forced, they seem to begrudgingly admit some of the things they used to claim were anti-Mormon (see the essays published on the Church’s web site at Gospel Topics Essays). Instead of declaring these things boldly, they hardly mention them. They do not sign their names to the essays. And, for many, the essays seem to be an additional hindrance to belief in the Church’s truth claims.

-a-bom
20 And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi did proceed from thence to go to the land of Nephi.
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21 And it came to pass that they were taken by an army of the Lamanites and cast into prison; yea, even in that same prison in which Ammon and his brethren were cast by the servants of Limhi.
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22 And after they had been cast into prison many days without food, behold, they went forth into the prison to take them that they might slay them.
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23 And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi were encircled about as if by fire, even insomuch that they durst not lay their hands upon them for fear lest they should be burned. Nevertheless, Nephi and Lehi were not burned; and they were as standing in the midst of fire and were not burned.
Textual Parallels
23
1

Helaman 5:23-24 seems to borrow narrative elements from Daniel 3:20-21,27. Specifically, these elements include several faithful captives being surround by fire and not burned.

-auricularis_posterior
24 And when they saw that they were encircled about with a pillar of fire, and that it burned them not, their hearts did take courage.
24
1
Helaman 5:23-24 seems to borrow narrative elements from Daniel 3:20-21,27. Specifically, these elements include several faithful captives being surround by fire and not burned.
25 For they saw that the Lamanites durst not lay their hands upon them; neither durst they come near unto them, but stood as if they were struck dumb with amazement.
25
26 And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi did stand forth and began to speak unto them, saying: Fear not, for behold, it is God that has shown unto you this marvelous thing, in the which is shown unto you that ye cannot lay your hands on us to slay us.
Textual Parallels
26
1

Helaman 5:26-29,35-42 seems to borrow narrative elements from both Acts 16:25-32 and Revelation 11:10-13. Specifically these elements include two faithful servants being imprisoned, an earthquake, a divine/angelic voice calling out to the people, one of the captors being converted and then being instrumental in the conversion of others, and someone asking "what must I do to be saved?" or "What shall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?"

-auricularis_posterior
1
Helaman 5:26-34 Huge miraculous signs shown to those who were so unfaithful they were going to kill the servants of God. So in this case it is the miracle that precedes the faith.
27 And behold, when they had said these words, the earth shook exceedingly, and the walls of the prison did shake as if they were about to tumble to the earth; but behold, they did not fall. And behold, they that were in the prison were Lamanites and Nephites who were dissenters.
27
1
Helaman 5:26-34 Huge miraculous signs shown to those who were so unfaithful they were going to kill the servants of God. So in this case it is the miracle that precedes the faith.
28 And it came to pass that they were overshadowed with a cloud of darkness, and an awful solemn fear came upon them.
28
1
Helaman 5:26-34 Huge miraculous signs shown to those who were so unfaithful they were going to kill the servants of God. So in this case it is the miracle that precedes the faith.
29 And it came to pass that there came a voice as if it were above the cloud of darkness, saying: Repent ye, repent ye, and seek no more to destroy my servants whom I have sent unto you to declare good tidings.
29
1
Helaman 5:26-34 Huge miraculous signs shown to those who were so unfaithful they were going to kill the servants of God. So in this case it is the miracle that precedes the faith.
30 And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul--
30
1
Helaman 5:26-34 Huge miraculous signs shown to those who were so unfaithful they were going to kill the servants of God. So in this case it is the miracle that precedes the faith.
31 And notwithstanding the mildness of the voice, behold the earth shook exceedingly, and the walls of the prison trembled again, as if it were about to tumble to the earth; and behold the cloud of darkness, which had overshadowed them, did not disperse--
31
1
Helaman 5:26-34 Huge miraculous signs shown to those who were so unfaithful they were going to kill the servants of God. So in this case it is the miracle that precedes the faith.
32 And behold the voice came again, saying: Repent ye, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; and seek no more to destroy my servants. And it came to pass that the earth shook again, and the walls trembled.
32
1
Helaman 5:26-34 Huge miraculous signs shown to those who were so unfaithful they were going to kill the servants of God. So in this case it is the miracle that precedes the faith.
33 And also again the third time the voice came, and did speak unto them marvelous words which cannot be uttered by man; and the walls did tremble again, and the earth shook as if it were about to divide asunder.
33
1
Helaman 5:26-34 Huge miraculous signs shown to those who were so unfaithful they were going to kill the servants of God. So in this case it is the miracle that precedes the faith.
34 And it came to pass that the Lamanites could not flee because of the cloud of darkness which did overshadow them; yea, and also they were immovable because of the fear which did come upon them.
34
1
Helaman 5:26-34 Huge miraculous signs shown to those who were so unfaithful they were going to kill the servants of God. So in this case it is the miracle that precedes the faith.
35 Now there was one among them who was a Nephite by birth, who had once belonged to the church of God but had dissented from them.
35
36 And it came to pass that he turned him about, and behold, he saw through the cloud of darkness the faces of Nephi and Lehi; and behold, they did shine exceedingly, even as the faces of angels. And he beheld that they did lift their eyes to heaven; and they were in the attitude as if talking or lifting their voices to some being whom they beheld.
36
37 And it came to pass that this man did cry unto the multitude, that they might turn and look. And behold, there was power given unto them that they did turn and look; and they did behold the faces of Nephi and Lehi.
37
38 And they said unto the man: Behold, what do all these things mean, and who is it with whom these men do converse?
38
39 Now the man's name was Aminadab. And Aminadab said unto them: They do converse with the angels of God.
39
40 And it came to pass that the Lamanites said unto him: What shall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?
40
41 And Aminadab said unto them: You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ, who was taught unto you by Alma, and Amulek, and Zeezrom; and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you.
41
42 And it came to pass that they all did begin to cry unto the voice of him who had shaken the earth; yea, they did cry even until the cloud of darkness was dispersed.
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43 And it came to pass that when they cast their eyes about, and saw that the cloud of darkness was dispersed from overshadowing them, behold, they saw that they were encircled about, yea every soul, by a pillar of fire.
43
44 And Nephi and Lehi were in the midst of them; yea, they were encircled about; yea, they were as if in the midst of a flaming fire, yet it did harm them not, neither did it take hold upon the walls of the prison; and they were filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory.
44
1
The phrase "[somewhat more](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22somewhat+more%22)" seems like such a generic phrase that it would be found multiple times in the bible. Yet it is only found once within the KJV bible, in 2 Corinthians 10:8. Strangely enough, that same verse also contains a reference to boasting, but stranger still is the fact that almost an exact match “that I may boast” is found one chapter later in 2 Corinthians 11:16 (the phrase "[may boast](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22may+boast%22)" is unique in the KJV bible). A search for "[lay up](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22lay+up+%22)," "[laid up](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22laid+up+%22)," and "[layeth up](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22layeth+up+%22)" results in only 2 verses that also contain the word “heaven.” These are the exact phrase match in Matthew 6:20 and a somewhat similar match in Colossians 1:5. You might think that this particular similarity is okay because Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount to the Nephites, but verse 8 is supposed to be a quote from Helaman’s lesson given to his sons about 60 years before Jesus arrived in the Americas. There are 6 variations on the phrase “fadeth not away” found within the KJV bible. Obviously, the exact phrase "[fadeth not away](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22fadeth+not+away%22)" is the closest result and only occurs in two places within the KJV bible, in 1 Peter 1:4 and 1 Peter 5:4. It seems like a phrase that is highly specific to use by the author, Peter, but somehow it is also being used by Helaman. The phrase "[full of glory](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=%22fadeth+not+away%22)" seems like it would be a common biblical phrase, but it occurs only once within the KJV bible, in 1 Peter 1:8. And both this verse and Helaman 5:8 are also accompanied by the phrase “with joy unspeakable” although the variation in Helaman has a few filler words providing separation. Likewise, a person might suppose that the phrase “the salvation of their souls” occurs frequently in the bible, but they would be wrong. A search of [salvation+soul+souls](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=salvation+soul+souls) gives 1 very close match with “the salvation of your souls” in 1 Peter 1:9 and 4 other matches containing both “salvation” and “soul(s)” within the same verse (Psalms 62:1, Psalms 119:81, Psalms 35:9, and Psalms 35:3). Note that these latter 4 matches have much greater separation of the words and are not strong matches. It's strange that so much of Helaman 5:8,11,44 is found within the New Testament, especially in 1 Peter 1:4,7-9.
45 And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire, and they could speak forth marvelous words.
45
46 And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying:
46
47 Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world.
47
48 And now, when they heard this they cast up their eyes as if to behold from whence the voice came; and behold, they saw the heavens open; and angels came down out of heaven and ministered unto them.
48
49 And there were about three hundred souls who saw and heard these things; and they were bidden to go forth and marvel not, neither should they doubt.
49
50 And it came to pass that they did go forth, and did minister unto the people, declaring throughout all the regions round about all the things which they had heard and seen, insomuch that the more part of the Lamanites were convinced of them, because of the greatness of the evidences which they had received.
50
51 And as many as were convinced did lay down their weapons of war, and also their hatred and the tradition of their fathers.
51
52 And it came to pass that they did yield up unto the Nephites the lands of their possession.
52