“My Mother, Sariah, …Truly Had Mourned Because of Us”

Brant Gardner

Rather than see Sariah as one whose faith wavered, we should rather see her in the light of a loving mother with tremendous concern for her sons. Apparently it is only after she fears that her sons are dead that she rebukes Lehi as a “visionary man.” There is no indication that she hesitated to follow Lehi into the desert. This verse is, in fact, the only account that shows Sariah as less than completely supportive. With the passage of time, Sariah has obviously allowed herself to multiply in imagination the calamities that might have befallen her sons. In her self-constructed despair, she is certain that “my sons are no more.” It is only at this point, when she feels she has lost her sons, that she begins to accuse her husband and his mission. After all, if her sons died while obeying Lehi’s instructions, could he really be a prophet?

Second Witness: Analytical & Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 1

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