“To the Place of Shazer”

Brant Gardner

Shazer is noted only as a place marker, as a very temporary camp. They note that they pitch their tents, perhaps implying that the other nights of the journey were not even this stable. In contrast with the complex narratives Nephi provides of the events in the valley of Lemuel, the narrative of the journey at this point turns terse. The events are those of survival, not of the kind of spiritual and personal import of the events in the valley of Lemuel.

The group is embarking on a long journey, and it is clear to them that it is impossible to survive on any foodstuffs they brought with them. Therefore they not only hunt for food, but make sure that their travels are in the "most fertile parts of the wilderness" where they might find food. It is not known what they shot with the bows and arrows, but the general area would be more likely to provide smaller game than larger, requiring a fairly large quantity to feed the group.

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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