“The Child Shall Behave Himself Proudly Against the Ancient”

Brant Gardner

With the removal of the people and positions that order society, the social order becomes chaos, and in the vacuum of legitimate leadership, individuals attempt to create their own position by oppressing, or attempting dominance, of his neighbor. That this will be an undesirable and socially chaotic time is emphasized by noting the reversals of the normal order. The "child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient" is a clear reversal of expectation. Rather than polite deference, the child will exalt himself over those with more experience. Likewise, the "base against the honorable." Each of these examples reinforces the idea that the expected social structure will be thrown into total disarray.

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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