“They Profaned Not”

Joseph F. McConkie, Robert L. Millet

Literally, the “profane” is that which is “out of the temple,” meaning that which does not center in God and a sacred or covenant relationship with him. To take the Lord’s name in vain is to profane the name of the Holy One; to violate the Sabbath day is to profane the holy day; and the breaking of any commandment constitutes the profaning of that commandment.

To be profane is to be in a state of irreverence or impiety. It is to have contempt for the things of God. To profane is to pollute or to desecrate the sacred. For Jarom to testify that his people “profaned not” is for him to attest that they were a religious people who earnestly sought to live in accordance with the covenants they had made with their God.

Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 2

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