“His Judgments, His Statutes and His Commandments”

Alan C. Miner

"King Mosiah did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe his judgments and his statutes, and did keep his commandments in all things whatsoever he commanded him" (Mosiah 6:6). Hugh Nibley notes that here in this verse we find a good old Dead Sea Scrolls formula: The judgments, the statutes, and the commandments. They are the big three; they always go together here. In the Serekh Scroll, for example, the one is never mentioned without the other. It's always the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments. The king is the judge, after all. Remember, King Solomon was the judge. The judgments are the laws that are laid down, and the commandments are those which have come from God. The statutes are written down by men, discussed in the council, and decided on. So we have the judgments, the statutes, and the commandments. [Hugh W. Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 2, p. 14]

Step by Step Through the Book of Mormon: A Cultural Commentary

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