Mormon Abridges the Nephite Records

Mormon’s Explanation of Nephite Legal and Monetary Systems

Alma 11:1

When abridging the account of Alma’s mission in Ammonihah, Mormon tangentially explains the legal system under the law of Mosiah.

Now it was in the law of Mosiah that every man who was a judge of the law, or those who were appointed to be judges, should receive wages according to the time which they labored to judge those who were brought before them to be judged.

Alma 11:2

The Nephites had a just legal system in place.

Now if a man owed another, and he would not pay that which he did owe, he was complained of to the judge; and the judge executed authority, and sent forth officers that the man should be brought before him; and he judged the man according to the law and the evidences which were brought against him, and thus the man was compelled to pay that which he owed, or be stripped, or be cast out from among the people as a thief and a robber.

Alma 11:3

Judges were paid based on the amount of time they worked: One senine per day, which is equal to a senum of silver.

And the judge received for his wages according to his time— a senine of gold for a day, or a senum of silver, which is equal to a senine of gold; and this is according to the law which was given.

Alma 11:4

The Nephites had created their own monetary system.

Now these are the names of the different pieces of their gold, and of their silver, according to their value. And the names are given by the Nephites, for they did not reckon after the manner of the Jews who were at Jerusalem; neither did they measure after the manner of the Jews; but they altered their reckoning and their measure, according to the minds and the circumstances of the people, in every generation, until the reign of the judges, they having been established by king Mosiah.

Alma 11:5–6

Units of their monetary system included measures of gold and silver. Gold measures had the following names: senine, seon, shum, and limnah. Silver units were: senum, amnor, ezrom, and onti.

Now the reckoning is thus—a senine of gold, a seon of gold, a shum of gold, and a limnah of gold. A senum of silver, an amnor of silver, an ezrom of silver, and an onti of silver.

Alma 11:7–19

The relative value of the units were as follows:
Gold Silver Grain
leah = ⅛ measure
shiblum = ¼ measure
shiblon = ½ measure
senine = senum = 1 measure
antion = 1½ measures
seon = amnor = 2 measures
shum = ezrom = 4 measures
limnah = onti = 7 measures

A senum of silver was equal to a senine of gold, and either for a measure of barley, and also for a measure of every kind of grain.

Now the amount of a seon of gold was twice the value of a senine.
And a shum of gold was twice the value of a seon.
And a limnah of gold was the value of them all.
And an amnor of silver was as great as two senums.
And an ezrom of silver was as great as four senums.
And an onti was as great as them all.

Now this is the value of the lesser numbers of their reckoning—

A shiblon is half of a senum;
therefore, a shiblon for half a measure of barley.

And a shiblum is a half of a shiblon.
And a leah is the half of a shiblum.

Now this is their number, according to their reckoning.

Now an antion of gold is equal to three shiblons.