“I Shall Call Them Lamanites”

Alan C. Miner

Because Jacob distinctly comments, "I shall call them Lamanites that seek to destroy the people of Nephi" (Jacob 1:14), the reader should be cautioned from this point forward in the story not to view all "Lamanites" as always coming from a single geographical area, or being controlled from a single geographical capital. A better approach might be to look for the role of Nephite dissenters in stirring up Lamanites in localized areas. [For a more detailed reasoning on this idea, see the commentary on Omni 1:24]

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

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