“These Plates Are Full”

Brant Gardner

Redaction: These four verses are an obvious afterthought. Amaleki has correctly declared the future transmission line and borne personal testimony. It should be the end of his record. Yet despite that clear conclusion, he tacks on another bit of history. It is tempting to assume that the triggering event was his brother’s departure (v. 30), but that does not seem likely. Amaleki is now near death. Even though his brother could be younger, he would still be relatively old for such a speculative adventure at this time in Amaleki’s life. Furthermore, Amaleki has not heard again from his brother. Had the brother left only days before, this statement would be odd. More likely, these events occurred years earlier. I note in the commentary accompanying Mosiah 7:1 that these verses create a small chronological issue that is best resolved by having the departure of the group including his brother occur prior to Benjamin’s coronation. (See commentary in the section on chronology following Mosiah 7:1 for an analysis of these issues.)

History: Amaleki is summarizing the history of Zeniff, a story told more fully later (Mosiah 9–22).

Culture: Zeniff was one of the Nephites who accompanied Mosiah1 from the city of Nephi (Mosiah 9:1). Amaleki’s brother joined Zeniff’s expedition (v. 30). Both men had to have been young enough to be interested in returning and physically able to withstand the journey’s rigors. Therefore, this backtrailing occurred relatively soon after the arrival of the Nephites in Zarahemla, say, perhaps no more than ten years. Considering that the Nephites fled for their lives from the city of Nephi, why were there not one, but two separate backtrailing expeditions? Zeniff apparently participated in both expeditions. His record clarifies that the purpose of the first was military conquest, while the second was more peaceful. After being forced out, the Nephites might feel strongly about military reprisal, but why would they mount a military expedition that had to travel about 180 miles through the “wilderness” before they could actually find their enemies? A reasonable hypothesis is the comparative wealth of the city of Nephi (Kaminaljuyú) compared to Zarahemla’s (Santa Rosa’s) poverty. Zeniff’s expedition may have indulged in nostalgia for the lost “good life,” something like Laman’s and Lemuel’s longing for their comfortable life.

While this expedition will be discussed later (see commentary accompanying Mosiah 9:1–7), Zeniff’s introduction offers an intriguing hypothesis: “I, Zeniff, having been taught in all the language of the Nephites, and having had a knowledge of the land of Nephi, or of the land of our fathers’ first inheritance, and having been sent as a spy among the Lamanites that I might spy out their forces, that our army might come upon them and destroy them—but when I saw that which was good among them I was desirous that they should not be destroyed” (Mosiah 9:1). Zeniff is part of a reconnaissance party that scouts out the city of Nephi prior to bringing up the army (Mosiah 9:2). He has two qualifications as a spy. First, he is familiar with the land of Nephi, and second, he knows “the language of the Nephites.” This statement virtually announces that some members of the army are Zarahemlaites who therefore do not speak Nephite. Furthermore, Nephite, not Lamanite, is apparently still the language of the land of Nephi. Apparently the city has not been overwhelmed by invading Lamanites, or they speak the same language as the former Nephites. Rather, Mosiah1’s people fled from Nephites who no longer believed in the God of Israel (or at least in his living prophets), and who evidently included not only wealthy Nephites but also the reigning king. Thus, Zeniff’s ability to speak “Nephite” confirms that Nephites still occupy the land and city of Nephi.

Text: Amaleki tells us that “these plates are full,” confirming that the physical plates, undoubtedly the originals made by Nephi, had blank sheets that had been used by his successors, beginning with Jacob and continuing with Jacob’s successors. The large-plate tradition continued with the king-line and therefore had access to the resources and labor to create new plates. It appears that Jacob’s descendants did not have access to similar resources to create new plates to be added to the originals that Nephi made.

Second Witness: Analytical & Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 3

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