“Mosiah Did Walk in the Ways of the Lord”

Brant Gardner

Textual: We may be reasonably certain that these are not only the words of Mormon, but Mormon's synopsis of Mosiah. Recall that for Mormon the impact of history is to highlight the spiritual. Therefore, regardless of the historical, what Mormon needs to declare is Mosiah's righteousness. If we play guessing games with Mormon's source for Mosiah, a record created in the historical context would not have such a simple summary of the actions of the king. While declarations of kingly piety are well known, they come in the context of actions, not a simple summation. In this verse, then, we see Mormon the editor at work, creating from his source the essential information that Mormon wants to communicate.

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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