“Two Hundred and Four Souls”

Brant Gardner

Alma similarly baptized “every one that went forth to the place of Mormon”—the 204 believers who had followed him out of Lehi-Nephi. Mormon gives few details about the history of this community, but when they depart for the land of Zarahemla, he records that they number “four hundred and fifty souls” (v. 35). While we do not know precisely how long they stayed in the land of Mormon, it would be unrealistic for the population to more than double through births only. There must have been some way to communicate to friends and loved ones in Lehi-Nephi and ongoing conversions as a result. Since the land of Mormon was uninhabited (the very reason that Alma and his people went there), these converts must have come from Lehi-Nephi.

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

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