Now let us pause to consider what Alma said in verse 7. He declares that their system of money was not based on the value of gold or silver but upon the value of grain. This means that as the value of grain went up or down depending on the quantity available, the value of the money went up or down. So Nephite money was not based on the gold standard but on the grain standard. To say it another way, the value of their money depended on the value of their food, which was primarily grain.