In Alma 11 we find the "reckoning" of the Nephite "monetary" system, or weights and measures. John and Gregory Welch note that Egyptian hieroglyphs offer a parallel to King Mosiah's monetary system. The grain measure in ancient Egypt was represented by the eye of Horus. Each part of the eye represented a fraction of the grain measure. There were six parts. The smallest measure was 1/64, represented by the tear duct; the next was 2/64 represented by the eyelash; and so on. The sum of all the parts equaled 63/64, which was considered the full measure. Mosiah's weights and measures were similarly exponential, with the largest equaling "the value of . . . all" (Alma 11:10) of the main lesser amounts. Although the Nephite system is not exactly the same as the Egyptian, the similarities corroborate the report that the Nephite kings studied "the language of the Egyptians" (Mosiah 1:4) and drew on their Old World backgrounds well after their arrival in the New World. [John W. Welch and J. Gregory Welch, Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching, F.A.R.M.S., commentary for Chart 113]
Alma 11:5 Now the reckoning is thus (Illustration): Chart: Egyptian Hieroglyphs for Grain Measurement. [John W. Welch and J. Gregory Welch, Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching, F.A.R.M.S., commentary for Chart 113]
Now the Reckoning of the Law of Moses is Thus
According to John Welch, in order for ancient economies to work effectively, kings spelled out the value of various commodities and established exchange ratios, especially between consumable goods and precious metals.
For example, several parallels exist between the ancient Babylonian Laws of Eshnunna, instituted during the reign of Dadusha in the early eighteenth century B.C., and King Mosiah's system of weights and measures found in Alma 11:13-19.
1. Standard Phrasing: For example, the Babylonian laws have "One kor of barley is (priced) at one shekel of silver." This resembles the phrase "A senum of silver was equal to a senine of gold, and either for a measure of barley" (Alma 11:7)
2. Primary Exchange Ratios Between Barley and Silver: The primary conversion in Babylonia was between barley and silver. Thus, precious metal and grain measures were convertible into each other. The law of Mosiah featured the same conversion capability: "a senum of silver . . . for a measure of barley" (Alma 11:7).
3. Other Commodities Converted into Silver or Barley: In Babylonia, the basic commodity valuation system allowed traders to deal in a variety of commodities, all convertible into silver or barley. Similarly, Mosiah's system allowed traders to expand from silver, gold, or barley into "a measure of every kind of grain" (see Alma 11:7).
4. Instituted by Kings: Both economic systems were instituted by kings for similar reasons. The Laws of Eshnunna began with a royal superscription that probably proclaimed this standardization as instrumental in establishing justice, eliminating enmity, and protecting the weak. Likewise, King Mosiah enacted his laws expressly to establish peace and equality in the land (see Mosiah 29:39,40).
5. A Standard for Wages and Legal Matters: The ideal, practical motivation behind the Laws of Eshnunna seems to have been to . . . standardize values on daily wages and the computation of various damages and penalties. Similarly we find that "it was in the law of Mosiah that every man who was a judge of the law . . . should receive wages, . . . "a senine of gold for a day, or a senum of silver" (Alma 11:1,3).
It is interesting that in enacting his law, King Mosiah "did not reckon after the manner of the Jews who were at Jerusalem" (Alma 11:4), but he apparently still utilized a system that drew on elements known in the ancient Near East. Such similarities between the Laws of Eshnunna (discovered and translated in the mid-twentieth century) and Mosiah's economic system show yet another way in which the Book of Mormon presents a truly complex civilization with roots in ancient society. [John W. Welch, "The Laws of Eshnunna and Nephite Economics," in FARMS Update, No. 121, in Insights, December 1998, p. 2]