“Having Been Much Peace in the Land of Zarahemla”

Brant Gardner

After five years of comparative peace, war again comes to the Nephite polity.

Chronology: The eleventh year of the reign of the judges would be approximately 82 B.C.

Text: Mormon uses different sources for his compilation, but one major type is an official historical record. One clue is that the chronology is more clearly defined from this point on. While past events were categorized by years, we are now beginning to get events dated to a precise day.

Probably the Nephites named, rather than numbered, their months, since both the Israelite tradition from which they came and the Mesoamerican tradition they entered did so. It is not clear why Joseph left the month names untranslated and referred to them by number only.

Second Witness: Analytical & Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 4

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