“He Flattered Them by His Words”

Brant Gardner

Since the flocks were not destroyed, but only scattered, there was the possibility that they could be recovered. Again, this tells us that the flocks consisted of animals that were fast enough, that they would be scattered into many locations, and that they would not be easy to find. There is no indication that Ammon waited a long time before making this speech and initiating the search. The fact that this rather obvious idea did not occur to the others in the party also suggests that we are dealing with some type of flock that was easily scattered, and that they were fast enough, and perhaps small enough, that they would be difficult to find after having been scattered. In this we may suppose that Ammon also felt some guidance of the spirit to be able to say to the others that they would be able to find the flocks and present them back to the king.

Translation: This is an interesting use of the word "flattered." We tend to have a connotation with flattery that it is insincere, yet that fault can hardly be placed at Ammon's feet. The "flattery" here must relate to convincing through speech, without the connotations of doing so with any hidden intent or falseness.

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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