“I Am a Man, and Do Sin in My Wish”

Brant Gardner

Alma’s declaration that he is a man should be seen as parallel to Benjamin’s similar declaration (Mosiah 2:10). Benjamin was rejecting the cultural implication that being a king might elevate him to the status of a god; therefore, he declared his humanity. Alma has just wished that he were an angel but quickly reconfirms his more humble humanity. He is a man and not a being that is more than a man. (See also the exchange between Lamoni and Ammon, Alma 18:17–18.) Of course, Alma knows that the sons of Mosiah are in no danger of mistaking him for more than a man; still he is careful to acknowledge his humanity to stress the difference between the great experiences that have come because of Yahweh’s mercies from acts he has done of himself. Alma is a man, yet Yahweh worked through him.

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

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