“Let Them Be in Whatsoever Circumstances They Might”

Brant Gardner

At this point, something warns Alma that some in his congregation might misunderstand him. His explanation reads more clearly with an added comma: “now I do not desire that ye should suppose that I mean to judge you, only according to that which is true.” Alma does not want to judge them unfairly but rather to judge them “according to that which is true.” For Alma, the truth of the gospel provides the measuring stick. In this measurement, he does not find them lacking, but quite literally wanting, or desirous. They are sufficiently humble to listen to him and to act on what they hear. While external forces have brought some of his listeners to this point, others would have been humble regardless of circumstance. They thus fall into the “more blessed” category (v. 16).

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

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