In the 29th chapter of Mosiah, the 20th verse, we read: And now, as I said unto you, that after King Mosiah had done these things, he took the Plates of Brass, and all the things which he had kept, and conferred them upon Alma, who was the son of Alma; yea, all the records, and also the interpreters, and conferred them upon him, and commanded him that he should keep and preserve them, and also keep a record of the people, handing them down from one generation to another, even as they had been handed down from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem.
When King Mosiah had, at length, finished the work of translating the twenty-four Gold Plates which King Limhi had brought with him from the Land of Nephi, he took all the sacred articles which had been given him by his father, King Benjamin, and in turn gave them into the keeping of Alma as has been stated. King Mosiah also instructed Alma as to the manner in which they were to be preserved by him. Mosiah made it a special obligation on Alma’s part, to hand them down to whomsoever was appointed to be his successor, and thereby continue the custom that had been begun by Nephi when Lehi, his father, together with his fathers family, departed out of Jerusalem.
We also refer the reader to the 11th verse of The Words of Mormon: And they (meaning the Plates of Nephi) were handed down from King Benjamin, from generation to generation until they have fallen into my hands. And I, Mormon, pray to God that they may be preserved from this time henceforth. And I know that they will be preserved; for there are great things written upon them, out of which my people and their brethren shall be judged at the great and last day, according to the word of God which is written.
A complete history of the custodianship of the Plates of Nephi is herewith given that will give great light upon the course taken by the Church and the political government—both the Monarchy and the Republic.
The Smaller Plates of Nephi containing the sacred annals of Nephi’s people were not entirely filled with engravings until about 200 years before Christ. They were started by Nephi between 570-560 B.C. But the history they contain goes back to the time when Lehi left Jerusalem, or 600 B.C. So in reality they contain the history of God’s dealings with that branch of the House of Israel for about four hundred years.
When Nephi died, he transferred these sacred records to the care of his brother, Jacob. From then until Moroni finally hid them in the Hill Cumorah, they continued in the hands of four families, who had charge of them as near as can be told from the abridgment. We may summarize as follows: Jacob and his descendants held them from 546 B.C. to about 200 B.C., when they were transferred to King Benjamin. He, with his son, Mosiah, held them until 91 B.C., at which time they were given into the care of Alma, the Chief Judge. Alma and his posterity retained them until 320 years after the advent of the Messiah. After these, Mormon and Moroni were the custodians until the close of the record in the year A.D. 420.
Here are the facts concerning the custodianship of the sacred plates from the foregoing statement of the Prophet Mormon. Beginning with Amaleki, he gave the plates to King Benjamin about 200 B.C. Of King Benjamin, we read “ … that when King Benjamin had made an end of all these things, he had consecrated his son Mosiah to be a ruler and a king over his people, and he had given him all the charges concerning the kingdom … ” (Mosiah 28:20) This was in 91 B.C.
Alma, about seventeen year later, entrusted the plates to his son, Helaman. It is recorded in the Book of Alma, 37:1-2, “And now, my son Helaman, I command you that ye take the records which have been entrusted with me; And I also command you that you keep a record of this people, according as I have done, upon the Plates of Nephi, and keep all these things sacred which I have kept, even as I have kept them; for it is for a wise purpose that they are kept.”
In the year 544 of the Nephite Annals, or fifty-seven years before the birth of Christ, Helaman died, and Shiblon, his brother, we are told, “ … took possession of these sacred things which had been delivered unto Helaman by Alma.” (Alma 63:1)
Four years later, or 53 B.C., Shiblon died, and, “It became expedient for Shiblon to confer those sacred things, before his death, upon the son of Helaman, being called after the name of his father.” (Alma 63:11)
In 39 B.C., “Helaman died, and his eldest son Nephi began to reign in his stead.” (Hel. 3:37) Of him it is written:
3 Ne. 1:2-3)
4 Ne. 20, 19)
4 Ne. 21)
4 Ne. 47)
4 Ne. 48-49)
Ammaron gave them to Mormon. (Morm. 1:2-3)
Mormon obtained the plates as Ammaron had directed. (Morm. 4:23)
Mormon hid all the records in the Hill Cumorah, save the abridged ones, which he gave to his son, Moroni. (Morm. 6:6)
Moroni said, “I am the son of Mormon … And I am the same who hideth up this record unto the Lord; … ” (Moro. 10:2)
The following are the names of the Nephite historians, with the times during which they held the plates. Where a blank space is noted, the information is not given in the Book of Mormon, and therefore can only be guessed at, which we choose not to do.
Nephi, from......to 546 B.C. Helaman, the Elder, from 73 to 57.
Jacob, from 546 to...... Shiblon, from 57 to 53.
Enos, from......to 422. Helaman, the Younger, from 53 to 39.
Jarom, from 422 to 362. Nephi, from 39 to 1.
Omni from 362 to 318. Nephi, the Disciple, from 1 to A.D. 34.
Amaron, from 318 to 280. Nephi, the son of the Disciple, 34 to 110.
Chemish, from 280 to...... Amos, from 110 to 194,
Abinadom, from......to...... Amos, the Younger, from 194 to 306.
Amaleki, from......to 200 (circa). Ammaron, from 306 to 320.
King Benjamin, from 200 to 125. Mormon, from 320 to 385.
King Mosiah, from 125 to 91. Moroni, from 385 to 420. Record closes.
Alma, the Younger, from 91 to 73.
In these verses (13-20) Alma emphatically declared to Helaman that if he is faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord, he will always retain the plates and other sacred things, and that there is no power of earth or hell that can take them from him.
That the Lord, Alma reiterated, has promised our fathers “that He would reserve these things for a wise purpose in Him, that He might show forth His power unto future generations.”
Now remember, my son, Helaman, Alma again insisted that the injunction to be obedient to God’s commands was of preeminent value or importance, for the Lord has entrusted into your care those things which are sacred, those things which throughout many generations He has kept sacred, and which He will still keep sacred that the promises He has made to our fathers will be fulfilled. The Lord, Alma continued, has already fulfilled one of these promises He made, “Even to the restoration of many thousands of the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth; and He hath shown forth His power in them, and He will also still show forth His power in them unto future generations; therefore they shall be preserved.” It is well for us to remember that because of the Nephite Records, a copy of which was carried on their mission to the Lamanites, Ammon and his brethren were able to convince them of their folly and corruption. We repeat, word for word, the 20th verse: Therefore I command you, my son, Helaman, that ye be diligent in fulfilling all my words, and that ye be diligent in keeping the commandments of God as they are written.