The Wine Was Strong Having Been Prepared in Its Strength

Alan C. Miner

According to E. L. Peay, "strong" wine was apparently the key to the whole strategy, "having been prepared in its strength" (Alma 55:13). This wine could have been especially prepared with some of the hallucinogenic drugs that were available. The use of drugs was common among the ancient Mayan people. Their drugs included a hallucinogenic mushroom, peyote, water lily, tobacco, and morning glory seeds, to name just a few. [E. L. Peay, The Lands of Zarahemla: Nephi's Land of Promise, pp. 45-46]

Alma 55:16 [Moroni] cast in weapons of war unto the prisoners ([Illustration]): While the Lamanite guards were drunken, Moroni cast weapons into the Nephite prisoners. [W. Cleon Skousen, Treasures from the Book of Mormon, Vol. 3, p. 3259]

Step by Step Through the Book of Mormon: A Cultural Commentary

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