“It Is the Tradition of Their Fathers That Has Caused Their Hatred”

Brant Gardner

Redaction: This is a difficult verse to parse without the understanding of the nature of Moroni’s accusation against Pahoran. The logic of Moroni’s argument may be stripped to its essential elements so we can better understand the problem:

Can you suppose the Lord will spare you when it is the Lamanite way that has caused this trouble?

Both of these phrases distills the essential information, but the contrast of the two is highlighted because we can readily see that the second phrase is somehow supposed to show Pahoran the error of his ways. How is it that the tradition of the Lamanites will mean that Pahoran cannot be saved by the Lord?

The only possible answer is that Moroni is accusing Pahoran of imitating the Lamanite way. With this accusation as a base, this verse makes sense. Pahoran cannot hope of deliverance by the Lord, while he is imitating the Lamanites, because it is precisely those Lamanite traditions that have caused this conflict.

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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