Kib Was the Last Born of the Sons of Orihah

George Reynolds, Janne M. Sjodahl

He succeeded his father in the office of king. It may seem strange that the succession should go to the youngest son, but that also was the case in the selection of David to succeed Saul, the first king of Israel. David was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse. (1 Samuel 6:6-13) In the family of Jacob, the patriarch, Joseph the next youngest of twelve boys, became the most prominent. We believe it is the rule, barring the exceptions that prove the rule, that children born of mature, not to say old, parents, come into the world better equipped mentally than the children of immature fathers and mothers. The brief story of Orihah illustrates the fact that righteous and wise leadership is the channel through which come the divine blessings that reach the people.

Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 6

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