Monte J. Brough
"For those of us who try to understand the great loss of our loved ones, we may compare our lot with that of Ether. We don't know exactly what happened to Ether's family. The record is silent as to his brothers and sisters and his wife and children, if any. We know little about his own household except that he was a son of Coriantor, who traced his genealogy back to Jared. Ether recorded that Coriantor died after begetting him, having spent his entire life in some form of captivity. Ether records that his great-grandfather Ethem 'was wicked in his days' (Ether 11:11). Ether's grandfather Moron also 'did that which was wicked before the Lord' (Ether 11:14).
"Ether obviously came from difficult circumstances in his home, with somewhat of a 'wicked' environment imposed on the household of his extended family. It is likely that he had little contact with his imprisoned or deceased father during the years of his youth. Somehow I envision a faithful and loving mother who accepted responsibility for her son because of her husband's captivity and untimely death. I know of several faithful men and women who have also lost their fathers early in life. It is a great loss to lose a parent at a young age. Yet many who have done so were taught important principles by their other parent, which resulted in a deep and abiding testimony of the gospel. The abridged record of Ether does not disclose the influence of a wonderful mother or even much detailed information regarding Ether's own immediate family. We are left to wonder about the family's conditions during Ether's youth.
"Of Ether's personal life, we know that he was possessed of an unwavering faith and testimony of the Lord. The record does teach that the loss and destruction of his people, and possibly members of his own family, was so enormous that Ether was left alone. None of his own immediate or extended family survived the tragic civil war that resulted in the death and destruction of an entire people. No person among all of the people would repent and listen to the voice of this great spiritual giant.
'For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether' (Ether 13:2)." (Heroes From the Book of Mormon, pp. 191-2)
Neal A. Maxwell
"Ether was born of a kingly line, but at one point his family was in captivity. Ether's father 'dwelt in captivity all his days.' (Ether 11:23; see also Ether 1:6-33, Ether 6:22-27.) Someday when we have the fulness of such episodes, we may see clearly how Ether's excellence arose out of adversity.
"So far as we can tell, Ether, like Joseph in Egypt, was not consumed by resentment or bitterness as a result of his captivity. It is so easy for us to overlook how Ether might have been disabled by this early experience, but he refused to let himself become emotionally crippled. Yet here was someone born of a royal line who spent much of his time living and writing in a cave." (Ensign, Aug. 1978, "Three Jaredites")