Ether, like the other Jaredite prophets, is rejected by the people. In only two reigns, those of Shule and Com (Ether 7:23–25, 11:1–3), were they officially protected. Shule reigned around eight hundred years before Ether’s ministry with Com following about two hundred years after Shule. Ether’s people are steeped in worldly ways, and they reject Ether as they have rejected other prophets before him.
In this case, Ether, like the prophets in Shule’s time, was in physical danger. For his own protection, he hid in the “cavity of a rock,” or a cave. A cave offers protection from the elements, provides a defensible position against wild animals, and is not a humanmade construction, therefore not advertising human presence. In addition to being an effective hiding place, in Mesoamerica it was also a sacred place where the levels of the world met. The Mesoamerican tower-temples touched the level of the heavens, while caves touched the underworld. If Ether participated in the Mesoamerican mindset, he would logically understand a cave as a potential place to commune with God.
Redaction: Moroni again notes that he is retelling Ether’s story, selecting material relevant to his purpose and refraining from including forbidden information. He never suggests that he is copying directly from his source, only that he is telling what was in the source.