“Jaredites Repented Not, Neither Their Fair Sons nor Daughters”

Brant Gardner

Literature: This is a highly stylized verse, repeating “fair sons and daughters” no fewer than four times. Certainly the phrase communicates “descendants,” but the final “none of the fair sons and daughters” indicates that the entire Jaredite polity is unrepentant.

Also stylized are the inclusions of Cohor and Corihor. While Coriantumr is a current figure, Cohor and Corihor are probably citations of the historical figures (Ether 7:3–4, 15, 20–22). Their personal “fair sons and daughters” are rather symbolic at this point. Corihor is the first of the sons in the narrative who rebels against his father (Ether 7:4). Cohor, also a rebel against the familial line, establishes a separate kingdom (Ether 7:20). The invocation of these two historical names describes two types of people involved in this last war of destruction: the current ruling line (represented by Coriantumr) and the rebellious people (represented by the ancestral rebels, Corihor and Cohor). Neither of these groups will repent.

Second Witness: Analytical & Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 6

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