Alma 17 All

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17

Questions

Verse 2

• Why is it referred to as the "first" appearance of "the" angel? Was it the same angel that appeared to Alma every time? If so, what does that teach us about how angels operate?
• What does it mean that the sons of Mosiah "waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth"?
• What does it mean to have a sound understanding?
• What does searching the scriptures diligently entail? What is the difference between reading and searching diligently? What were they searching for?
• What is the word of God? What does it mean to "know" the word of God? Does that mean to just memorize scriptures, or to be able to find scriptures you are looking for? Or is there something else involved in the idea of "knowing" here?

Verse 3

• What might qualify as "much" prayer and fasting? Is it just once a month fasting? How much fasting and prayer is necessary to obtain the "spirit of prophecy"?
• What is the "spirit of prophecy" and "spirit of revelation"? How does fasting and prayer bring that spirit? How does that spirit impute power and authority to gospel teachings? How is obtaining this spirit related to searching the scriptures (vs. 2)? Is scripture study a prerequisite for obtaining the spirit of prophecy and revelation, or does that come more from prayer and fasting?
• What does it mean to teach "with power and authority of God"?

Verse 4

• Why did the Sons of Mosiah stay with the Lamanites for 14 years?
• What constituted success for the Sons of Mosiah?
• What does it mean to bring souls "to the knowledge of the truth"?
• Does it matter that the Sons of Mosiah helped convert "many" souls? What if they had only been able to help a few? How does their helping large numbers of people influence how we think about their missions?
• What does it mean to bring people "before the altar of God"? Is this a real altar, or just a way of speaking?
• Why are people calling on God's name and confessing their sins before an altar?
• How did the "power of their words" bring people to repentance? How was this power manifest? What made their words powerful?
• How can we follow the example of the Sons of Mosiah? How do our own missionary and member missionary efforts compare or contrast with those of the Sons of Mosiah? Do their missions provide a model for us to follow, or different missions so unique that we shouldn't see their missionary efforts as something to try to follow?

Verse 5

• What is the relationship between the suffering and the success of the Sons of Mosiah?
• What does it mean that they experienced "much labor in the spirit"?

Lexical notes

Spirit of Prophecy--also called the "testimony of Jesus" (cf. Rev 19:10, see commentary at D&C 76:51).

Exegesis

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Related links

Verse 2

• Thomas S. Monson, "How Firm a Foundation," Ensign, Nov 2006, pp. 67–68. Elder Monson states: "Spending time each day in scripture study will, without doubt, strengthen our foundations of faith and our testimonies of truth." He also recommends prayer and service to "effectively gain and maintain the foundation needed to survive spiritually in the world in which we live."

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17

Questions

Verse 6

• Why did the Sons of Mosiah refuse to take over rulership of the kingdom, against the wishes of their father and the people?
• We tend to celebrate the installation of the chief judge system as a an improvement over the monarchy. Learning here that Mosiah really wanted to pass the kingship on to his sons, what does that tell us about how the change in political structure was really perceived by Mosiah?
• Was it really more important for the Sons of Mosiah to go on their mission, than it was for them to honor their father by taking over rulership of the kingdom?
• What were the political repercussions of the Sons of Mosiah leaving? Did it create a political vacuum that the judges were unable to fully fill? Did it lead to the revolt by Amlici?

Verse 7

• Why would the Sons of Mosiah take swords and other weapons on their mission? Was it just to provide food for themselves? How useful is a sword in hunting?
• Why bother giving us this tidbit about their taking weapons with them?

Verse 8

• Why don't we learn more about who the Sons of Mosiah took with them on their mission?
• Is there a difference between preaching and teaching? Why are we told that they went up to preach, rather than to teach, to the Lamanites?

Verse 9

• What does it mean that they fasted and prayed much? What exactly did they pray for?
• What does it mean for the Lord to "grant...a portion of his Spirit"? How does that portion then "go with them, and abide with them"?
• What does it mean to be "an instrument in the hands of God"?
• Why do they call the Lamanites "their brethren"?
• Is there a difference between bringing someone "to the knowledge of the truth" and "to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers"?
• What should be our approach to the incorrect traditions of those who we teach? Should the emphasis be on teaching them the truth, or to showing them the baseness of their traditions?

Verse 10

• What does it mean that the Lord "did visit them with his Spirit"? Is this a visitation by what we call the Holy Ghost, or some other type of visitation?
• Why was the first thing that the Lord said to them was to "be comforted"? Why would they need such comfort?

Lexical notes

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Exegesis

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Related links

Verse 9

• Don R. Clarke, "Becoming Instruments in the Hands of God," Ensign, Nov 2006, pp. 97–99. Elder Clarke said: "The sons of Mosiah were willing to step outside their surroundings and do that which was uncomfortable. Had Ammon not been willing to journey into a foreign land..., he never would have found and helped Lamoni and his father, and many Lamanites may have never learned about Jesus Christ... Do we really want to be instruments in God’s hands? If so, our desire will permeate our prayers and be the focus of our fasts."

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17

Questions

Verse 11

• What does the Lord mean by "establish my word"? Does this just mean teach? What kind of teaching is implied here?
• Why are they counseled to be "patient in long suffering and afflictions"?
• How does being patient in long suffering and afflictions "show forth good examples"?
• What does it mean to be an example "in me"?
• What does it mean to be an "instrument...in my hands unto the salvation of many souls"?
• Why would the Lord give them a promise of being able to help save "many souls"? Do modern missionaries have similar promises? What do they have to do to obtain that promise? Is it important for them to obtain such a promise before they actually start their missions?

Verse 12

• What made their hearts take courage?
• Do we have any indication of what these missionaries expected as far as the tactics they would use to "declare...the word of God" to the Lamanites?

Verse 13

• Why did they separate themselves?
• If they didn't expect to "meet again" until "the close of their harvest", how long did they think that their missions would last?
• What does it mean for them to suppose "that great was the work which they had undertaken"? What basis did they have for thinking that?

Verse 14

• Why are we given this laundry list of Lamanite iniquities?

Verse 15

• So, we learn that the Lamanites are very wicked, yet "the promises of the Lord were extended unto them on conditions of repentance." How does this differ from any group of modern people that missionaries might be called to teach? Can modern missionaries take faith in knowing that they can have similar success with any other group of wicked people that they might be called to teach?
• Why do the Sons of Mosiah have such great success on their missions, while many modern missionaries seem to have only modest success? Is there something about how they served that made them more effective, or was it all just luck of the draw and they happened to find a receptive audience? How much should modern missionaries take the account of this mission as normative for their work, and for the expectations of success we should have as missionaries?

Lexical notes

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Exegesis

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Related links

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The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17

Questions

Verse 16

• What is the connection between repenting and knowing of the plan of redemption?
• How do the sons of Mosiah "bring" the Lamanites to repentance and to know of the plan of redemption? How much of this process depends on the missionaries and how much depends on those being taught?

Verse 17

• Why do they go alone, rather than two by two?
• What does it mean that they went "according to the word and power of God"?

Verse 18

• What does it mean that Ammon was "chief among them"? Does that mean he was the oldest? If he was the oldest, why wasn't he the preferred heir (Mosiah 29:2)?
• Why is Ammon the one blessing and teaching the other sons?
• What does it mean that Ammon "imparted the word of God unto" the other sons?

Verse 19

• Why did Ammon chose to go to the land of Ishmael? Did he know where he was going?
• Was this a conscious attempt to reach the descendants of the daughters of Lehi and the sons of Ishmael? What promises were given to their descendants (2 Ne 4:10)? As descendants of Ephraim, were they given separate blessings than the children of Lehi, who was from the tribe of Manasseh?
• What do we know about the descendants of Ishmael? Why was the land of Ishmael governed by a son of the Lamanite king? Were there still descendants of Ishmael in this land?

Verse 20

• Were the other sons of Mosiah similarly bound and allowed to preach only at the permission of their local rulers, or was this something that just happened to Ammon in the land of Ishmael?

Lexical notes

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Exegesis

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The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17

Questions

Verse 21

• How can Lamoni be "a descendant of Ishmael" and also the son of the King of the Lamanites, who is presumably a descendant of Laman?"

Verse 22

• Why would the king give Ammon, the son of the enemy king Mosiah, a chance to live with his people?
• Why would he ask Ammon if wanted to live either with the Lamanites or with his people? Does this tell us anything about the relationship between the people of Lamoni and the other Lamanites?

Verse 23

• Why would Ammon say that he desired to dwell with the people of Lamoni "perhaps until the day I die"? What does this say about how long Ammon thought his mission might last?

Verse 24

• Why would Lamoni be "much pleased" with Ammon?
• Why would Lamoni want Ammon to marry one of his daughters? Was Lamoni trying to establish a formal relationship with the royal Nephite lineage of Ammon and Mosiah?

Verse 25

• Why wouldn't Ammon marry the daughter of Lamoni?
• How might this refusal have played with king Lamoni? Was he still "much pleased" with Ammon after this?
• Why did Ammon volunteer to be Lamoni's servant?
• Apparently Lamanite kings had servants, while there is no record of Nephite leaders having them. What does this tell us about differences between the Nephite and Lamanite socio-political systems?
• Why was Ammon sent to watch the flocks, when previous servants in this capacity had been killed for failure to guard the flocks? Was this an attempt to get rid of Ammon?
• Why would Ammon volunteer to be Lamoni's servant, rather than try to teach him the gospel right away? How does this differ from the way modern LDS missionaries approach their missions?

Lexical notes

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Exegesis

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Related links

• Brant Gardner's 2004 FAIR talk about Ammon and the waters of Sebus on YouTube.

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17

Questions

Verse 26

• Why are the servants described as "Lamanitish"? Are they a different ethnicity from the Lamoni or his people?
• Sheep are unknown among pre-Columbian civilizations, so what kind of flocks are being tended here?
• Why are we given the name of this "place of water"? What does Sebus mean?
• What does it mean that "all the Lamanites" drive their flocks to the water of Sebus? Does that include all the Lamanites outside of the land of Ishmael?
• This incident happens after only serving the king for three days. How is it that within just a few days Ammon is given the opportunity to win the hearts of his fellow-servants?

Verse 27

• Who were these flock scatterers? Why are they described as Lamanites, while the servants are describes as Lamanitish? Were they from Lamoni's kingdom, or some other Lamanite kingdom?
• What is going on with this incident? Why would the Lamanites scatter these flocks of a king?

Verse 28

• Why would they take the flocks to the water of Sebus if the flocks have been scattered there before?
• Why are the scatterers described by the servants as wicked?

Verse 29

• Why was Ammon's heart "swollen within him with joy" at this affliction?
• Does this provide a model for how we should act at work when we are faced with extreme challenges?
• Do we see challenges at work as missionary opportunities?
• How does Ammon think that solving this problem with the flocks will lead the servants to believe in his words?

Verse 30

• Why does Ammon term his fellow-servants "to be his brethren"?

Lexical notes

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Exegesis

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Related links

• Brant Gardner's 2004 FAIR talk about Ammon and the waters of Sebus on YouTube.

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17

Questions

Verse 31

• Why are Ammon's words described as flattery?
• Why does Ammon tell the servants to "be of good cheer"?

Verse 32

• Why did the servants follow Ammon?
• Why are we told that they "rushed forth with much swiftness"?

Verse 33

• What can we learn about leadership from Ammon's example?

Verse 34

• What does it mean that these looters "stood" by the waters of Sebus and that Ammon "stood to contend" with them? What is going on here? What is the nature of this confrontation?

Verse 35

• Did the Lord's promise to Mosiah embolden Ammon to stand against the looters?
• We are told that the looters "delighted in the destruction of their brethren"? So was the purpose here just to steal the flocks, or to get the flock tenders killed? What is going on here?
• What does their not knowing "anything concerning the Lord" have to do with this confrontation?

Lexical notes

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Exegesis

• Servants. Apparently, Lamanite kings had servants, while Nephite leaders did not. In sociological terms, this may indicate that the Nephites had a more egalitarian tribal society, while the Lamanites had a more stratified society.

Related links

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The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17

Questions

Verse 36

• Here we have a tale of a missionary fighting with deadly force. What are we to make of this tale? What lessons, if any, might this have for modern missionaries?
• Why couldn't the rustlers hit Ammon with their stones? Were they just poor slingmen, or was Ammon somehow protected?

Verse 37

• As a servant and covert missionary, what is Ammon doing with a sword? Did he already have an idea that they might be attacked while watering the kings flocks? Is this a sign that Ammon was prepared, and perhaps already had a plan to impress his fellow servants?
• Why are we told that he smote their arms "with the edge of his sword"? Isn't that the only way to use a sword?
• Why did Ammon smite off their arms, rather than kill most of his attackers with his sword?

Verse 38

• Presumably justified by Lamanite law, Ammon has killed seven rustlers and maimed "not a few" others. How would this incident be viewed by the others in Lamanite society?

Verse 39

• We are told that Ammon drove his attackers "afar off". Was he chasing them with his sword?
• Why would the servants carry the arms "unto the king for a testimony of the things which they had done"?

Lexical notes

• Sword. In Mesoamerican societies, metal weapons were almost unheard of, but swords made of wood inlaid with sharp obsidian blades along their edges were common weapons, known later by the Aztecs as macahuitl. Other swords or daggers were made entirely of obsidian or flint, while others were simply sharpened wood instruments, known by the Taino as macana.
• Clubs. A common Mesoamerican club was a stick with a round stone attached to the end, known by the later Aztecs as a Quauhololli. It was used to attack and crush the head of an opponent.

Exegesis

• Ammon's skill with weapons. According to this account, Ammon was apparently much more skilled with weaponry than his attackers. While we know practically nothing about Nephite customs, in other Mesoamerican cultures such as that of the later Aztecs, the sons of nobility were highly trained in warfare at a special academy known as the Calmecac, where in addition to weapons training, they also received instructions in writing, the calender, and ritual. Ammon and other royal Nephites probably received similar training.

Related links

• Bruce H. Yerman (1999), Ammon and the Mesoamerican Custom of Smiting off Arms, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8(1):44-47
• Matthew Roper (1996), Eyewitness Descriptions of Mesoamerican Swords, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 5(1):150-58
• Images of Mesoamerican sword-clubs at MyArmoury.com.