Alma 33:11-15
From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.
(Redirected from Alma 33:12)
The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 33
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Contents |
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Questions
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Verse 11
- Why would Zenos claim that God heard him "because of mine afflictions"? What do afflictions have to do with answers to prayers?
- What is the relationship between sincerity and God hearing our prayers?
- How does God's Son bring about mercy? What does mercy have to do with prayer?
- What does it mean that God "hast turned [His] judgments away...because of [His] Son"?
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Verse 12
- What does Alma mean by "those scriptures"? Does he just mean the words of Zenos? If so, what does Alma mean by the words of Zenos having "been written by them of old"? What does he mean by written? Does that include copying? Otherwise, why say that they were written by "them" of old, rather than "he" of old? Is the plural important here, or is this just a manner of speech?
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Verse 13
- Why would Alma ask if the people believe the scriptures first, then tell them that if they do believe the scriptures, they have to believe the words of Zenos? Why reaffirm a belief in the scriptures, before appealing to them for their teachings?
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Verse 14
- Since these poor Zoramites were presumably illiterate (as were most people in ancient societies), what does Alma mean by asking if they "have read the scriptures"? What does it mean for illiterate people to read the scriptures? Does that mean they had the scriptures read to them? Were they committed to memory--like Alma apparently had them memorized here so he could quote them?
- Why does Alma appeal to scriptures from the Brass Plates, rather than the preaching of New World prophets?
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Verse 15
- Why does Alma quote an additional ancient prophet to establish the teaching about "the Son of God"?
- Why does Alma quote prophets that we don't have in our Old Testament?
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Lexical notes
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Exegesis
In verse 11 Alma quotes Zenos who says "for thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, because of thy Son." Through the Son, Jesus Christ, God is able to exercise mercy and not justice. Alma is quoting scripture that would otherwise be lost to us. This scripture may have been purposefully removed from the Old Testament.
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Related links
- Article on Zenock in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism.
- Speculation that the name Zenock may have been preserved by later Nahuatl speakers in Mesoamerica, Insights, Maxwell Institute, 1993.
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