Alma 33:16-20
From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.
The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 33
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Contents |
Questions
Verse 16
- What is the nature of divine anger? How can an all-loving God be angry?
- What is it about not understanding mercy which makes the God angry?
Verse 17
- Which is the prophet that was stoned to death? Zenock?
- Why would the people stone him to death? Did the consider this teaching blasphemous? Why might they think that?
Verse 18
- Why would Alma feel the need to cite so many teachings? Why does he only cite prophets from the Brass Plates?
Verse 19
- What is the "type" that Moses held up in the wilderness?
- Why wouldn't the people look at the sign that Moses provided and be healed (vs. 20)?
Verse 20
- What is meant by hardness of heart?
- How much effort was required to look at the metal serpent raised by Moses? Why wouldn't someone expend that effort? Wouldn't they see others healed by just looking and have faith enough to try? What is going on here?
Lexical notes
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Exegesis
Verse 16
This quote from Zenock applies directly to the Zoramites. Like the people that Zenock was speaking of, the Zoramites are in an apostasy, in which, they don't believe in Christ. They can't understand the atonement if they don't believe in Christ.
Verse 19
The "type" (or symbol) of Christ "raised up in the wilderness" was a brazen copper serpent, called the Nehushtan, that Moses was commanded to create and use to heal the snake-bitten Israelites (Num 21:4), an incident that is repeatedly mentioned in the early Nephite record (1 Ne 17:41; 2 Ne 25:20). According to the Deuteronomistic history, Nehushtan was kept in the temple for over a thousand years, until King Hezekiah destroyed it (as idolatrous) a few years before the Lehites left Jerusalem (2 Kgs 18:4).
Related links
Verse 16
- Anthony D. Perkins, "‘The Great and Wonderful Love’," Ensign, Nov 2006, pp. 76–78. Elder Perkins urges those seeking repentance to exercise faith. "To forgive yourself and others, you must trust the Atonement of Jesus Christ... Our Father in Heaven is saddened when we limit the power of His Son's atoning sacrifice."
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