Alma 4 All

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 4

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Lexical notes

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The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 4

Questions

• vv. 6-8: What do you make of the fact that wearing costly apparel is the sign of Nephite pride? To what could we compare this in our own day? The word “heresy” originally referred to something that created divisions in the Church. What does verse 8 tell us created divisions among the Nephites? What sorts of things are comparable today?

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Exegesis

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The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 4

Questions

• Verse 10 tells us that the wickedness in the church became a stumbling-block for non-members. It is pretty easy to understand how that can happen. Verse 11 tells us that the wicked example of chuch members was leading unbelievers from one iniquity to another. Why did the wicked examples of church members lead unbelievers from one iniquity to another?
• vv. 12-13: What kind of inequality begins to come among the people? What causes it? How is that inequality related to the sins we saw described in verses 6 and 8?

Lexical notes

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Exegesis

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The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 4

Questions

Verse 18

• When Alma said that he "delivered" the judgment-seat to Nephihah, does that mean that it was a sort of calling or was it a responsibility? Is it like the church today that some teachers who teach Seminary are called to do so and others have to go through college to get paid to do so?

Verse 19

• What does the last part of this verse suggest we must do if we wish to see peace in the world? How is this related to Alma’s teaching in Mosiah 18:9? Does Alma here imply that other things are unnecessary? This verse suggests that testimony has a saving power, not only in heavenly, but also in temporal things. How can that be?

Lexical notes

This is the first time that a '-hah' name is used in the Book of Mormon. The origin is an Egyptian suffix, meaning, 'eternal'. Much like we would call a child by our own name today, like Frank 'Junior', the Nephites sought to perpetuate the name of their first parent eternally.

See also, for example, Shine-hah from the Book of Abraham, etc.

Exegesis

At this time in the Book of Mormon the people are ruled by judges. As we can see from verse 16, judges had the power to enact laws in their government. The following phrase "according to the laws which had been given" suggests though that unlike the kings previous, there were restraints on how new laws could be enacted by the the chief judge. Verse 16 also tells us that there was some form of democratic process was a part of the process. When Alma gives Nephihah power, he does it "according to the voice of the people."

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