Site:SS lessons/BOM lesson 25

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17

Questions

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?

Lexical notes

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

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

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

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

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

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 17

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 18

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 18

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 18

Questions

• v. 14: Why is the wording in this verse so similar to this verse from the New Testament: "And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" (Mark 10:51)?

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 18

Questions

In verse 18, Lamoni is impressed that Ammon knows his thoughts, a feeling powerful enough that it is the first question he asks Ammon after finding out he is not God incarnate. Ammon's ability to know Lamoni's thoughts corresponds to Alma and Amulek's experience with Zeezrom in Alma 12:3. Lamoni's and Zeezrom's experiences are similar as well in that their encounter with Nephite missionaries leads them, in very different ways, to feel that they might have "done wrong" (see Alma 12:1 and Alma 18:5--it is interesting to note the different tones in which the author describes this realization here as well). What does this combination of mind-reading and realization of guilt teach about the necessary preparation one needs to repent and become converted?

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 18

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

In verse 23, even though Ammon is doing a good thing (sharing and teaching the gospel), it sounds like he's doing it in a bad way, i.e., using guile. Can GUILE be a good thing to have? In John 1:47 it seems a good thing that Nathanael had no guile.

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 18

Questions

Verse 30

• Why would Ammon teach that God dwells in the heavens? Was this not common knowledge in Lamoni's culture?
• Why would Ammon emphasize that all the holy angels dwell with God in the heavens? Where else might someone think that angels would dwell?
• A place. Why would Ammon call the heavens (plural) a place (singular)?
• Dwell. What does it mean for God to dwell in the heavens.

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 18

Questions

Verse 31

• Why would king Lamoni ask Ammon if the heavens were above the earth? Isn't that a pretty silly question? Is Lamoni asking about "the heavens" which are obviously above the earth, or is he asking about "where God dwells and all his holy angels' (v.30)?

Lexical notes

• It (singular). Note that while Ammon begins by talking about the heavens (plural), in vs. 30 he indicates that the heavens (plural) is a place (singluar) where God dwells with all his holy angels. Then in vs. 31, Lamoni asks Ammon if it, presumably this singular dwelling place of God, is above the earth.

Exegesis

• Where God dwells. Apparently, in these verses Ammon is clarifying for Lamoni where God dwells. In doing so, he may be correcting the common Mesoamerican belief that the gods dwelt under the ground.

Related links

• John Clark may have been the first to point out that Ammon may be correcting a traditional Mesoamerican view of gods as dwelling in a dark underworld. See his closing remarks during his 2005 FAIR conference address. All known Mesoamerican cultures subscribed to these views of a dark underworld, including the Aztecs (with nine lower levels, including Mictlan) and Mayans (Xibalba). National Geographic has an account of a modern visit to the Mayan Underworld.

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 18

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 18

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 19

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 19

Questions

Verse 6

• What does it mean to be "under the power of God"?
• What is the "dark veil of unbelief" and how can it be "cast away" from the mind?
• How are light and glory associated here? What is this "glory of God" and what does it mean for it to be the "light of his goodness"? How can this light infuse joy into a soul and light up a soul? If "the glory of god is intelligence, or in other words, light and truth" (D&C 93:36), how do we see this glory bringing intelligence to Lamoni?

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 19

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 19

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 19

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 19

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 19

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 20

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Verse 3: From the context it seems that brother refers to Aaron, Ammon's actual brother, while brethren refers to Muloki and Ammah, not sons of King Mosiah but his brothers in the church. (See exegesis.)

Exegesis

In verse 2 the Lord says to Ammon that his "brother Aaron, and also Muloki and Ammah are in prison." This suggests that Muloki and Ammah weren't literal brothers of Ammon but rather two of the other people the sons of Mosiah selected to travel with them (see Alma 17:8). Otherwise we might expect this to be written as "thy brothers Aaron, Muloki and Ammah are in prison." In the next verse when Ammon tells Lamoni about these three in prison, he says "my brother and brethren are in prison." Again this is an odd way of referring to all 3 if all 3 were his brothers. It seems that by saying brother Alma is referring to Aaron and by saying brethren he is referring to Muloki and Ammah. This helps explain Alma 26:1 where Ammon starts by addressing his audience as "My brothers and my brethren." Ammon uses brothers to refer to his literal brothers but brethren to refer to brothers in the church.

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 20

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 20

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 20

Questions

• In verse 17 Ammon tells the King of all the land, King Lamoni's father, that were he to die right now when he is in anger (and about to kill his innocent son) that his soul could not be saved. We see later that this King does not kill his son and that he does repent. But since when he lives he does repent, why wouldn't he have had the same opportunity to repent were he to die?

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 20

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 20

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 21

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 21

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 21

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 21

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 21

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 22

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 22

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 22

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 22

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

Verse 18

• Elaine S. Dalton, "Look toward Eternity!," Ensign, Nov 2006, pp. 31–32. Sister Dalton relates, "Once Lamoni’s father understood who he was and the great plan of which he was a part, worthiness became his heart’s desire."

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 22

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Verse 23: Minister generally means to attend to the needs of. See the definition in Webster's 1828 dictionary. Note how the word is used in Matt 25:44. As minister is used in this verse, it seems from the context that it refers to the king explaining the gospel.

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 22

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links

The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 22

Questions

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add questions

Lexical notes

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis

Related links

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links