Difference between revisions of "Alma 13:1-5"

Revision as of 09:59, 14 April 2005

Questions

• What does it mean to "cite your minds forward"? In the rest of this verse and the next verse it seems that Alma is talking about what is in the past. So why does Alma cite our minds forward? Is this use of forward the same as the use in verse 2 where Alma says "look forward"?

Lexical notes

It does appear at first glance that the word "forward" should actually be "back." But on second thought, maybe there's something to the notion that remembering spiritual incidents is a way of moving forward instead of moving back. Another example could be D&C 6:22, when the Lord tells Oliver Cowdery to "cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart." The Lord could have said "think back upon the night..." but instead he says "cast your mind," a feeling of moving forward. I think this is one example of where current English usage, or the translation of the original language, should be opened to the other ways in which the Lord and the prophets use the language.

Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis S. Kurt Neumiller gives an overview and a verse by verse reading of Alma 13

http://www.cybcon.com/~kurtn/alma13.txt

Related links

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

John Welch writes on what we learn about Melchizedek through Alma 13

http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?id=6&table=transcripts

James Duke's article on literary structure and doctrinal significance of Alma 13

http://farms.byu.edu/getpdf.php?filename=MzEzNjAwMTI5LTUtMS5wZGY=&type=amJtcw==.